National Infrastructure Unit Roles and Responsibilities

Page updated 17 Nov 2009

The National Infrastructure Unit’s role is to take a national overview of infrastructure priorities – providing cross-government co-ordination, planning and expertise.

Its responsibilities include:

• Formulating, and monitoring progress on, a 20-year National Infrastructure Plan (to be updated every three years).
• Establishing robust and reliable cross-government frameworks for infrastructure project appraisal and capital asset management, and monitoring the implementation and use of those frameworks.
• Providing support to, and acting as a secretariat for, the new National Infrastructure Advisory Board.
• Providing support and guidance to government agencies in the preparation of PPPs. Cabinet has agreed to the release of Guidance for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in New Zealand which spell out the role of the NIU and of government agencies in more detail. The guidelines can also be found on www.procurement.govt.nz.

The Unit will not duplicate or take over the role of other infrastructure-related government agencies. It works in co-operation with other government agencies and provides advice on methods for assessing and prioritising infrastructure investments. The Unit will develop its policy advice to the Minister in close co-operation with the Advisory Board.

Richard Forgan is the Executive Director of the Unit and reports to the Secretary to the Treasury. See the media statement on the Treasury website: Appointment of Executive Director National Infrastructure Unit (7 October 2009).

The establishment of the Unit and Advisory Board are new initiatives for New Zealand. The Unit will therefore be responsible, in close co-ordination with the Advisory Board, for a rigorous assessment of the performance of these new arrangements and will report to the Minister for Infrastructure by early 2011 as to whether any modifications or changes are needed in working arrangements.