Government responds to Infrastructure Plan
The Government has released its formal response to the independent National Infrastructure Plan, setting out how it will respond to the Infrastructure Commission’s sixteen recommendations.
It has agreed to support all sixteen of the Commission’s recommendations (three in principle, with further work to be done). In addition to the work already underway, the Government has agreed to four further actions.
The Government will review the land transport funding system.
The Government agrees with the problems identified by the Commission with investment, pricing and delivery settings in land transport. The new Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT) will review the system and develop proposals, to be publicly consulted on by June 2028 (as recommended in the Plan).
2. The Government will legislate for departments and Crown Entities to publish long-term investment plans and to report on asset management
The Government is determined to lift the quality of long-term investment planning and asset management and our view is that legislation is ultimately required to help fix this problem. Legislation will be developed in 2027 and involve amendments to the Public Finance Act and Crown Entities Act.
3. The Government will require infrastructure providers to maintain up-to-date data in the National Infrastructure Pipeline and strengthen data quality over time
Comprehensive information about current and future projects is very valuable. In the short-term, the Government will require all central government agencies to participate in the National Infrastructure Pipeline. The Commission will be able to set standards for data inputs. The Commission will also be undertaking further work to assess options for strengthening the Pipeline mandate through legislation, including a framework for providers to create, collate, store and supply information.
4. The Government will take a series of actions to strengthen public sector project leadership
Success in public infrastructure depends heavily on the capability of project leaders. The Public Service Commission and Infrastructure Commission will be jointly developing a professional standard for public sector leadership, building a cross-agency directory of Senior Responsible Owners, and establishing a nationally recognised professional benchmark for critical leadership roles.