The Infrastructure Pieces Are In Place - Now We Urgently Need To Get To Work, Says EMA

The government continues to streamline infrastructure delivery in New Zealand, with the latest announcement on changes to the Public Works Act putting another piece in place ahead of this week’s investment summit.

The amendment to the Public Works Act, incentivising land sales when compulsory acquisition may be required, is the latest in several policy moves by the government to beef up our infrastructure capability, says EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald.

"They include fast-track Resource Management Act (RMA) legislation, ongoing tweaks to the existing RMA, a complete rewrite of the RMA, changes to developer contributions and significant changes to allow and encourage overseas investment and alternative investment models.

"Now we need to urgently get building."

McDonald says public infrastructure projects can be held up by the drawn-out process for purchasing land, so this latest change is welcome.

"It’s a model successfully used overseas as a way of taking some of the sting out of compulsory acquisition for landowners while giving them some incentive to make that decision earlier and more quickly than having to go through protracted processes that end up in the courts," he says.

The government is moving at pace to create an environment where large infrastructure projects can progress without long delays.

"The policy and investment groundwork has been laid," says McDonald.

"It would be great if the investment summit provides the catalyst and capital to get infrastructure delivery moving.

"We need the major roading, transport, energy and construction projects identified in the fast-track approvals regime to begin. Every day we delay widens our infrastructure deficit.

"The infrastructure sector needs government to get the system moving as we continue to lose people at the design, legal, procurement and technical end of the infrastructure spectrum as well as those responsible for actually getting the projects built.

"With more than 10% of New Zealand's workforce employed in the infrastructure sector, we can’t afford to lose more skilled people to overseas opportunities as we’re unlikely to get them back."

Underinvestment in infrastructure is considered one of New Zealand's greatest long-term economic challenges.

"Delivering a steady pipeline of work means our engineering and construction firms can have the confidence they need to build up their teams and it gives our young workforce a solid career pathway."

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