Insight exchange to strengthen strategic planning in New Zealand

The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission (NZIC) has been tasked with preparing a National Infrastructure Plan (NIP) as part of its ambitious 30-year programme for delivering infrastructure.

The NIP will be delivered by the end of 2025.

Toward developing the NIP, the NZIC has already engaged in three activities:

1. Conducting a study on long-term infrastructure needs.
2. Undertaking analysis to understand the gap between the need for infrastructure and service supply as part of the current system.
3. Outlining investment intentions for infrastructure based on key drivers.

To further strengthen their strategic approach, the NZIC approached the ICE-led Enabling Better Infrastructure (EBI) programme to provide specialist insights on the key activities outlined and align with international best practices.

EBI specialists outlined how the NZIC can:

• Enhance their strategic approach.
• Take a more programmatic approach to planning and delivery.

Summary of insights

• Clearly setting out all the activities to develop a NIP can help to identify where uncertainties lie and how they can be overcome.
• Identifying essential service needs is key to establishing a clear picture of what is needed and when it should be delivered.
• Understanding the infrastructure gap not only identifies where further work is needed, but also necessary workforce requirements.
• Achieving policy clarity is integral to understanding what needs to be delivered and by when.
• Taking a more programmatic view can boost efficiency and pace.
• Mapping dependencies and how they help to deliver a range of projects can streamline implementation.
• Data can be used as supporting evidence to strengthen decision making, including what needs to be invested in moving forward.

How can other governments benefit from the insights shared in this summary?

The insights shared by the EBI specialists are relevant to other governments around the world who are grappling with the following:

• Deciding what their national infrastructure system should deliver.
• Considering how to evaluate their current infrastructure system.
• Identifying their future infrastructure needs.
• Determining their infrastructure performance gap.
• Creating an adaptive strategy for policy intervention and investments.

Read the summary report in full below.