Media Release
Auckland Chamber of Commerce
INFRASTRUCTURE AUCKLAND PERFORMANCE ADDS TO BOTTLENECK
Infrastructure Auckland has clearly failed to perform to the expectations of Aucklanders, but any review should be
focussed, open to public scrutiny and driven with a sense of urgency on the need to get critical development projects
off planners’ desks and into action.
“Auckland is busy planning itself to death when it should be hard at work constructing badly needed roads, drains and
other long-delayed infrastructure,” said Michael Barnett, Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive.
Infrastructure Auckland was established as a last resort multi-million dollar funding agency to “break through” the many
years of failed leadership by Aucklanders to upgrade and provide new infrastructure to keep pace with Auckland’s rapid
pace of development.
“But the agency is not being a ground-breaker and simply adding to the bottleneck.”
While welcoming the review, Mr Barnett said it should not become yet another witch hunt that adds to the risk of
Auckland going another year without getting critical infrastructure developments underway.
To date the agency had dispensed funding to a number of small, insignificant areas when it should be concentrating on
funding the large-scale projects to provide the infrastructure to enable Aucklanders to forge ahead in creating the
wealth, employment and income needed to secure Auckland’s place as a modern Pacific city.
For more information, contact: Michael Barnett ph (09) 309 6100 or 021 631 150