Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) is urging political parties to commit to a stable, long-term infrastructure pipeline, warning the sector’s biggest challenge remains the boom-and-bust cycle of government investment.
The call comes with the release of CCNZ’s 2026 Election Manifesto, which outlines the industry’s priorities for the next government, including procurement reform, lower compliance costs, workforce development and improved infrastructure resilience.
Chief executive Alan Pollard says New Zealand needs a more consistent approach to delivering the transport, water and other infrastructure communities rely on.
“New Zealanders are desperate for infrastructure that meets the needs of their communities, which starts with the right settings and investment. That’s what contractors deliver and maintain day in, day out,” Pollard says.
“How we build the country’s transport, water and other infrastructure networks is very important. Debating infrastructure delivery in New Zealand captures the public imagination, but the conversation means little until infrastructure is constructed and maintained.”
Pollard says uncertainty over future work remains the industry’s biggest concern.
“Our members consistently pointed to the uncertain pipeline of work as their biggest challenge. When the majority of the civil construction sector’s clients are central or local government, what politicians do or say heavily impacts our industry,” he says.
“We urge parties across the political spectrum that seek to govern the country to avoid delaying or cancelling ongoing projects, and to ensure policy is well informed by those who will be tasked with construction and maintenance.”
CCNZ says the issue has also been highlighted in the National Infrastructure Plan and the Cost of Stopping report, which estimated stop-start investment has cost New Zealand $11.8 billion over the past 25 years.
The manifesto makes the following recommendations to the next government:
- Ensuring a stable, depoliticised pipeline of work: Establish a long-term, cross-party infrastructure pipeline with independent accountability for delivery.
- Optimising procurement practices: Implement a more productive, nationally consistent procurement framework with accountability processes for clients and early contractor involvement.
- Decreasing compliance and regulatory costs: Implement a common-sense approach to compliance and regulation with feedback from industry for regulation built-in and practical, risk-based, right-sized site safety.
- Building workforce capability and capacity: Implement incentives that support apprenticeships and on-the-job training and improve immigration settings in civil construction.
- Increasing infrastructure resilience and sustainability: Ensure sustainability is prioritised in design and construction, approach infrastructure management and maintenance proactively, create a formal package of resilience works, and recognise civil contractors as essential first-response partners.
“New Zealand’s civil contractors have the skills and commitment to deliver the infrastructure that will drive economic growth and support communities across the country for decades to come – we just need the right policy settings in place,” Pollard says.
The recommendations were developed through 12 election workshops held with CCNZ members across New Zealand.
