Wellington’s Infrastructure Reckoning

Wellington's pressing infrastructure challenges — from ageing water pipes and inadequate housing supply to climate resilience, seismic risk, and long-term urban planning — will be the focus of a major panel discussion hosted by Vision for Wellington at the Star Boating Club on Tuesday, 2 July.

The panel brings together some of New Zealand’s top infrastructure thinkers: former Infrastructure New Zealand CEO Ross Copland, Te Ātiawa leader Liz Mellish, former Transdev New Zealand Managing Director Greg Pollock, and Morrison and former Infratil Chief Financial Officer Phillippa Harford. The discussion will be moderated by Kirsten Patterson, Chief Executive of the Institute of Directors.

Ross Copland: “A once-in-a-generation renewal — or a slow-motion crisis”

Ross Copland says the timing is right for a fundamental reset: 

“Wellington faces a once-in-a-generation renewal of its core infrastructure, growth pressures, and big expectations from the community. That would be a challenge anywhere — but when you add fragmented governance, outdated pricing, and a high regulatory bar, the risk is soaring costs, plummeting productivity, and escalating network failure.”

While Wellington is home to world-class talent, Copland says it suffers from a “disproportionate focus on civic infrastructure” at the expense of core networks.

“It’s essential that residents, asset owners, regulators and the supply chain coordinate efforts, prioritise a credible programme of cost-effective renewals, and have honest conversations about pricing, governance and affordability.” 

Liz Mellish: “The ‘M’ word is maintenance”

Te Ātiawa leader Liz Mellish is urging a shift in mindset — especially regarding water:

“Rather than always reaching for ‘more’, we should be investing in quality maintenance of what we’ve got and future-proofing it. The ‘M’ word is maintenance.”

She also calls for urgent installation of water meters — not just to charge users, but to shift behaviour:

“It’s about motivating people to take responsibility for their water use.”

She invokes Te Mana o te Wai, emphasising a new paradigm of water management based on clear priorities and partnership:

“When it comes to building, say, new dams, iwi can invest — and councils can pay iwi for the use. Everyone wins.”

Greg Pollock: “Rail has been left behind”

Greg Pollock says public transport must be the top priority in a balanced network:

“Public transport is key to Wellington’s recovery — but rail has been left behind.”

He is sharply critical of KiwiRail’s performance:

“They run great freight across 4,000km — but they’re out of their depth with metropolitan passenger services.”

Pollock notes that on some parts of the rail network, "temporary" speed restrictions have been in place for over 1,000 days:

“Can you imagine three years of speed restrictions and cones on a major highway? That’s what’s happened to our rail.”

He adds:

“We need to look after rail like we look after our buses — which are world-class.”

Phillippa Harford: “We need imagination — and discipline”

Morrison Partner and former Infratil CFO Phillippa Harford says Wellington can solve its infrastructure problems, but needs more rigour and imagination:

“Start by asking: does this deliver long-term value to the city — including GDP growth, liveability, and ease of doing business?”

She stresses the need for transparency and robust analysis:

“Procurement processes must be supported by a business case that robustly assesses the viability of the project and ensures that it stacks up strategically and financially. We then need to track the performance and return on the investment to learn from successes and failures.   The business case must also assess and consider the wider consequences of infrastructure projects on affected businesses, as doing so will promote accountability and transparency and drive stronger engagement across the community. 

She also urges pragmatism about city ownership:

“We need to be disciplined about what infrastructure the city needs to own. This also leads us to considering the current rationale or function of council spending and how we consider the evolving needs of our city, so that those significant investments continue to deliver value to the community over their lifetime.  Maybe the real question isn’t ‘do we rebuild the central library?’ but ‘how do we connect Wellingtonians to knowledge in the 21st century?’”

Luke Pierson of Vision For wellington, one of the event organisers, says the time is right for an honest dialogue:

“There’s no shortage of expert advice — what’s needed now is political will, clear priorities and a plan people can believe in.”