New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit, and how we can better plan for the future have recently become some pretty hot topics. To help address this Taituarā is holding an ‘Infrastructure for the Future Forum’ on 24 June 2021. This is timely given Te Waihanga | The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission is currently consulting on a 30-year Infrastructure Strategy for New Zealand.
There is a growing trend for communities to expect central government and local government to find solutions to infrastructure issues. Working on how we collectively lift the performance of New Zealand’s major infrastructure projects is the theme of the upcoming Taituarā 'Infrastructure for the Future Forum'. Against a background of RMA Reform and the Three Waters reform this forum will look at how various partners can contribute to finding solutions for infrastructure in the future.
Te Waihanga | The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission is developing a 30-year Infrastructure Strategy for New Zealand. This strategy will look ahead to 2050, and consider how infrastructure will support “environmental, social, cultural and economic wellbeing for New Zealanders”.
In March we encouraged those working in local government to complete their preliminary Aotearoa 2050 survey to supplement the consultation work the Commission started in 2020. Te Waihanga has now released a consultation document 'He Tūāpapa ki te Ora Infrastructure for a Better Future'. On page 38 you can find the preliminary survey results from infrastructure providers, central and local government, business leaders, and the more than 23,000 New Zealanders who contributed. A tiny snapshot is shown below.
You may like to read this Newsroom article 'Infrastructure for a better future' which provides some commentary on the consultation, including comments by Te Waihanga chief executive Ross Copland.
The consultation document draws on the preliminary Aotearoa 2050 survey and sets out a proposed direction for the Strategy and is now open to your feedback, ideas and views. Following consultation, this information will be used to to produce the Infrastructure Strategy that will be provided to the Minister for Infrastructure, Hon Grant Robertson as a draft in September and finalised in March next year.
Submissions are open until 24 June 2021.
Sign up for the Taituarā 'Infrastructure for the Future' Forum here.