CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S UPFRONT
NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN CONSENSUS: BUILDING BEYOND THE ELECTORAL CYCLE
In a February 2026 Upfront column, I welcomed the development of New Zealand's first 30-year National Infrastructure Plan as an important opportunity to move beyond the stop-start approach that has characterised infrastructure investment for decades.
Since then, something equally significant has emerged: the Plan has attracted broad bipartisan support from the vast majority of New Zealand's political parties. That consensus gives greater confidence that the Plan can move beyond aspiration and become a durable framework for long-term infrastructure investment.
AMBITION + CONTINUITY
For decades, New Zealand has never lacked infrastructure ambition. What it has lacked is continuity.
For too long, major infrastructure projects have been planned around electoral cycles rather than asset lifecycles. Governments have announced projects, only for subsequent governments to delay, redesign or cancel them. The result has been uncertainty, inefficiency and a stop-start approach that has made it difficult for industry to invest with confidence.
That is why the bipartisan support for the National Infrastructure Plan is such an important milestone.
This outcome reflects principles that Concrete NZ has advocated for over many years. In our submission on the draft National Infrastructure Plan last year, we argued that New Zealand's stop-start approach to infrastructure investment discourages long-term investment throughout the construction sector. We called for greater cross-party commitment to nationally significant infrastructure and a stable pipeline that would allow industry to invest in skills, capacity and innovation. It is encouraging to see many of those principles reflected in the direction now being taken.
CONFIDENCE TO INVEST
The Government's broad acceptance of the Infrastructure Commission's recommendations, together with cross-party support, reflects a welcome recognition that infrastructure planning must extend well beyond a three-year political cycle. What matters is not that every future government agrees on every project, but that there is a shared commitment to a long-term direction.
For Concrete NZ members, that matters.
A credible pipeline of infrastructure work gives businesses the confidence to invest in equipment, manufacturing capability, innovation and workforce development. It also provides greater certainty across the construction supply chain and should deliver better value for taxpayers.
BUILDING FOR THE LONG TERM
However, a 30-year infrastructure plan should also prompt another important conversation.
If we are planning infrastructure over a three-decade horizon, shouldn't we also be investing in infrastructure designed to perform over that same timeframe - and beyond?
That means placing greater emphasis on whole-of-life value rather than simply lowest upfront cost. Durability, resilience, maintenance and lifecycle costs should all be central to investment decisions. Material selection should be based on long-term performance and value, allowing genuine competition between solutions rather than relying on prescriptive specifications.
As Concrete NZ observed in its submission, material selection is arguably the first and most important act of asset management. Decisions made at the design stage influence an asset's performance, maintenance burden, resilience and value over many decades.
PERFORMANCE-BASED DECISION-MAKING
That is where Concrete NZ has an important contribution to make.
Our industry has long championed performance-based procurement and whole-of-life thinking, allowing infrastructure solutions to compete on durability, resilience, sustainability and value. Where reinforced concrete provides the best whole-of-life value, it should be judged on that basis.
The cross-party commitment to the National Infrastructure Plan is not the finish line - it is the starting point.
Concrete NZ looks forward to continuing its engagement with the Infrastructure Commission and political parties as the Plan moves from strategy to implementation. Consensus has given New Zealand an opportunity. The challenge now is to ensure the infrastructure we build is not simply affordable today, but delivers lasting value for future generations.
That is a conversation in which Concrete NZ will continue to advocate for long-term value, resilience and performance-based decision-making.
Rob Gaimster
Chief Executive – Concrete NZ