New Zealand’s urban growth system is broken and must be revised to incentivise cities to grow, an infrastructure expert maintains   City leaders must be given the flexibility and tools they need to succeed, says Stephen Selwood, CEO of Infrastructure New Zealand. Continue →

Good communications is essential for safety, but the latest Consumer NZ survey reveals some telecommunications companies aren’t getting the message Telco customers rated Vodafone last for both mobile and broadband services in Consumer NZ’s latest satisfaction survey, the same place it occupied last year. Continue →

Retaining walls are an increasing feature of construction sites as sky high land prices add pressure to maximise the potential returns from each build Construction companies look to utilise every inch of land when planning new developments, and many projects require high retaining walls to achieve bigger results. Continue →

New research from MIT could see public street lights replaced with luminescent plants   Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been experimenting with the idea that making plants and trees glow brightly would drastically reduce the need for electricity MIT hopes that their glowing flora could be used to provide low-intensity indoor lighting, or to transform trees into self-powered streetlights. Continue →

Plastic bags are the current public enemy number one, but are biodegradable bags any better? Continue →

Christchurch has a golden opportunity to become New Zealand’s number one city of choice as the rebuild takes effect, outgoing Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Peter Townsend claims. Continue →

New Zealand’s first apprenticeship in scaffolding is being launched in a bid to support the surging construction sector Scaffolding, Access and Rigging Association of New Zealand (SARNZ), the industry body representing the leading companies in the sector, has worked closely with Skills (The Industry Training Organisation) and training providers to develop the apprenticeship. Continue →

Construction on Australia’s road infrastructure is expected to continue its growth in 2018 but could hit a trough in later years as governments turn their focus to rail projects According to BIS Oxford Economics’ Road Construction in Australia 2018 to 2032 report, national road construction activity will reach a historical high of over $20 billion in this financial year. Continue →

Local Government New Zealand’s Water 2050: Quality – Review of the framework for water quality discussion paper has identified three key issues for New Zealand’s framework for water quality The local government representative organisation’s report points to opportunities for change that could be a focus under the government’s Three Waters Review. Continue →

The second of a two-part series by AsiaPacific Infrastructure Content Partners Caroline Boot and Kerrie McEwen examines expectations from a new government Part one examined what has been achieved in 2017 and what still needs some work. Continue →