New Zealand’s peak infrastructure body, the New Zealand Council for Infrastructure Development, has relaunched as Infrastructure New Zealand.
“Infrastructure New Zealand better reflects the wide range of priorities facing the organisation today, including transport funding, project procurement and regional governance and planning reform,” says Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Stephen Selwood.
“When NZCID was created 12 years ago, New Zealand’s infrastructure challenges were of a different kind.
“We had severely under-invested in assets critical for economic and social development for a generation.
“We needed investment and we needed it urgently. Our entire organisational focus was on infrastructure development.”
Pleasingly, Selwood says, as a country New Zealand has since tackled many of its most urgent priorities.
“We’ve invested in our electricity backbone, ramped up investment in transport networks across the country and transformed our telecommunications sector from a global laggard to world leader, for example.”
But “significant opportunities for improvement” remain, he believes. “Lifting capability in public procurement of major projects has potential to save the country billions of dollars over coming years.
“Getting land use and pricing right could make our transport dollars go much further – especially in Auckland.
“Revising infrastructure responsibilities so that asset owners have the resources and capability to deliver could see a step change in service delivery in the provinces.
“Our new name – Infrastructure New Zealand – better encapsulates our role as New Zealand’s peak infrastructure industry body.”
The organisation’s immediate priorities will be to focus on the “really challenging issues” that continue to hold New Zealand back including:
· the need for reform of planning laws and institutions to better align infrastructure planning, funding and delivery
· the need to shift to road pricing to fund much-needed transport investment and manage traffic demand more effectively
· lifting procurement capability across the industry
· accelerating the use of private capital to deliver better outcomes across the sector.
The new intertwined logo represents a connected New Zealand, Selwood says. “It symbolises networks across transport, energy, water, telecommunications and social infrastructure,” he explains. “It also symbolises our strong desire for effective partnerships between the public and private sectors to deliver better outcomes for all of New Zealand.”
Infrastructure New Zealand can be found at www.infrastructure.org.nz
