NZ has $287b of infrastructure to maintain but doesn't

NZ has $287b of infrastructure to maintain but doesn't
Spending on renewals hasn't kept pace with depreciation for things such as the highway network. (Image: NZME)
Oliver Lewis
New Zealanders have more infrastructure per capita than a generation ago, but we’re not spending enough on renewals, a new report has found.Research from the Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, put the total value of all built infrastructure (excluding land) in New Zealand at $287 billion. On a per capita and inflation-adjusted basis that works out at $55,800 per person, a 70% increase on the $32,900 worth of infrastructure per person in 1990.The economics director at the commission, Peter Nunns, said the uplift complic...

More Infrastructure

Court funding miss ‘undermines market confidence’
Finance

Court funding miss ‘undermines market confidence’

Plenary and Infrastructure NZ wrote to ministers over PPP ‘disappointment’.

Auckland housing project withdrawn from fast-track
Policy

Auckland housing project withdrawn from fast-track

The developer plans to lodge a fresh application after draft decline.

Oliver Lewis 16 Sep 2025
150 years of infrastructure spending going ‘boom’
Infrastructure

150 years of infrastructure spending going ‘boom’

We actually spend a lot more on infrastructure than you might think.