The Public Works Act is an essential tool for acquiring land for public infrastructure projects, yet the current legislation leads to grossly inefficient and costly processes, says Infrastructure New Zealand Policy Director Michelle McCormick.

“These inefficient processes are born from what is out-of-date legislation and need to be remedied if we want to achieve an uplift in infrastructure development in New Zealand. The Public Works Act is a critical piece of the puzzle, and we welcome the progress the Government has made to reform it so far.”

“The changes proposed go further than what was indicated by the review panel, which demonstrates the Government has listened to the sector’s feedback and broadened the scope of its reforms.”

“Currently, there is significant duplication between the Public Works Act and the Resource Management Act. This leads to significant project delays and greatly increases the cost of developing critical public infrastructure.”

“Providing the mechanism for government agencies to work together to acquire land and enabling the relocation of existing infrastructure through land acquisition are pretty basic functions that I think most New Zealanders would expect from modern empowering legislation. Currently, there is no provision for these things.”

“If we want New Zealand to succeed in the 21st century and continue to provide economic and social opportunities to our people, we need to make it far easier to build the infrastructure we need,” says McCormick. “Reform of the Public Works Act is another small but important step in that direction.”

The infrastructure sector now looks forward to seeing the amendment legislation later in the year and contributing to its progress through Parliament.

Note: 

Infrastructure New Zealand is Aotearoa’s peak membership organisation for the infrastructure sector. We promote best practice in national infrastructure development through research, advocacy, and public and private sector collaboration. We promote public and media discussion on issues of importance to the infrastructure sector. Our membership is comprised of around 140 organisations, including government agencies, consultants, contractors, financiers, utilities, and academics. These organisations employ approximately 150,000 people in infrastructure-related roles and are united in their commitment to creating a better New Zealand through outstanding infrastructure.

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