Peak Infrastructure Symposium Looks to the Future

Peak Infrastructure Symposium Looks to the Future

New Zealand’s peak infrastructure industry conference, the NZCID Building Nations Symposium, will bring over 400 industry leaders together in Auckland next week to debate infrastructure of the future.

"With the world in a constant state of change, there has never been a more poignant moment to look to the future and see what it means for infrastructure," says NZ Council for Infrastructure Development chief executive Stephen Selwood.

"Digital technologies provide a platform for an array of opportunities we are only beginning to understand. Autonomous vehicles have received plenty of attention, but just as important are the systems which will connect driverless cars to each other, to traffic signals and to authorities monitoring and operating the road network.

"The shift away from fossil fuels will revolutionise movement, as well as electricity demand and leading energy companies are already preparing for a future where solar and batteries complement transmission and distribution.

"Increasing digital communication capabilities are already shortening the distance between New Zealand and the world, opening up new industry opportunities to supplant employment in sectors soon to see a robotic revolution.

"Bringing all these technologies into the built environment and smartening up our cities is going to be a rapidly evolving public sector. Tailoring procurement, attracting investment and removing regulatory impediments to social, economic and environmental progress will be key challenges for public agencies over coming decades.

"A fantastic line up of speakers will seek to inspire visionary thinking and examine the infrastructure implications of future mobility, infrastructure funding, the future of work, smart cities and smart infrastructure," Selwood says.

Key note speakers include:

• Deputy Prime Minister the Hon Bill English who will set out Future Capital Intentions for the New Zealand Government;
• Transport Minister the Hon Simon Bridges and the Secretary General of the International Transport Forum will discuss transport infrastructure of the future;
• Dave Ferguson, President, Nuro and former Principal Engineer, Computer Vision and Machine Learning Lead for Google Self-Driving Cars will present on future mobility and the impact of driverless cars;
• Chief Executives of the major public and private sector infrastructure companies in New Zealand will discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by global trends in technology, demographics, energy and climate change;
• Leader of the Opposition, Andrew Little, will present Labour’s vision for infrastructure
• The new Mayor of Auckland Phil Goff will set out his plans for the super city.

The NZCID Building Nations Symposium will be held next week in Auckland at the ANZ Viaduct Events Centre on the 20th and 21st October.

Details are available here or at www.nzcid.org.nz/buildingnations.

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