Infrastructure NZ welcomes establishment of infrastructure entity

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“Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones’ confirmation that the Government will establish an independent infrastructure entity – an i-body – is very positive news and warmly received by industry,” says Stephen Selwood CEO of Infrastructure NZ.

“The Minister today announced that a new entity would be created to provide expert advice, planning and strategy, support the delivery of major infrastructure projects across the country and act as the golden thread between the various pieces of work this Government is undertaking.

“The Minister indicated the new entity will become a one-stop shop for investors, linking people to procuring entities and informing them about our regulatory and market settings.

“This is a major step forward for the Government and a wider sector challenged by long term pipeline uncertainty and procurement capability.

“The i-body will consolidate infrastructure expertise, creating a home for high calibre officials who can specialise in the procurement of highly complex public works.

“We are particularly pleased that the Minister confirmed that the i-body will have independence and strategic capability, meaning it will not only assist in the delivery of infrastructure, but provide advice to the Government on key sector issues and help develop a whole-of-government project pipeline.

“A long term sightline of what investments the Government intends to make, noting there will always be changes in priorities and needs, is critical for the sector to invest in skills and equipment.

“At the Building Nations Symposium this morning, we heard from experts from the UK and Australia, two countries which have recently adopted and rapidly expanded the i-body approach.

“The model has been very successful in these two countries at reducing waste, improving long term decision making and supporting a much healthier and more competitive industry.

“We expect that over the medium term, the i-body will lead a sustained improvement in the skills and capacity of infrastructure professionals within not only Government, but the private sector too, as suppliers benefit from clearer direction, greater consistency and better risk allocation.

“This is a real opportunity to use the Government’s scale to effect a true industry-wide transformation of the way we plan, fund, finance, deliver and operate critical services,” Selwood says.