Infrastructure Commission looks at 150 years of infrastructure spending going 'boom'

Peter Nunns says the country tends to invest in infrastructure when people can see value in it. (Image: Supplied)

Fri, 12 Sep 2025

Contrary to what the public might think, New Zealanders spend a lot more on infrastructure than we have in the past, according to the latest report by the NZ Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga. Half a century ago, NZers were spending $3,000 per person on infrastructure, and by 2022, this had risen to $ 5,000 per person, according to the Nation Building: A Century and a Half of Infrastructure Investment in NZ report.The NZ Infrastructure Commission (NZIC) said NZers had substantially more infrastructure than they did in 1950,...

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