As always, the last few weeks at Infrastructure New Zealand have been busy, with webinars, reports, post-budget events and Girls in Infrastructure filling our time.
Infrastructure New Zealand Nordic Delegation
The month began with our overseas delegation, with 37 travelling to Stockholm and Oslo to explore global best practice in infrastructure planning, funding and delivery. A key takeaway was the value of long-term, cross-party infrastructure planning that provides certainty for governments, industry and communities. The delegation also observed a strong focus on maintaining existing assets, building resilience across interconnected infrastructure systems, and aligning infrastructure investment with broader economic objectives. The Nordic approach emphasises transparency, early consensus-building and empowering local government to support growth and infrastructure delivery. The trip reinforced that New Zealand’s challenge is often not delivery capability, but better alignment between planning, funding and political decision-making.
A full report outlining the delegation’s learnings and recommendations will be released in July.
Budget 2026
Following the release of Budget 2026, we hosted events in Wellington and Auckland, bringing together industry leaders to look beyond the announcements and unpack what the Budget means for the future of infrastructure delivery. Attendees heard insights across the two events from Hon Kieran McAnulty, Karen Mitchell, Killian Destremau, Natalie McClew, Kim Mundy and Nick Leggett, facilitated by Kanoa Lloyd. The discussions explored not only what Budget 2026 means for infrastructure, but also what it doesn’t, highlighting the ongoing need for a stable, consistent pipeline of projects and a long-term commitment to effective infrastructure delivery. The message from both events was clear: delivering better infrastructure outcomes requires sustained commitment beyond any single Budget cycle. Thanks to Russell McVeagh for hosting and sponsoring these events.
Cost of Stopping Report and Tool
Alongside Civil Contractors New Zealand and Water New Zealand, we have launched the Cost of Stopping Tool and accompanying report, demonstrating that inconsistent investment pipelines are driving up costs, eroding productivity and delaying critical public benefits. The research, authored by Shamubeel Eaqub, found that New Zealand’s pattern of pausing, delaying and cancelling infrastructure projects has cost an estimated $11.8 billion over the past 25 years. These disruptions increase costs, reduce productivity and delay the benefits that infrastructure projects are intended to deliver, with taxpayers, businesses and communities ultimately bearing the cost. The report calls for a more consistent and long-term approach to infrastructure delivery, including ring-fencing maintenance budgets, committing to fund a multi-year infrastructure pipeline, and requiring formal assessment of the full costs before projects are paused or cancelled.
The report can be accessed here, and the tool can be accessed here.
The report comes at a particularly important time, as New Zealand continues to navigate economic uncertainty and the impacts of recent fuel market disruptions. These events have reinforced the importance of long-term planning and maintaining confidence in infrastructure investment and reiterate the critical message that delaying and stopping will not save us in the long run.
Infrastructure New Zealand will continue to keep members informed on emerging developments and their implications for the sector. In recent months, we have hosted a series of webinars with Infometrics Chief Executive and Principal Economist Brad Olsen, providing timely insights and analysis on the economic outlook and key issues affecting infrastructure delivery.
Election Manifesto
Work on our Election Manifesto continues, with a draft presented to members through a webinar earlier this month. The final document will include feedback from our members, informing Infrastructure New Zealand policies ahead of the election. The manifesto is set to be released next month.
Girls in Infrastructure
May and June have been busy months for our Girls in Infrastructure programme, with events held across Auckland, Waikato, Northland, Wellington and Christchurch. These events gave students the opportunity to connect with the infrastructure sector through site visits, interactive exhibits and hands-on experiences with machinery and equipment. By engaging directly with industry professionals and projects, students gained valuable insight into the diverse range of careers, skills and opportunities involved in planning, building and maintaining the infrastructure that supports our communities. A huge thank you to our sponsors, volunteers, project teams and school staff whose support and commitment make these events possible.
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