New Zealand has delivered world-class infrastructure before. With tremendous innovation, hard work and skill, our ancestors knitted the country together with networks of roads, railway lines, tunnels and bridges. Tapping into the power of the earth, they built pioneering hydro and geothermal power schemes and created a single national grid – connecting the two islands with what was then the longest high voltage link in the world. In recent decades, we have rapidly rolled out new technologies like electronic payment systems and Ultra-Fast Broadband. 

New Zealand achieved great things in the past, though under very different circumstances. To navigate the deep technological, economic, demographic and climate-related changes now under way, we will need to do so again. Success will require sustained effort, a willingness to change how we plan, fund, build and maintain infrastructure, and the courage to face hard truths.

Compared to many other high-income countries, for example, New Zealand spends a greater share of gross domestic product on infrastructure but achieves less. This needs to change. If it doesn’t, New Zealanders risk missing out on the hospitals, schools, water systems, telecommunications and transport networks they expect and deserve.

When the Commission released the draft National Infrastructure Plan in June 2025, our goal was to test whether we’d identified the right problems and, more importantly, the right solutions to improve performance and deliver better value for money. The response was clear: New Zealanders care deeply about infrastructure, and there was broad agreement with the direction of the draft Plan.

We want to thank everyone who provided feedback – iwi and Māori organisations, local and central government, the private sector, and community and sector groups across New Zealand. Your ideas and expertise have helped shape a clearer, more actionable Plan.

Implementing the recommendations outlined in the Plan will ensure the infrastructure system is set up to deliver enduring value for current and future generations. Parts of the Plan will be regularly updated so decision-makers and the public have access to the latest information. The Commission will also monitor progress against our recommended changes.

As well as system-level recommendations, the Commission has used its Forward Guidance – a method for forecasting infrastructure demand over time – to identify 10 areas that require more immediate attention. The Plan also draws on the latest assessments from the Infrastructure Priorities Programme, giving decision-makers a vetted menu of priority projects. And it brings together data on $275 billion of projects currently in planning and delivery across New Zealand, helping to ensure decisions aren’t made in isolation.

The Plan sets out a practical, affordable path for delivering the infrastructure New Zealanders need to thrive over the next 30 years, but it won’t change anything by itself. Progress depends on the choices we make from here. Stepping up to the task will require us doing things differently. If we continue with the status quo, we’ll fall further behind.

And we know progress is possible – because we’re already doing it. New Zealand is starting to lift its game. We’ve seen strong delivery in some areas, including the roll-out of new wind farms at internationally competitive costs. We’ve upzoned for more housing around infrastructure in ways many countries haven’t been able to achieve. We’ve collectively built a National Infrastructure Pipeline that is second to none for its coverage and is ramping up the insights available to industry and decision-makers. Through our Forward Guidance, we are now strongly positioned to optimise investment across the infrastructure portfolio, which can help us tackle affordability early – decades before it reaches the point of no return. And we’re steadily standardising and simplifying planning rulebooks, making the system clearer and more consistent over time.

There will always be debate about individual priorities and projects. But – as the feedback on the draft Plan made clear – finding common ground isn’t just possible, it’s essential if we’re going to deliver the infrastructure services New Zealanders expect. The National Infrastructure Plan can point the way, but it’s up to all of us to take the next steps.