Prioritising reducing debt by cutting spending and infrastructure investment is especially dangerous in a tough recession such as we have been mired in, writes independent policy analyst Susan St John At budget time in 2024 I wrote in The Daily Blog Will the true debt figure please stand up.  Continue →

With moves to tackle New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit, including through fast-track consenting and the establishment of a National Infrastructure Agency, it’s the perfect time to consider the incorporation of user charging mechanisms to boost infrastructure delivery, Infrastructure New Zealand Chief Executive Nick Leggett says Infrastructure New Zealand advocates for user charging as a sustainable tool to help fund infrastructure. Continue →

Thanks largely to decades of underinvestment, New Zealand’s government debt is actually quite low, but when faced with a $100 billion infrastructure deficit, The Kaka Editor Bernard Hickey suggests borrowing more could be the fastest and cheapest solution Finance Minister Nicola Willis has again characterised the Government’s finances as too fragile to borrow in its own right to solve Aotearoa-NZ’s infrastructure deficits. Continue →

A new Te Waihanga report shines a light on projects often costing more than expected, looking at past changes in construction wages and prices for five key infrastructure construction materials Why do construction input costs change?  Continue →

Budget 2023 is being criticised as one which lacks vision and does little to solve the myriad of problems New Zealand is facing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins describes his first budget as one which “delivers the targeted and affordable investments New Zealand needs right now.  Continue →

Cyclone Gabrielle and other extreme weather has had a big knock-on effect on transport and infrastructure plans, as previously signed-off transport priorities look set to be rearranged, says Infrastructure New Zealand Policy Director Michelle McCormick The Government has strongly indicated that its draft Policy Statement on Land Transport 2024-2034 is now likely to pivot away from climate change mitigation measures and towards resilience and rebuilding damaged roads, highways and bridges. Continue →

Effective funding and financing of our significant infrastructure deficit is one of Infrastructure New Zealand’s strategic pillars, Infrastructure New Zealand Policy Director Michelle McCormick says Te Waihanga / The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission estimates it will cost $31 billion per year, roughly a tenth of New Zealand’s GDP, to plug the infrastructure deficit and build for the future. Continue →

Targeting KiwiSaver fund providers with GST is a policy that actually made a lot of financial sense, most parties say The Government’s decision not to go ahead with a proposal to standardise the application of GST to fees and services of managed fund providers is being celebrated by the National Party. Continue →

The opening of the New Zealand border has resulted in international tech, bank tech, platforms and countries parachuting into the country, FinTechNZ executive director Jason Roberts says There are much more than just travel gateways opening up again. Continue →

Additional infrastructure funding is just catching up on years of underinvestment and the sector is calling for the Government to do more about New Zealand’s $210b infrastructure deficit. Continue →

Industry leaders and experts comment on the Government’s Budget 2020 ‘Rebuilding Together’ which includes a $50 billion COVID-19 response and economic recovery plan How will NZ repay the debt that the Government, has, and will, be incurring? Continue →

Grant Robertson’s rainy-day Budget poured billions – with many more billions still to come – into saving and creating jobs report Dentons Kensington Swan partners Linda Clark and Hayden Wilson If the plan works (and it is still being developed to match rapidly changing economic circumstances) then New Zealand’s economy may be spared the worst of what the Prime Minister calls “dire global predictions”. Continue →

New Zealand has been ranked one of Asia Pacific’s fastest emerging hubs of financial technology (fintech) and one of the top 10 fintech destinations in the region, FintechNZ general manager James Brown says Globally, New Zealand is ranked 45th in the first Global Fintech Index city rankings 2020 by Findexable which identifies emerging hubs, fintech companies and trends of fintech ecosystems in more than 230 cities across 65 countries. Continue →

Queensland has doubled down on infrastructure spending and the New South Wales budget delivers a $93bn infrastructure cash splash Ted Tabet & Dinah Lewis Boucher, The Urban Developer Queensland Budget The Queensland state budget unveiled by treasurer Jackie Trad introduced changes to payroll tax, land taxes and an increase to the royalties paid by oil and gas producers to help fill the state’s coffers. Continue →

The US-China trade war poses the biggest current threat to the global economy, slowing global growth and adding to rising geopolitical uncertainty By Ted Tabet first published by The Urban Developer According to new research from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which has explored the top 10 risks the global economy is facing in 2019, “the outlook for the global economy is worsening”. Continue →

The Ardern government’s first Budget needs greater use of private investment, the head of New Zealand’s leading infrastructure industry body believes “The Budget has followed through on well-signalled investments in transport, housing, education and health, but greater use of private investment will be needed to get overall investment to the level required,” says Stephen Selwood, Chief Executive of Infrastructure New Zealand. Continue →

The government’s announcement that this year’s Budget will allocate $42 billion to capital investment over five years demands a specialised procurement agency according to the country’s leading infrastructure body The announcement will provide a welcome boost for regional and urban development but establishing a specialised strategic procurement agency is now a priority to ensure projects are sequenced and delivered at best value, says Stephen Selwood, CEO of Infrastructure New Zealand. Continue →