Infrastructure for a Better Future

Benchmarking the Cost of Infrastructure

To solve New Zealand's infrastructure challenges we need to deliver quality infrastructure at an affordable price. So, how much does it cost to build infrastructure in New Zealand? And how do we compare with other high-income countries? That's the subject of a report that we published last month, entitled ‘The lay of the land: Benchmarking New Zealand's infrastructure delivery costs’. In our report, we draw on research from Oxford Global Projects, who provide expert advice on infrastructure project management and benchmarking around the world. In this episode we're joined by Andreas Leed and Dirk Pöker from Oxford Global Projects, who will discuss their findings and share some of their broader insights. Andreas is head of data science at Oxford Global Projects and Dirk is a research analyst and PhD candidate at the University of Alicante in Spain.

Managing an award winning project

Earlier in 2022, a culvert replacement project won the award for Excellence in Environment and Sustainability, Best Public Works Project ($2–5 million) and Supreme Asset Management Excellence at the 2022 IPWEA (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia) New Zealand Asset Management Excellence Awards. At first glance, it might be hard to understand how a culvert replacement project could attract so much interest, but this project highlights the important connection our infrastructure has with our people and places, how important it can be to get infrastructure right for its place, the environment surrounding it, and the people who use that environment. Blake Lepper, General Manager - Infrastructure Delivery at Te Waihanga spoke to Kathryn O’Reilly, Senior Project Manager at Waka Kotahi and Kat McMullen, Civil Engineer at WSP about how they managed this award winning project.

Is our construction sector productive?

A recent report by Te Waihanga highlights the importance of productivity growth in reducing construction costs and addressing workforce demands. In this episode, the authors of the report, Hannah Ouellet Economist (secondment) and Peter Nunns Director of Economics, discuss their findings.
 
Read the report

Congestion Charging in Stockholm

In episode two of our Infrastructure for a better future series we look to Stockholm. Stockholm was one of the first cities in the world to implement a congestion charge to reduce its traffic – and it worked. Following implementation of the charge, traffic was reduced by 20% and congestion by 30% to 50%. Not only that, but public perception of the charge swung markedly in its favour after a well thought out trial.Geoff Cooper, General Manager – Strategy at Te Waihanga, spoke to Gustaf Landahl, former Head of Department – Environment and Health Administration in Stockholm, about how the city took decisive action to implement congestion charging.

Health Infrastructure

Years of underinvestment in hospitals and other public health facilities mean that many are no longer fit for purpose. Health reforms offer an unprecedented opportunity to deliver a step change in how we plan and deliver health infrastructure. Recommendations from a recent health infrastructure report by Robert Rust show just how to do this. Robert recently visited New Zealand and Te Waihanga asked him to unpack some of his findings.