
Infrastructure NZ Backs NPS To Strengthen Infrastructure Decision-Making
Infrastructure New Zealand is welcoming the release of consultation on the first National Policy Statement (NPS) for Infrastructure and the strengthening of guidance for local government as to how they can better integrate infrastructure into consenting and planning processes.
'A NPS for Infrastructure will support more coordinated decision-making across our different levels of government and help ensure that infrastructure development is more effectively considered in council planning,' Leggett says.
'It will provide essential direction for integrating infrastructure considerations into land use planning and environmental management, which is critical to making sure that development at a local level aligns with our objectives as a country.'
'This provides a level of nationwide consistency for those looking to invest and help develop our future nation-building infrastructure. It will then be up to central and local government to work together to implement these new national rules which support priorities that include delivering our growing infrastructure pipeline and the much-anticipated regional deals.'
Infrastructure New Zealand particularly welcomes the changes, which will make consenting for new or expanding existing quarries easier and faster.
'Quarried aggregates are essential components in our roads and many other infrastructure constructions,' says Leggett. 'The current delays and limited local access to these materials are adding significant costs to our communities.'
The new NPS for Natural Hazards is also a much-needed addition to New Zealand's consenting and planning system.
'Extreme weather events and other climate-related natural hazards are increasing in intensity and frequency, and along with Aotearoa's significant seismic risks, pose a major threat to the infrastructure we rely on,' Leggett says.
'New Zealand is ranked by Lloyd's of London as second only to Bangladesh in terms of natural disaster-related economic losses, and yet our response in terms of consenting and development planning has been left almost entirely to councils and is therefore piecemeal and inconsistent.'
'How different local government entities identify and manage risks associated with climate change, weather events and seismic activity can make a major difference to infrastructure planning and delivery. This NPS is therefore an important step towards standardising how those risks are identified and assessed, and providing a more predictable framework for future infrastructure development.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

RNZ News
17 hours ago
- RNZ News
New Zealand challenges Cook Islands PM to independence vote after his comments on China
By Losirene Lacanivalu , Cook Islands A spokesperson for the Office of the Cook Islands PM said the Cook Islands government remains committed to its constitutional relationship with New Zealand. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon New Zealand has called on Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown to test the views of the Cook Islands people and hold a referendum on independence from New Zealand following his latest defence of agreements with China. New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs made this comment in response to PM Brown's recent statement defending the nation's new strategic partnership with China, as he cited the need for diverse international partners to fund a $650 million infrastructure plan. Speaking at the opening of the Pa Enua Governance Forum on Monday local time, Brown said that if NZ cannot help fund their proposed infrastructure plan, then the country "will go somewhere else and look for that help" . A spokesperson for the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs told Cook Islands News that these comments are the latest in a long line of public statements by Brown over the past year that "have badly mischaracterised the New Zealand Government's approach to our foreign policy and our relationship with the Cook Islands". "With each mischaracterisation of the New Zealand approach, Prime Minister Brown makes it harder to restore trust in the New Zealand-Cook Islands relationship." The spokesperson said that it has been clear to New Zealand for some time that Brown, "bristles at the constraints placed on him by the Cook Islands' free association relationship with New Zealand, and that he wishes for the Cook Islands to be completely free of those constraints". "If Prime Minister Brown wishes to run a foreign and defence policy without the need to consult New Zealand, and in contravention of New Zealand interests, then he ought to respect the Cook Islands people enough to test their views and call a referendum on independence from New Zealand. "New Zealand has always made clear that should the Cook Islands people wish to become independent of New Zealand, then we would support them in their wish. For its part, the New Zealand Government deeply values the free association model and its cherished relationship with the Cook Islands people." A spokesperson for the Office of the Cook Islands PM (Wednesday NZT) defended the comments PM Brown made on Monday. "The Prime Minister's remarks at the Pa Enua Governance Forum reflected a conversation with island leaders about the delivery of infrastructure and development outcomes. They were not a statement on foreign policy, and should not be read as a departure from the Cook Islands' long-standing relationship with New Zealand," the spokesperson said. "The Government remains committed to its constitutional relationship with New Zealand and to the constructive engagement currently underway between our two countries. "We have no further comment to make." On Monday (Tuesday NZT), PM Brown addressed the need for Cook Islands to have diverse international partners to fund a multi-million-dollar infrastructure plan that New Zealand alone cannot support, despite NZ's concerns and paused funding. He said that the country's national infrastructure investment plan costs $650m for infrastructural work across the country, including buildings, transportation, and so on. "New Zealand can't afford to give us that amount of money…we have to develop our partnerships with other larger countries to get the support we need to meet our infrastructure needs," Brown said. "Let me set the record straight about the reality of life, we need to build our infrastructure, we need to improve our standards in the Pa Enua, me kare rauka mai ta te Nuti Reni (if we can't get help from New Zealand), we will go somewhere else and look for that help, and that's what we've been doing." The New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said: "For 60 years, it has delivered a great deal for the development of the Cook Islands and its people. Indeed, the living standards in the Cook Islands are a testament to the free association model's success." "New Zealand looks forward to celebrating 60 years of free association on 4 August with the Cook Islands people, both in Rarotonga via the visit of Her Excellency the Governor-General and at events in New Zealand." Opposition MP and Cook Islands United Party leader Teariki Heather, who disagrees with a referendum for independence, says, "We should never forget the hand that has fed us all these years." Heather said that if PM Brown were to demand independence, he would organise a rally and protest against it, adding that Brown "should resign as Prime Minister of this country". -This article was first published by Cook Islands News .

