BECOME A MEMBER
Connecting New Zealand

Government’s Infrastructure Strategy response a positive start

12 Sep 2022


The Government’s response to the national 30-year Infrastructure Strategy released by the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission Te Waihanga is a welcome starting point, but illustrates there is a lot of work to go to resolve the country’s infrastructure challenges.

Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Alan Pollard welcomed the Government’s response to Rautaki Hanganga o Aotearoa – New Zealand Infrastructure Strategy 2022–2052, saying it was promising to see the government taking steps to overcome the country’s infrastructure deficit and support industry through change.

“The infrastructure strategy will inform our approach for the next 30 years. It gives industry and government vision and clarity. The government’s response is promising and provides us with a positive place to start in working towards better outcomes for NZ communities.”

He said the government’s response to the 67 recommendations provided in the strategy also demonstrated the scale and scope of the challenges the country faced in terms of infrastructure construction and provision.

Industry welcomed many of the initiatives in the Government’s response, such as support for increased construction waste minimisation, a clearer pipeline of work that enabled industry to invest in capability and capacity, support for emissions reduction, availability of technology, equipment and resources, and supporting people to join the workforce.

However, there were also risks, including a risk Government would overlook successful work currently in progress within industry in favour of its own transformation plans, Mr Pollard said.

“While it’s positive to see the Government take ownership of its lead role in delivering on the Strategy, there is also a risk it will use it to support its own programmes, and overlook the many valuable solutions already in play within industry, rather than create genuine partnerships for change.”

He said key examples could be found in the successful Infrastructure Skills Centre pilot conducted in 2021 to provide an entry point for aspirational trade careers in civil infrastructure, and in the lack of mention or detail on the physical construction of horizontal infrastructure in many recent government reports.

Much of the response was also contingent on the success of ongoing reforms such as the Resource Management Act, education system and local government – all things that would require close interaction with industry to achieve the Strategy’s goals, Mr Pollard said.

 

 

RELATED


Principal Business Partner
Core Associates
Major Associates
New Zealand Transport Agency
Reliance Reinforcing Limited
Assignar
Komatsu New Zealand Ltd
Portacom New Zealand Limited
Fluiconnecto Ryco New Zealand Ltd
Coninnova Limited
Central Group
A B Equipment Ltd
Northpine Ltd
SAMI Bitumen Technologies Pty Ltd
RB Recruitment
H.J. Asmuss & Co. Ltd
First Gas
Crediflex New Zealand Limited
Greenlight Insurance Brokers
RobLawMax Recruitment
Prime Fluid Management
Geosynthetic Partners International Ltd
beforeUdig
Holcim New Zealand Ltd
Over and Out Communications
Terra Cat
Connexis
MATES In Construction
Nulca NZ
Brolube New Zealand
Plan A
Westpac NZ Ltd
Porter Group Limited
Firth Certified Concrete
Commercial Hire NZ Ltd
Turners Group Ltd: Head Office/Auckland
CivilShare
AEL
Aptella
Vertical Horizonz NZ Ltd
Teletrac Navman
BNZ Partners
Marley NZ Ltd
Humes Pipeline Systems
Mico New Zealand Ltd
Graymont
Infrastructure Sustainability Council
ENZED
Manage Company
Brandt Tractor Limited
AECOM New Zealand Limited
Doug the Digger
TotalEnergies NZ Ltd
Solo
Geofabrics New Zealand Ltd
Terra Infrastructure Pty Ltd
The Drug Detection Agency
Infrastructure New Zealand
Remarkable People Ltd
n3
Trade Me Jobs
Wirtgen NZ Ltd
MBP (NZ) Ltd
Franklin Smith Group
Rimkus
Enviro NZ Services Ltd
Liebherr New Zealand
AWF
Hynds Pipe Systems
John Deere Limited
UDC Finance
Bridon Cookes
GHD Limited
Global Survey - Auckland
Kobelco New Zealand
Absolute Immigration NZ
Youngman Richardson
Advice Financial
TRIG Instruments
TDX Ltd
Hydraulink Fluid Connecters Ltd
SITECH NZ
Winstone Aggregates
ERoad Ltd
Checksafe Ltd
TR Group
MIMICO NZ Ltd
Parallaxx
Iplex Pipelines NZ

Log in





Forgot password?
Create an Account