All “Infrastructure” topics

Infrastructure and asset management professionals are lauding the Government’s 30-year National Infrastructure Plan. The president of Āpōpō Gary Porteous says it’s long past due that New Zealand has a bi-partisan, strategic view about infrastructure development and management. 

This article explores the impact of globalisation from a railway signalling perspective, through a New Zealand lens.

Located at the Ashburton Business Estate, just north of Ashburton and adjacent to State Highway 1, the Fairfield Freight Hub has received glowing praise from importers and exporters throughout the motu – providing an alternative and reliable mode of transport via rail.

In an eye-catching investment into New Zealand’s infrastructure, global logistics giant A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) celebrated the opening of its state-of-the-art integrated cold chain facility at the Ruakura Superhub in Hamilton last month.

The ongoing maintenance and management of major infrastructure assets in New Zealand is on a downward spiral and will create major issues for NZ Inc in the coming years. That’s the key message from Āpōpō, the industry-leading association for asset management professionals in New Zealand.

During a recent review of activities, Āpōpō identified that there was no resource that wove together the principles of te ao Māori (the Māori worldview) and recognised principles of asset management. In response, Āpōpō developed an online resource for members to recognise good infrastructure asset management practice and the value of both Treaty partners.

Cardinal, the country’s largest privately-owned third-party logistics (3PL) company, has announced it is developing New Zealand’s first-ever fully automated 3PL warehouse in Drury, near Auckland.

Three major weather events in January and February this year caused large scale flooding which severely damaged North Island road and rail infrastructure, particularly in Hawke’s Bay. This extended issue covers the recent storms and their impacts.

Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread damage and disruption to most parts of New Zealand, resulting in the closure of many of the country’s main highways and significantly impacting the local economy. In the weeks and months that followed, many businesses suffered from delays and supply chain disruptions, with the rebuilding work still underway, even now.

When a national state of emergency was declared on Tuesday 14 February due to Cyclone Gabrielle, more than 30 sections of state highway were completely closed to traffic, impacting a significant proportion of the roading network serving Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Manawatu, the Central Plateau, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay. Several months on, it’s clear just exactly how much Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi) and local councils are facing as they look to restore the damage and upgrade infrastructure.

During January and February, the North Island was subject to three severe weather events (as defined in the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Act 2023): Cyclone Hale, from 8 – 12 January, the Auckland Anniversary Day storm from 26 January – 3 February, and Cyclone Gabrielle from 12 – 16 February. All of them affected the railway system, but most of the impact was from Gabrielle.

Kiwirail recently announced that major work will be required to bring the formation of the Auckland Rail Network up to scratch, ready for the workload that the City Rail Link (CRL) will impose on it, and for future growth beyond that. Logistics & Transport NZ caught up with KiwiRail’s Chief Operating Officer Capital Projects David Gordon to talk about the project, known as the Rail Network Rebuild (RNR).

The City Rail Link is now past the halfway mark and has achieved some significant milestones this year. Catch up with Dr Sean Sweeney as he summarises achievements to date, which include completing the final of four tunnel breakthroughs at Te Waihorotiu Station in Auckland.

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James Paul speaks with distinguished professor Paul Spoonley about his views on Kiwis’ daily movements following the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.