How can infrastructure deliver the outcomes New Zealanders deserve and expect?

New Zealand invests NZD 20 billion in infrastructure each year.

As a share of GDP, this is more than any of the other 37 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations. But the country is in the bottom 10% of OECD countries for investment efficiency.

Put simply, New Zealand spends more but gets less.

Solving the problem isn’t about increasing investment. It’s about transforming how New Zealand plans and delivers infrastructure.

For almost two years, the Enabling Better Infrastructure (EBI) programme has been helping the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, develop its ambitious 30-year plan for infrastructure.

Published this week, the final plan outlines how system-level change can deliver better value for the 5.21 million people who call the country home.

Shaping a long-term approach

First launched in 2022, Te Waihanga’s strategy sets out how infrastructure will help people, places, and businesses thrive for the coming 30 years and beyond.

The plan builds on this with 16 recommendations to turn strategic vision into reality.

To ensure it delivered the plan in line with global best practice, Te Waihanga approached the EBI team – and its international network of experts – for specialist insight and advice.

Work has included:

• Three dialogues to help identify New Zealand’s long-term needs and shape its pipeline of projects.
• An October 2024 podcast with Professor Jim Hall, ICE Past President and chair of the EBI programme.
• Two events to share key insights on building consensus and avoiding costly mistakes.
• Participation as international experts on Te Waihanga’s quality review panel for the plan, supported by a group of global infrastructure leaders.

Understanding the New Zealand context

As part of EBI’s role in reviewing the plan, the team visited New Zealand to meet directly with Te Waihanga and other infrastructure stakeholders.

During a packed week, the EBI team:

• participated in the second review panel – the first having taken place in late 2024 – to assess the development of the draft plan
• took part in a roundtable about the roles and responsibilities of infrastructure commissions worldwide, and how this insight applies to New Zealand
• joined a podcast with Te Waihanga chief executive Geoff Cooper to share international examples of efficient and effective infrastructure planning
• presented at the Te Waihanga Infrastructure Leaders Network in Wellington about the importance of trust-building in infrastructure projects
• met with Māori infrastructure experts to gain a better understanding of the range of infrastructure needs, perspectives, priorities and aspirations of Māori
• visited Christchurch to learn about post-disaster governance

After returning to the UK, the EBI team took part in the last of the quality review rounds. A group of global infrastructure experts came together to support this stage of the process as Te Waihanga finalised the plan.

What’s next?

Te Waihanga’s plan will now go to New Zealand’s infrastructure minister. The New Zealand Parliament will discuss and debate the plan, with a formal government response expected this summer.

For Te Waihanga, the work doesn’t stop here. The plan is just one of many tools, including:

• Specific advice (“forward guidance”) on what New Zealand should spend on different types of infrastructure, from land transport to social housing.
• The Infrastructure Priorities Programme (IPP), a tool to assess projects and guide decisions about where funding will have the most impact.
• The National Infrastructure Pipeline, a detailed list of all New Zealand’s planned infrastructure projects that helps the industry coordinate and plan.

Te Waihanga will continue to refine these tools and offer more targeted advice as New Zealand’s planning processes mature.

Creating impact

Working with Te Waihanga showcases the value of the EBI programme.

Infrastructure must deliver multiple benefits: for the economy, for the environment, and for society. But infrastructure takes time and money to deliver, and its benefits take time to realise.

The EBI programme has supported New Zealand’s efforts to strengthen strategic infrastructure planning. Due to the impact of this work, numerous governments have reached out to EBI for assistance on similar initiatives.

The programme will continue to connect global specialists and government officials from around the world to help countries plan infrastructure with purpose, certainty, and pace.