Infrastructure for a Better Future

A recent report commissioned by Te Waihanga looks at how and why the consenting system needs to change for Aotearoa to deliver on it's net-zero targets. Sapere Research Group completed the research. Ross Copland, Chief Executive at Te Waihanga spoke to Corina Comendant, Senior Managing Economist at Sapere about the findings of the report.

A changing macro-economic and geopolitical environment can act as either a headwind or tailwind to better infrastructure. In this complex world how does Aotearoa New Zealand make sure it can deliver successful infrastructure projects? How, and to what, do we shift our priorities as a small country at the bottom of the pacific? How do we compete for the talent we need to produce world-class infrast...

To solve New Zealand's infrastructure challenges we need to deliver quality infrastructure at an affordable price. So, how much does it cost to build infrastructure in New Zealand? And how do we compare with other high-income countries? That's the subject of a report that we published last month, entitled ‘The lay of the land: Benchmarking New Zealand's infrastructure delivery costs’. In our repor...

Earlier in 2022, a culvert replacement project won the award for Excellence in Environment and Sustainability, Best Public Works Project ($2–5 million) and Supreme Asset Management Excellence at the 2022 IPWEA (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia) New Zealand Asset Management Excellence Awards. At first glance, it might be hard to understand how a culvert replacement project could at...

A recent report by Te Waihanga highlights the importance of productivity growth in reducing construction costs and addressing workforce demands. In this episode, the authors of the report, Hannah Ouellet Economist (secondment) and Peter Nunns Director of Economics, discuss their findings.   Read the report

In episode two of our Infrastructure for a better future series we look to Stockholm. Stockholm was one of the first cities in the world to implement a congestion charge to reduce its traffic – and it worked. Following implementation of the charge, traffic was reduced by 20% and congestion by 30% to 50%. Not only that, but public perception of the charge swung markedly in its favour after a well t...

Years of underinvestment in hospitals and other public health facilities mean that many are no longer fit for purpose. Health reforms offer an unprecedented opportunity to deliver a step change in how we plan and deliver health infrastructure. Recommendations from a recent health infrastructure report by Robert Rust show just how to do this. Robert recently visited New Zealand and Te Waihanga aske...