Legislation – Plan sets path for New Zealand’s infrastructure over the next 30 years

The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission has released a National Infrastructure Plan setting out a practical, affordable pathway to deliver the infrastructure New Zealanders need to thrive over the next 30 years.

“While the Plan looks at the long term, it’s clear that we need to take action now. Weather events and infrastructure failures make very clear the importance of investing to renew and build resilience into the networks that sustain our way of life,” says Commission Chief Executive Geoff Cooper.

“We can’t keep doing what we’ve always done.

“Each year we invest just over $20 billion on infrastructure, yet on a dollar-for-dollar basis we achieve less than many of our more efficient international peers.”

The Plan includes 16 recommendations to improve the foundations of the infrastructure system and 10 priorities for the next decade. The priorities include identifying cost-effective flood risk infrastructure, completing catch-up on renewals in the water sector and restoring affordability, lifting hospital investment for an ageing population, and implementing time-of-use charging and road-user charges to get the most out of our urban road networks.

“The Plan is ambitious, but centred on affordability,” Cooper says.

The Plan also provides decision-makers with a clear, system-wide picture of where pressures are emerging and where investment will deliver the greatest value.”

“The Plan responds to a period of immense change facing New Zealand. Demographic changes, the impacts of climate change, and technological innovations are all reshaping the demands on the hospitals, schools, water systems and transport networks that New Zealanders depend on every day,” Cooper says.

“Some of the infrastructure issues we’re facing have been decades in the making – and they’ll take time to fix.

“But New Zealand also faces acute pressures that require attention now. Addressing the top 10 priority areas identified in the Plan will result in visible infrastructure gains and support our longer-term recommendations for the next 30 years.

“The Plan does this by charting an affordable way to meet a diverse set of infrastructure demands over time and identifying how a large programme of significant investments such as roads, rapid transit, and hospitals can be prioritised and sequenced. In doing so, the Plan demonstrates a fundable and affordable programme of works that futureproofs existing services, while incrementally building on the network as the country grows and develops,” Cooper says.

Feedback on the draft National Infrastructure Plan that the Commission released in June 2025 showed strong agreement on the need for greater certainty, better coordination, and a stronger focus on delivery and affordability. The final Plan has been informed by what we heard.

“A plan by itself won’t change anything. The National Infrastructure Plan charts the course, but progress depends on how decision-makers, delivery agencies, industry, and communities use the Plan to do things differently,” Cooper says.

The National Infrastructure Plan is available at www.tewaihanga.govt.nz [note that the National Infrastructure Plan will be available online from 17 February at 12.00pm].

• The National Infrastructure Plan was delivered to the Minister for Infrastructure on 22 December 2025.
• On 17 February 2026 at 12.00pm, the Minister for Infrastructure will table the Plan in the House of Representatives.
• After receiving the Plan, the Government has 180 days to respond.
• Over 2,700 responses were received from individuals and organisations on the draft National Infrastructure Plan, comprising a representative online survey of 1,001 New Zealanders, 1,557 general public responses to an online survey, and 122 written submissions.
• Along with the National Infrastructure Plan, the Commission will publish the written submissions made on the Plan and supporting technical reports.
• Parts of the Plan will be updated regularly, and the Commission will monitor progress against its recommendations to support transparency and accountability over time.