“That’s why when we come to a conference like this, we can demonstrate that we’re putting a lot of thought into it, we take it very seriously, and we’ve got a plan to address the infrastructure deficit.”
The comments came as Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop outlined reforms aimed at improving infrastructure planning and asset management, including stronger oversight of major Government-funded projects and work towards a national underground asset register.
Joining remotely, Bishop said New Zealand had spent too long putting difficult issues into the “too hard basket”.
“The reality is, as a country, we are not quite as wealthy as we sometimes think we are,” he said.
“Our great challenge as a country is how we lift our long-run growth rate and productivity.”
While both politicians agreed New Zealand needed better long-term planning, McAnulty accused the Government of promising projects without explaining how they would be funded.
He warned New Zealand was at risk of repeating past mistakes by announcing projects before securing funding.
McAnulty said Labour would support projects already underway and funded, regardless of which party initiated them.
“For the sake of giving everybody certainty, if a project is underway and it’s funded, we’ll commit to it.”
He also rejected suggestions transport investment should focus on a single mode.
“Roads have a crucial role to play, but so too does rail, so does public transport, so do cycleways, and so does coastal shipping.”
“I’ve never bought into this political argument that it’s one or the other.”
McAnulty told Waikato Herald infrastructure sat at the heart of many of the country’s biggest challenges, including housing affordability.
“We can’t build homes unless we have infrastructure. We can’t have infrastructure unless local government is sustainable. All of these are interlinked.”
Āpōpō chief executive Murray Pugh said New Zealand needed to focus less on individual projects and more on the services infrastructure delivered.
“A bridge is about connecting communities. Roads are about connecting communities. Fresh drinking water and wastewater services are infrastructure too.”
“What people value are the services infrastructure delivers, not just the concrete and steel.”
Pugh warned the country already knew its ageing population would place growing pressure on healthcare infrastructure.
“We know our healthcare infrastructure is not going to cope with what our demographics will be in 30 years’ time. That is a certainty.”
Comparing infrastructure maintenance to looking after a home, he said neglect inevitably led to bigger bills later.
“If you don’t paint your house or fix a leak, eventually you’ll find the repair bill is phenomenal compared with the cost of regular maintenance.”
He said New Zealand needed to stop thinking in three-year political cycles and start planning for future generations.
Tom Eley is a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. Before he joined the Hamilton-based team, he worked for the Weekend Sun and Sunlive. He previously worked as a journalist at Black Press Media in Canada and won a fellowship with the Vancouver Sun.