At long last New Zealand’s politicians appear united on the need to make better infrastructure investment decisions.

The Infrastructure Commission’s 30-year plan has laid out some stark truths around the country’s long-standing poor and inefficient investment on infrastructure. It wants to see more focus on maintenance and retention of existing assets, while also considering the carbon impact of projects.

The Architectural Centre (AC) couldn’t agree more.

Sadly, a case in point of a neglected asset that is being demolished - instead of being renewed for a more cost effective solution and reduced carbon costs – are the Gordon Wilson Flats (GWF) in Wellington.

The GWF has been used as a convenient whipping boy for Infrastructure and Housing Minister Chris Bishop to champion its destruction, which he has (dubiously) pinned to his RMA reforms.

The AC has a design, ballpark costs and a carbon report for GWF that involves stripping the buildings back to their core concrete structure, adding seismic strengthening and building warm, dry modern housing units to accommodate 175-350 people, leaving plenty of space for future development of the site.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that renewal is cheaper, faster and environmentally better than Victoria University’s decision to demolish the building over the next 13 months, with no design, no costings and no funding for what comes next. New accommodation? Zero.

Instead, with Mr Bishop’s obsession with singling out the GWF, the University seems happy to turn their backs on their own carbon emission goals.

Let’s be honest – a lot of Wellingtonians are sick of looking at the sad state of a building that was neglected and run down for decades. But in a climate and affordability crisis, demolition by neglect should not be the solution. It is a wasteful use of time and resources.

Unfortunately, there has been no central or local government vision to adopt the approach the AC took and the Infrastructure Commission is now advocating - look after existing assets and find ways to cut emissions.

Mr Bishop says the Government will respond to the Infrastructure Commission’s report in June.

The Architectural Centre will be watching with interest to see how he reconciles his rhetoric on the Gordon Wilson Flats with the forward thinking principles laid out in the Commission’s 30-year plan.

Quotes from the Infrastructure Commission’s 30-year planning document:

• It’s time to start fixing up our essential infrastructure assets, rather than seeing them breaking under our feet because we didn’t set aside money for maintenance. It’s time to invest in infrastructure that will lift our productivity and cut our carbon emissions.
• Not every major project will attract consensus, but that need not prevent progress. Political contestability is normal, and priorities will shift over time. What matters is staying focused on the fundamentals – looking after existing assets, delivering projects well, planning efficiently, and being transparent about costs and outcomes.
• New Zealanders want us to take better care of what we’ve got. Through our public engagement, respondents overwhelmingly emphasised the need for improved maintenance and long-term planning of core infrastructure, particularly hospitals, water supply and transport. Respondents highlighted the importance of climate resilience and the need to consider environmental, social and economic outcomes when delivering infrastructure.

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