Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Video | Agriculture | Confidence | Economy | Energy | Employment | Finance | Media | Property | RBNZ | Science | SOEs | Tax | Technology | Telecoms | Tourism | Transport | Search

 

Shovel-ready infrastructure projects needed

2 December 2019

The weekend announcement of the Government’s plans to bring projects forward and lift spending on significant infrastructure projects in the short to medium term is welcome news for Kiwi civil contractors and communities.

Civil Contractors New Zealand Chief Executive Peter Silcock said Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s announcement to “significantly increase spending on infrastructure” was welcome news for communities, contractors and their employees, and recognised infrastructure’s importance in boosting the economy and improving living standards.

”We need to get on with the job of overcoming our infrastructure deficit, so this announcement is very welcome. It’s also a necessary move to save jobs which are on the line as major transport projects wind down.”

Mr Silcock said the civil construction workforce was project-based, so the lack of short to medium term work had been a major concern for the industry as jobs like Transmission Gully, the Waikato Expressway, and Kaikoura and Christchurch motorway projects are completed over the next year.

While a clear vision and economic outcomes were important, shovel-ready projects were needed now. Significant infrastructure projects could be decades in planning and design. Because of this, he anticipated some of the wide range of transport projects put on the back burner over the past two years would need to be brought off the shelf to fill the gap.

He said workers needed projects starting over the next year they could transition to, so the focus should be on construction-ready projects, maintenance and improvements, not projects that might or might not happen in five years’ time, he said.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“Contractors are people of action. There has been a lot of announcements and talk but until funding is confirmed and planning approval granted construction work can’t start. We really need projects we can start work on over the next year.

“We’ve seen a lot of transport projects stalling in the past two years, and some of the other work has been slow to come to the market – including safety improvements and investment in rail and road maintenance. We appreciate there has been a shift in vision and priorities, but the infrastructure work pipeline is a long-term thing that doesn’t change overnight.”

Mr Silcock said projects to be brought forward could include Melling Link in Wellington’s Hutt Valley, Tauranga’s Northern Link which is “pretty much ready to go”, Cambridge to Piarere and increased investment in safety improvements and State Highway maintenance.

He said the industry was “up to the challenge” and while announcements didn’t always materialise immediately into work, contractors were keenly anticipating announcement of which initiatives were identified by Treasury to be brought forward.

The Government’s announcement indicated the details of the infrastructure investment package will be outlined at the Budget Policy Statement on 11 December.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Business Headlines | Sci-Tech Headlines

 
GenPro: General Practices Begin Issuing Clause 14 Notices

GenPro has been copied into a rising number of Clause 14 notices issued since the NZNO lodged its Primary Practice Pay Equity Claim against General Practice employers in December 2023.More

SPADA: Screen Industry Unites For Streaming Platform Regulation & Intellectual Property Protections

In an unprecedented international collaboration, representatives of screen producing organisations from around the world have released a joint statement.More

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.