5 things I'll be looking for in NZ's 30-year infrastructure strategy

Last week we received a note from the NZ Infrastructure Commission advising that, over the coming months, they'll be starting the process of developing the new 30-year infrastructure strategy that legislation requires them to complete by September next year. As we come down out of what was (hopefully) peak-Covid, it is a great time to think about what we all want NZ's infrastructure delivery to look like over the coming years. Here are a few things that I'd like to see...

1. Reform of the Building Code to require water sensitive design

Wouldn't it be great if all new houses had to be designed to be water efficient and water sensitive? Mandatory requirements for efficient water use, rainwater retention and use, and 'leakless' wastewater would enable us to right-size our water infrastructure and have more money to spend elsewhere, without compromising the way we live or a house performs. It would also avoid "cheap" approaches that push the costs further down the pipes to the rest of the community.

And while we are looking up to the top of the pipe, banning the use of copper brake pads in our vehicles could possibly save us millions of dollars in stormwater treatment that will otherwise be needed to keep our waterways healthy.

2. The enabling of low carbon infrastructure

Evidence from the likes of Anglian Water in the UK shows that building infrastructure to achieve low carbon outcomes (in both construction and operations) also results in lower costs. Carbon is a great proxy for energy and materials, so low carbon typically means a reduction in both of these key construction inputs.

Watercare and Auckland City have now made commitments in this area, including establishing tools for carbon accounting and collecting data that reflects NZ operating conditions. As the adoption of low carbon approaches becomes more widespread we can start to create new expectations and lift capability right across the infrastructure supply chain.

3. A focus on data and digital

I don't imagine that NZ's water sector is alone in having incomplete data on the state of its assets and how they are being operated, and relatively limited utilisation of digital technologies. As these assets age, and as our cities grow and develop around (and over) them, our ability to get the greatest possible value from them will become increasingly important. Increasing the amount and quality of data that we hold through the adoption of sensing, communication and digital technologies, applying analytical tools such as machine learning, and getting the data into the hands of our supply chain will help us make better decisions from design through to operation.

4. Actions to lift capability and capacity

We've been signalling to our client councils over recent months that the coming years are going to require a significant uplift in investment if we are keep on top of the performance of existing assets, enable forecast growth, reduce our impact on the environment (for both water and the climate) and meet increasing customer performance expectations. This, in turn, will increase our demand on our supply chain but will also see us competing for resources with other areas of the infrastructure sector. We need to build capability and capacity in all areas, including through making the sector more attractive to job seekers. Perhaps a renewed focus on the value of essential services, plus a focus on sustainability, low-carbon and digital innovation will hit a sweet spot to bring more people in?

5. An emphasis on renewals, and not just on new infrastructure

Over the coming 30 years our region is going to need to renew something like 50% of its water assets, and potentially more than this as our understanding of asset condition increases. Renewals budgets will need to rise by something like 200-300% and we can see that enabling growth also typically requires the renewal of existing assets to ensure that required levels of service are maintained. But this is also really the sweet spot for all four of the other items above - by minimising the demand on the networks through water sensitive design, adopting low-carbon approaches (such as trenchless pipe laying technologies), and using better data to make and time renewal decisions, we should be able to build the pipeline and programmes of work that incentivise capability and capacity building in our supply chain, and that can drive efficiency and innovation.

Those are five things that come to mind. We look forward to engaging with Infracom as they develop their strategy, and with our supply chain as we look forward to our future infrastructure investment. Let me know what else you think we need below the line...