Āpōpō welcomes the release today of the Draft National Infrastructure Plan by Te Waihanga New Zealand Infrastructure Commission.
This is a long-anticipated piece of work which we believe sets the right tone for the future of asset management in New Zealand and the future of our infrastructure – as we strive to deliver services that support our national well-being, prosperity and quality of life for our communities.
The draft 160 page plan sets out a number of themes to focus thinking about what it is we want to achieve as a country:
- Lift our game
- Focus on the public sector
- Affordable and sustainable funding
- Clear the way for infrastructure
- Start with maintenance
- Right-size new investment
- Ambitions for better infrastructure
Recommendations from the draft plan that stand out for Āpōpō include:
- Lift the bar on asset management for central government infrastructure
- Understand what we have got and what is needed
- Fund maintenance and renewals first
- Invest in our people
Over the coming weeks we will be diving deeper into these recommendations and the full draft plan to develop our feedback which is being called for by 6 August.
On an initial reading we believe the draft plan is taking asset management forward in the right direction for our country.
However, even though asset management is clearly an underlying principle of the draft plan, we do think that asset management should be prioritised higher in the thinking so as to be the lead concept for the future of infrastructure in Aotearoa New Zealand. We believe that prioritising asset management will give us the greatest chance of realising the long term ambitions that the draft plan suggests are achievable.
Āpōpō will be seeking to support this assertion through recommended adjustments of emphasis in the draft plan which is due to be finalised in 2026.
We strongly encourage you to review the plan and provide your own feedback to Te Waihanga – insights from those on the ground are invaluable, and this is your chance to help shape Aotearoa’s infrastructure future. This feedback is also due by 6 August.
Read the Draft Plan here.
As the voice for Aotearoa’s infrastructure asset management professionals Āpōpō aims to keep its members informed and involved. Keep an eye out for informative content on our website, LinkedIn and email over the coming weeks.
Finally, we understand that some individuals may face organisational constraints inhibiting their frank or direct feedback – Āpōpō members in this circumstance may channel their thoughts through us. Simply email info@apopo.co.nz by 1 August for your feedback to be incorporated into our submission.
We look forward to discussing this with you.
