Our lives rely on infrastructure. We need it to get around, get ready for the future and get ahead as a country. We’ve been looking at these three needs, the big issues we face and what we want Aotearoa to look like in 2050.
The Aotearoa 2050 campaign(external link) is backed by the New Zeland Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga and starts a conversation with New Zealanders about our infrastructure.
The feedback we hear from New Zealanders throughout these engagements will be used to inform and shape New Zealand's first 30-year infrastructure strategy which will be presented to the Minister for Infrastructure in September 2021.
Infrastructure issues
Through our State of Plays(external link) and other research we've identified issues with our infrastructure across a number of sectors, including water, transport, waste and resource recovery, health, telecommunications and energy.
The infrastructure issues we've identified are impacting New Zealanders and their wellbeing. Aotearoa 2050 asks New Zealanders if they agree with these issues and how important they are to them. There's also opportunities to tell us if you think we've missed any issues and add your own.
Directions for the future
New Zealand's 30-year infrastructure strategy will guide our decision making until 2050 so it's important that the New Zealand public have an opportunity to shape what the future might look like. Once New Zealanders have had their say on key issues, Aotearoa 2050 then presents a range of possible ideas for the future and asks them to tell us if they think they should be looked at in more detail.
Next steps
Following this engagement there will be another opportunity for people to have their say in early May. The consultation document will include more detail about some of the issues Te Waihanga has identified and the direction of the 30-year infrastructure strategy.
Accessible engagement and other languages
Te Waihanga is committed to ensuring as many New Zealanders as possible can have their say, including ways to order printed surveys and an alternative option for screen readers. Engagement on New Zealand's first 30-year infrastructure strategy is also available in other languages, including Māori, Samoan, Tonga, Fijian and Chinese.
Do you have questions about Aotearoa 2050?
How will this information be used?
Your feedback is an important part of our work on a 30-year infrastructure strategy for New Zealand. It will help us understand how important some of our infrastructure issues are important to kiwis, and whether there are others they think we’ve missed.
We’ll use this information to develop a consultation document that sets out our planned direction for the strategy and some of the areas where we think change is needed. We’ll share this consultation document, giving New Zealanders another chance to have their say and let us know if we’ve got it right before we prepare a strategy to present to the Minister for Infrastructure in September this year.
How long does it take to complete?
It only takes a few minutes to have your say, and you can share as much or as little as you like. Our infrastructure affects all of us and the important thing is that you take the opportunity to let us know what’s important to you.
How have you chosen these issues and solutions?
These are based on our research on the issues and opportunities our infrastructure sectors face, as well as our conversations with experts in these sectors. Some of this research can be found in the State of Play reports available on our website.
Is this our only chance to have our say?
No, this is just the start of our conversation with New Zealanders and it will be followed by consultation on a document that sets out more detail about the direction we plan to take in our strategy.
What is the purpose of a 30-year infrastructure strategy?
There are a lot of organisations who plan, deliver infrastructure whether it’s roads, powerlines or hospitals, but there is no one organisation that looks across all sectors at our needs and the issues we face. Our strategy will help identify these and look at the system that leads to the infrastructure we get, to make recommendations for how we can build a better Aotearoa.
Will you be recommending and prioritising infrastructure projects?
The strategy will focus on strategic issues for infrastructure, rather than individual projects. This means finding ways we can improve the systems, decision-making and priorities that lead to the infrastructure we get.
