2 Apr 2025
We met with the Minister of Infrastructure Hon. Chris Bishop last month, alongside ACE NZ and Civil Contractors, to discuss the lack of work for engineers and contractors in the construction and infrastructure sectors.
The meeting was an important opportunity to communicate the impact of infrastructure work being slow to get to market – on engineers and the wider construction and infrastructure sector. We noted that the engineering and construction workforce has already contracted and will reduce further if projects do not come to market soon. We advocated that the government take urgent action to get infrastructure works started and funding flowing.
We raised the importance of encouraging government agencies to prioritise and bring forward renewal and maintenance work, particularly in relation to roading and water infrastructure investment. We also suggested that government agencies break out early works packages (such as investigations and utility relocations) from major projects and get these to market quickly.
In addition to this, we also advocated for government to actively measure project spend against the infrastructure pipeline to better understand the flow of money into the sector. This would give government and the sector better visibility of what is occurring.
We welcome the Government’s commitment to infrastructure investment and a reform programme that aims to reduce barriers to getting work started. However, we know that systemic change takes time, and we are advocating for action now.
We need to move quickly to ensure we retain the skilled workers we need to deliver infrastructure priorities and then aim to get a more visible, well signalled and consistent flow of funding in the future.
We have an ongoing strategy to continue to drive the change we need to see in this space. This will include providing the government with insights from our members about their experiences on the ground.
