At long last New Zealand’s politicians appear united on
the need to make better infrastructure investment
decisions.
The Infrastructure Commission’s 30-year
plan has laid out some stark truths around the country’s
long-standing poor and inefficient investment on
infrastructure. It wants to see more focus on maintenance
and retention of existing assets, while also considering the
carbon impact of projects.
The Architectural Centre
(AC) couldn’t agree more.
Sadly, a case in point of
a neglected asset that is being demolished – instead of
being renewed for a more cost effective solution and reduced
carbon costs – are the Gordon Wilson Flats (GWF) in
Wellington.
The GWF has been used as a convenient
whipping boy for Infrastructure and Housing Minister Chris
Bishop to champion its destruction, which he has (dubiously)
pinned to his RMA reforms.
The AC has a design,
ballpark costs and a carbon report for GWF that involves
stripping the buildings back to their core concrete
structure, adding seismic strengthening and building warm,
dry modern housing units to accommodate 175-350 people,
leaving plenty of space for future development of the
site.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that renewal is
cheaper, faster and environmentally better than Victoria
University’s decision to demolish the building over the
next 13 months, with no design, no costings and no funding
for what comes next. New accommodation? Zero.
Instead,
with Mr Bishop’s obsession with singling out the GWF, the
University seems happy to turn their backs on their own
carbon emission goals.
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Let’s be honest – a lot of
Wellingtonians are sick of looking at the sad state of a
building that was neglected and run down for decades. But in
a climate and affordability crisis, demolition by neglect
should not be the solution. It is a wasteful use of time and
resources.
Unfortunately, there has been no central or
local government vision to adopt the approach the AC took
and the Infrastructure Commission is now advocating – look
after existing assets and find ways to cut
emissions.
Mr Bishop says the Government will respond
to the Infrastructure Commission’s report in
June.
The Architectural Centre will be watching with
interest to see how he reconciles his rhetoric on the Gordon
Wilson Flats with the forward thinking principles laid out
in the Commission’s 30-year plan.
Quotes from the
Infrastructure Commission’s 30-year planning
document:
- It’s time to start fixing up our
essential infrastructure assets, rather than seeing them
breaking under our feet because we didn’t set aside money
for maintenance. It’s time to invest in infrastructure
that will lift our productivity and cut our carbon
emissions. - Not every major project will
attract consensus, but that need not prevent progress.
Political contestability is normal, and priorities will
shift over time. What matters is staying focused on the
fundamentals – looking after existing assets, delivering
projects well, planning efficiently, and being transparent
about costs and outcomes. - New Zealanders want
us to take better care of what we’ve got. Through our
public engagement, respondents overwhelmingly emphasised the
need for improved maintenance and long-term planning of core
infrastructure, particularly hospitals, water supply and
transport. Respondents highlighted the importance of climate
resilience and the need to consider environmental, social
and economic outcomes when delivering
infrastructure.
