New report reveals New Zealanders views on infrastructure issues
Over 23,000 New Zealanders have called for action to address the country’s infrastructure issues in a new report published by the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga.
Safer drinking water, climate change action, increased public transport and reduced roading investment all feature in the Aotearoa 2050 report, which forms part of Te Waihanga’s work to develop a 30-year Infrastructure Strategy.
The report’s release follows a six-week campaign that asked for public feedback on the country’s infrastructure and received 23,638 responses and more than 8,500 comments.
The Aotearoa 2050 survey was open to New Zealanders for six-weeks from 22 March to 2 May and asked for feedback on significant infrastructure issues and what Aotearoa might look like by 2050.
The Aotearoa 2050 report found:
- Not always having access to safe drinking water was the number one infrastructure issue for New Zealanders.
- Creating too much waste and our ageing schools and hospitals were the second and third most important issues.
- Four out of five New Zealanders want to see an increased investment in water networks to solve current issues.
- New Zealanders placed a higher priority on the ‘planet’ in future decision making than ‘jobs’ and ‘people’.
- Strong support for a reduction in the amount of waste New Zealanders produce.
- Support for a move away from the use of fossil fuels in transport.
- Reducing the need to travel by implementing non-built infrastructure options like working from home was popular.
Public consultation is now underway on the He Tūāpapa ki te Ora, Infrastructure for a Better Future consultation document, which closes on 2 July 2021. The document is the last step in the development of the Infrastructure Strategy before it is presented in September this year.