By Katie Bradford, Strategy and Engagement Manager, Infrastructure New Zealand
The capital was abuzz in August as more than 800 infrastructure specialists packed into Wellington for Infrastructure New Zealand’s Building Nations conference. The theme for 2025 was ‘A Vision for New Zealand’, emphasising the need to look beyond electoral cycles and traditional planning to ensure Aotearoa has the right infrastructure, in the right places, at the right time.
Conference attendees and speakers called for long-term planning and a unified national perspective to achieve those outcomes. The clear message was that New Zealand must rethink how it plans, funds, delivers and values its infrastructure. The status quo, characterised by stop-start projects, regulatory complexity and a chronic delivery gap, is no longer acceptable.
Finance Minister the Hon. Nicola Willis kicked the two-day conference into gear, warning a lack of political consistency was eroding investor and industry confidence.
‘Uncertainty is the killer of confidence,’ Minister Willis said.
She echoed the thoughts of many as she called for greater cross-party commitment to infrastructure.
Minister for Infrastructure the Hon. Chris Bishop described Aotearoa New Zealand as being at an ‘inflection point’ – and we have two choices.
‘One option is to grow slowly – or not at all – muddle along, take years to make tough decisions, react to things as they come up, and just largely be okay with the status quo,’ Minister Bishop told delegates.
‘I call this “managed mediocrity”. At worst, it is “managed decline”. The other option is that we make tough decisions that successive governments have put in the too-hard basket – on planning, housing markets, transport pricing, and more.’
Minister Bishop rattled off a list of projects and moves that the government is making to improve infrastructure, but also made an announcement around road user charges.
The government is planning to transition New Zealand’s entire 3.5-million-vehicle fleet to a fairer, electronic road user charge system.
‘Essentially, the government will be abolishing petrol tax. People will pay for the roads based on how much they use them. And, if we get this right, people will pay based on their vehicle type, the distance travelled, the location, and the time of use,’ Minister Bishop said.
This will be the biggest change to how we charge for our roads in 50 years, and was an issue talked about at length by a timely panel on road pricing.
Throughout the conference, the moves the government is making on the draft National Infrastructure Plan, the establishment ofNational Infrastructure Funding and Financing Ltd, the Resource Management Act and planning reform, and asset recycling and asset management were all discussed.
The government’s pledge to have $6 billion worth of projects under construction before the end of the year was also discussed.
Several international speakers shared with delegates their experiences from Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Ireland.
Former Irish taoiseach (prime minister) Leo Varadkar said a longer electoral cycle than New Zealand’s three-year term helped productivity and infrastructure investment in his country. Bipartisan support also helped. Varadkar said of his country’s current plan, ‘While the liberal parties in opposition might not fully support it, what they’ll never want to do is take a project out. They’ll always want to include something new. That, I think, delivers certainty that isn’t there, perhaps, in other countries where parties say they’re going to cancel a project to free up money for another project.’
While Singapore’s political model can’t be compared to New Zealand’s, political commitment there does drive growth, experienced Singaporean politician Andrew Tan told the conference.
Tan spoke about the importance of ‘development clusters’ – purpose-built industry hubs.
Encouragingly, there were signs that, just maybe, Kiwi politicians are getting the message.
In a debate with Opposition Spokesperson Kieran McAnulty, Minister Bishop said, ‘I hear regularly what New Zealand needs is a long-term infrastructure plan that transcends political cycles.’
Labour’s McAnulty agreed: ‘This stop-start has got to end.’ He said that while Labour and National won’t agree on everything, they do need to work together in a more cohesive manner. Both politicians agreed their parties had made mistakes.
There were criticisms and challenges outside of politics, too. Asset recycling was one of the most hotly discussed topics. Unlike privatisation, a sometimes ugly word in the New Zealand political discourse, asset recycling is being framed as a pragmatic tool, rather than an ideological crusade. It involves selling or leasing underutilised public assets and using the funds to invest in new public infrastructure. Lessons from Australia were discussed, particularly the positive experiences in New South Wales. Speakers emphasised that the goal was to maximise value from public assets.
Value over cost was a key debate throughout the conference. The focus should be on the benefits infrastructure provides, safer communities, climate resilience and social wellbeing, rather than just the price tag.
Attendees and speakers openly acknowledged the gap between ambition and delivery. Projects often fall victim to cost overruns, delays, workforce shortages, and regulatory roadblocks. Even with new laws in development, many questioned whether reforms would go far enough, or be implemented quickly enough, to make a meaningful difference.
Political risk also loomed large. With infrastructure projects spanning decades, shifts in government priorities can upend plans, deter private investment and slow momentum.
Community voices, too, are demanding balance. While many support faster delivery, there are concerns that fast-tracking could weaken environmental safeguards or limit public participation. Speakers warned that speed must not come at the cost of quality, equity or environmental protection.
New Zealand’s vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change was a constant backdrop to discussions. With more frequent storms, rising seas and seismic risks, resilience is no longer a nice-to-have.
Workforce capability was also high on the agenda. The industry faces acute shortages – not only of construction workers, but also of planners, engineers and regulatory staff. Ensuring that plans translate into shovels in the ground will require investment in skills, training and immigration pathways.
A recurring theme was the need to embed Māori perspectives and partnership throughout the infrastructure life cycle. Projects, several speakers argued, cannot simply be technical or economic exercises; they must reflect Aotearoa’s bicultural foundations.
Helmut Modlik, CEO of Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, said, ‘A future for our people, whenua, taiao and communities requires a paradigm shift.’
Building Nations 2025 came at a pivotal moment. Decades of underinvestment, escalating climate risks, rising costs, and growing delivery gaps have brought infrastructure to the centre of New Zealand’s political, economic, and social agenda. The conference signalled a shift – not just in policy detail, promises or that elusive bipartisanship, but in how the country conceives of infrastructure itself.
But the path forward is far from guaranteed. Implementation will be key. New legislation must be passed and initiatives resourced. Announced pipelines must move swiftly from concept to construction. Financing models must attract investment without compromising public interest. And political leaders must commit to stability and continuity.
Now, the industry waits to see if these things happen, with the key next step being the release of the final National Infrastructure Plan by the end of 2025 – a true pipeline of projects, plans and promises that outlive election cycles.