BECOME A MEMBER
Connecting New Zealand

New Commission key to healthy infrastructure industry

29 May 2019


The draft New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te Waihanga Bill is a positive step towards better and more efficient infrastructure planning and investment on a national scale but needs fine-tuning to be successful in its objectives, say New Zealand’s civil contractors.

Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Peter Silcock said the national association for civil contractors strongly supported the creation of the Infrastructure Commission and its mission to improve the wellbeing of New Zealanders through quality infrastructure.

“The key is to get away from a boom-bust construction market and big swings in project priority caused by the central and local government electoral cycle. We believe the Commission has a major part to play in establishing a more consistent approach.”

Mr Silcock said it took time for civil construction companies to develop the right skills and purchase the appropriate equipment. A well-planned forward work plan would allow contractors to ensure the right skills and equipment were on hand at the right time.

He said the Commission would also help New Zealand overcome its critical infrastructure deficit. Its preparation of a coherent national infrastructure strategy, expert support to other agencies and departments and ability to undertake in-depth investigations on issues like funding, financing and procurement practices would give vital support to government.

Despite many positives enabling a healthy civil construction industry and increasing value for money, the draft legislation needed ‘a bit of fine tuning’ to deliver to its true potential, he said.

While it was important to promote the best course of action for New Zealand’s infrastructure networks based on the evidence available, it should not be tasked with ‘developing broad public agreement’ – often a ‘near-impossible task’ that could be a major drain on the Commission’s resources due to major differences in public opinion.

“The Commission needs to cut through the debate. Rather than being bound to achieve political or public agreement, its job is to provide expert analysis that identifies and informs the best course of action.”

The Commission’s work also needed to encompass local government and council-owned organisations, who were a major partner in many civil infrastructure projects and tasked with the ownership and operation of Three Waters assets.

A complete pipeline of work enabling civil construction companies to invest in people, skills and equipment with certainty could not be developed without a national picture of local government infrastructure needs, Mr Silcock said.

See CCNZ’s oral presentation to Select Committee>> 

Read the full submission below:

 

RELATED


Principal Business Partner
Core Associates
Major Associates
TVH NEW ZEALAND
Firth Certified Concrete
Rettenmaier New Zealand Ltd
Reliance Reinforcing Limited
Portacom New Zealand Limited
Enviro NZ Services Ltd
Turners Group Ltd: Head Office/Auckland
SITECH NZ
XCMG New Zealand
TRIG Instruments
TLC Insurance Limited
Power Farming New Zealand Ltd
Connexis
n3
Komatsu New Zealand Ltd
John Deere Limited
Over and Out Communications
Marley NZ Ltd
Northpine Ltd
Rimkus
Terra Cat
Sheet Pile Ltd
New Zealand Transport Agency
BNZ Partners
The Drug Detection Agency
Infrastructure Sustainability Council
Central Group Forklifts & Trucks
Doug the Digger
First Gas
Youngman Richardson
Kobelco New Zealand
H.J. Asmuss & Co. Ltd
Checksafe Ltd
CivilShare
SAMI Bitumen Technologies Pty Ltd
Hydraulink Fluid Connecters Ltd
CSP Div of Fletcher Steel
Milwaukee Tool New Zealand
Westpac NZ Ltd
Commercial Hire NZ Ltd
Vertical Horizonz NZ Ltd
MATES In Construction
Employment Hero
Winstone Aggregates
Solo
Franklin Smith Group
AEL
ENZED
TotalEnergies NZ Ltd
TDX Ltd
Geofabrics New Zealand Ltd
Wirtgen NZ Ltd
Assignar
TR Group
Advice Financial
Hynds Pipe Systems
Vertu Equipment Limited
Blick
AWF
RobLawMax Recruitment
Aptella
Geosynthetic Partners International Ltd
Parallaxx
MIMICO NZ Ltd
AECOM New Zealand Limited
Brandt Equipment
Mico New Zealand Ltd
Teletrac Navman
Greenlight Insurance Brokers
A B Equipment Ltd
Absolute Immigration NZ
Steelgal NZ Ltd
Prime Fluid Management
Humes Pipeline Systems
Fluiconnecto Ryco New Zealand Ltd
Porter Group Limited
ALH LTD
Holcim New Zealand Ltd
Trade Me Jobs
UDC Finance
RB Recruitment
ERoad Ltd
Nulca NZ
MBP (NZ) Ltd
Infrastructure New Zealand
Liebherr New Zealand
Southeys Group Auckland
Brolube New Zealand
Terra Infrastructure Pty Ltd
Manage Company
Global Survey - Auckland
beforeUdig

Login





Forgot password?
Create an Account