Infrastructure Commission consultation on ‘Infrastructure for a Better Future’
- Consultations close on 2 July 2021
- Infrastructure New Zealand has made a submission
- Member workshops held across June where Infrastructure Commission presented
New Zealand infrastructure deficit is around $20 billion and results from decades of underinvestment by successive governments. This deficit is affecting our wellbeing, costing New Zealanders in lost income and productivity.
The matter is not helped by a constant focus on the short-to -medium-term. Our Budget 2021 commentary outlined that the Budget’s attempts are primarily concentrated in the 2021 and 2022 years, with capital investment trailing off by 2025.
The Aotearoa New Zealand Infrastructure Strategy could act as a critical catalyst to changing this. The Infrastructure Commission: Te Waihanga was established in 2019 to coordinate, develop, and promote an infrastructure approach that encourages infrastructure (and services that result from the infrastructure) that improves New Zealanders’ wellbeing.
The Commission is required to prepare a 30-year infrastructure strategy. It sought feedback on a consultation document titled He Tūāpapa ki te ora: Infrastructure for a Better Future to help develop the draft Infrastructure Strategy. The commission will submit a draft strategy to the Minister for Infrastructure in September 2021 (which will eventually be tabled in Parliament). It will contain a set of recommendations for the Minister to consider and provide a response.
Our submission supported most of the findings and options identified.
We also held member workshops to allow the commission to present and engage directly with members. These workshops were well attended and provided a unique opportunity for members to influence the commission’s strategy directly.