18 Aug 2018

Long-term strategic thinking was neglected - infrastructure boss

9:53 am on 18 August 2018

The chief executive of Infrastructure New Zealand has hopes an independent agency will take the politics out of the industry.

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Photo: Supplied

Yesterday, the government announced a proposal for a new infrastructure agency to improve planning and investment in the sector.

Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones said Treasury was unable to properly quantify the size of the country's infrastructure deficit and needed a new entity to assist future planning.

Infrastructure New Zealand chief executive Stephen Selwood said long-term strategic planning had been neglected because of shifts in political thinking.

"Obviously every government that is elected has its own mission and will have its own view on project priorities. That power will still sit with government to make the final decision making but those decisions will be informed by good advice coming from the infrastructure body.

"Hopefully that will provide greater consistency over time rather than wild changes of direction and policy which are disruptive to everyone and actually creates a sense of uncertainty, not only for the industry but actually for the public at large."

The new agency would provide strategic policy and planning to ensure the country's infrastructure needs were met, no matter who was in power, Mr Selwood said.

Having an infrastructure body independent of the government aligned New Zealand with Australia and the United Kingdom, he said.

Mr Jones said he would report back to Cabinet early next year with options for the new agency, which he hoped would be operational by late next year.