Construction stories
Businesses need to be adaptive and entrepreneurial. The disruption of the construction industry is a positive movement for the industry as a whole.
Lower-cost pipe repairs are helping cities cut sewage leaks and avoid roadworks as ageing sewer networks come under pressure.
Public voting is open as finalists for New Zealand’s innovation awards include solar-powered cow collars, quiet drones and Te Reo Maori smartphones.
Fuel shortages could be eased by better storage and contingency planning after the Marsden to Wiri rupture, Infrastructure New Zealand says.
Freight services are easing pressure on the alternate road, with up to 2000 trucks a month expected to be taken off it during the rebuild.
New Zealand projects claimed three prizes as the inaugural IPWEA Australasia awards recognised public works judged best across the region.
Shipping containers have kept Queenstown’s Kawarau Falls Bridge replacement moving through extreme weather and a wide river crossing.
Businesses want more roads, rail and broadband investment, but most doubt the current plan will deliver the best economic outcomes.
Business groups say the proposed commission could cut costly overruns, improve procurement and give investors greater certainty over the pipeline.
Construction activity remains strong nationwide, with ready-mix concrete output topping 1 million cubic metres in the June quarter.
Auckland faces a USD $5.9 billion transport funding gap over the next decade as revised population forecasts point to faster growth.
A specialist procurement body could unlock up to NZD $12 billion in extra value from New Zealand’s $125 billion infrastructure programme.
Corrosion is estimated to cost New Zealand more than GBP £10 billion a year, prompting the ACA to run specialist courses in Auckland and New Plymouth.
Freight may return to the quake-hit South Island rail line within a month, easing road pressure and cutting transport costs for customers.
The win highlights growing recognition for complex infrastructure, with the Auckland project praised as New Zealand’s most difficult yet to deliver.
House buyers in Auckland could be paying about GBP £530,000 extra because land use rules are inflating prices, a government-backed report says.
Dozens of projects from Whangarei to Southland are vying for national recognition at Civil Contractors New Zealand’s awards in Dunedin next week.
Bulk excavation on Albert Street has begun, bringing about 50 jobs and marking progress on New Zealand’s biggest infrastructure project.
The funding will bring forward 10,500 homes in north-west Auckland, but Mayor Phil Goff says the city still needs billions more to cope with growth.
Better planning and delivery are still needed as New Zealand’s housing and transport gaps far exceed the government’s NZD $1 billion funding boost.