P U B L I S H E R ’ S D E S K
CIVIL
CONTRACTORS:
The draft New Zealand Infrastructure
Commission/Te Waihanga Bill has been
described as a positive step towards better
and more efficient infrastructure planning and
investment on a national scale but needs fine-tuning
to be successful in its objectives, say New Zealand’s
civil contractors.
In a release, Civil Contractors New Zealand chief
executive Peter Silcock says the national association
for civil contractors strongly supported the creation
of the Infrastructure Commission and its mission to
improve the wellbeing of New Zealanders through
quality infrastructure.
“The key is to get away from a boom-bust construction
market and big swings in project priority caused
by the central and local government electoral cycle.
We believe the Commission has a major part to play
in establishing a more consistent approach.”
Mr Silcock says it took time for civil construction
companies to develop the right skills and purchase
the appropriate equipment. A well-planned forward
work programme would allow contractors to ensure
the right skills and equipment were on hand at the
right time.
He says the Commission would also help New
Zealand overcome its critical infrastructure deficit.
Its preparation of a coherent national infrastructure
strategy, expert support to other agencies and
departments and ability to undertake in-depth
investigations on issues like funding, financing and
procurement practices would give vital support to
government.
He says despite many positives enabling a healthy
civil construction industry and better value for
money, the draft legislation needed ‘a bit of fine
tuning’ to deliver to its true potential.
While it was important to promote the best course
of action for New Zealand’s infrastructure networks
based on the evidence available, it should not be
tasked with ‘developing broad public agreement’
– often a ‘near-impossible task’ that could be a
major drain on the Commission’s resources due
to major differences in public opinion, Mr Silcock
says.
“The Commission needs to cut through the debate.
Rather than being bound to achieve political or
public agreement, its job is to provide expert analysis
that identifies and informs the best course of action.”
The Commission’s work also needed to encompass
local government and council-owned organisations,
who were a major partner in many civil infrastructure
projects and tasked with the ownership and
operation of Three Waters assets.
A complete pipeline of work enabling civil construction
companies to invest in people, skills and
equipment with certainty could not be developed
without a national picture of local government infrastructure
needs, he says.
Civil Contractors New Zealand’s submission on
the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission/Te
Waihanga is available at: www.civilcontractors.co.nz/
resources/news/new-commission-key-to-healthy-infrastructure
industry/.
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Publisher
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