21 Aug 2019
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has this week announced the first board of the Infrastructure Commission Te Waihanga, which is hoped to be operational by October and includes Engineering New Zealand Fellow and Watercare Chief Executive Raveen Jaduram.
Former Reserve Bank Governor Dr Alan Bollard has been appointed Chair of the new independent Crown entity, which is tasked with providing expert advice, planning and strategy, and supporting the delivery of major infrastructure projects across the country. The Minister says he expects the Commission to develop a long-term infrastructure strategy by working with central and local government as well as the private sector, with a view to tackling the systemic problems the sector faces.
Collective responsibility for infrastructure resilience was a key recommendation identified in our thought leadership publication Engineering a Better New Zealand. We hope the Commission will be able to cross conventional commercial and institutional boundaries, to share information and promote collaboration for the greater good of all New Zealanders. Resilient infrastructure requires everyone, from service providers to regulators, to be accountable for identifying existing system vulnerabilities, improving reliability and redundancy and prioritising upgrading.
As well as Raveen, other appointments to the Board include Treasury Deputy Secretary Jon Grayson, lawyers David Cochrane and Sarah Sinclair, Infrastructure New Zealand CE Stephen Selwood, and experienced chief financial officer Sue Tindal.