RNZ News
18 hours ago
- RNZ News
Northland businesses pitch growth plan to Ministers
Northland business leaders say the region's economy can grow six-fold by 2050, boosting incomes and the wider economy. They last night pitched to government ministers, outlining what the region needs to grow to a $60-billion economy by 2050. An NZIER report commissioned by the Northland Corporate Group - which includes big players like Northport, Northpower and Top Energy, as well as Ngapuhi, says that's indicative of sustained underinvestment in infrastructure as well as a skills shortage, and poor education outcomes. Kathryn speaks with Northland group co-chair by Rosie Mercer, chief executive of Marsden Maritime Holdings, and Andrew McLeod - chief executive of lines company and contractor Northpower. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.

RNZ News
21 hours ago
- RNZ News
Northland business leaders call for more government investment in infrastructure
Northland Corporate Group co-chairs Andrew McLeod and Rosie Mercer. Photo: RNZ / Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira Northland business leaders say the region's economy could grow six-fold to $60 billion by 2050, if it had better infrastructure. The Northland Corporate Group - which includes some of the region's biggest businesses like Marsden Maritime Holdings Limited, Northpower and McKay Limited - hosted an event on Wednesday night at Parliament, pitching the region's economic benefits to MPs. At the event, economic analysis , prepared by New Zealand Institute of Economics (NZIER) and commissioned by the group, was released and showed that while the region contributed $11.2 billion to national GDP in 2024 - 30 percent below the national average - it could be higher if it had proper investment in its infrastructure . Speaking at the event, group co-chair Rosie Mercer said the region was full of resource and talent, and was ready to unleash its full power. If Northland's GDP was on par with the national average, it would be a $16 billion economy, Mercer said. "We think that gap can and should be closed, but we're not going to stop there. We're not just going to close that gap. We're ambitious and we are saying that Northland can be a $60 billion economy." The analysis found the region needed an additional 1.1 percent growth every year above the current trend to achieve that. The potential for energy supply growth, agriculture, construction and manufacturing, tourism, trade and supply chain logistics and its closeness to Auckland were all key enablers for economic success. However, the region needed more resilient transport infrastructure, like roads and rail, more certainty on what infrastruture was down the pipeline and recognition the region had under-utilised assets - particularly in the energy sector. Co-chair Andrew McLeod invited politcal leaders to "look north" to see the strength of the region's industries and said building a region was a "long-term game". "Our communities have stood in the north for hundreds of years, in our own businesses, for over 19. We're looking for a commitment, of similar duration, across parties, across governments and across political cycles. "Our ask is, give ongoing commitment to provide a connection between us and Auckland and provide real long-term commitment to infrastructure," McLeod said. Speaking to media, Northland MP Grant McCallum said the "ultimate challenge" would be getting cross-party support for long-term investment in the region. "The power of this pitch today is being business and community led, it hasn't been led by the politicians, because you can immediately create one side or the other," he said. "The key pieces of infrastructure that the government can do to help enable all of this is, build a decent four lane road all the way to Whangārei, and put the rail connection out to the port. That will enable all that to happen." McCallum said Northland had been underperforming for generations and he hoped people could see the oppurtunity. "It's got all its social challenges, and we're not going to get wealthy by increasing the size of the welfare cheque. "We've got great opportunities, great soils, we've got great tourist attractions and great people in the north, and they just need the opportunities to grow and for businesses to grow." He said businesses needed to be confident investment in the region by government would be long-term. "The big advantage we have as a region is we're close to Auckland, the biggest population base in the country. "We're all sick of the stories about the Brynderwyns closing, or the Mangamuka closing . They just send the wrong message and if we ... turn that around, we can actually achieve this," McCallum said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.