More than maintenance - new guidance to drive better care of New Zealand's infrastructure

The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission has published new guidance - 'Asset Management and Investment Planning' - to help lift performance across government when it comes to taking care of New Zealand's infrastructure assets - our hospitals, schools, courts, roads and more.

"New Zealand has a challenge on its hands when it comes to looking after its public infrastructure," says the Commission's General Manager Investment Andy Hagan.

"New Zealand ranks near the bottom of developed countries for asset management - the practice of taking care of and making the best use of the infrastructure we already have.

"Leaky hospitals, mouldy classrooms, and deteriorating public buildings are the visible signs of a system that has struggled to plan and invest for the long term," he says.

"Asset management needs to be at the centre of business planning, but too often it seems to be a secondary consideration.

"For instance, quality infrastructure management starts with understanding your assets, but many central government agencies - which are responsible for almost half of New Zealand's infrastructure - still fall short. In June 2025 about half of central government's most capital‑intensive agencies reported that their asset registers didn't currently meet the required standards.

The new guidance is an important step in addressing this issue. It provides a structured and consistent approach to planning, delivering, operating, maintaining, and renewing the infrastructure assets we depend on. It sets clear expectations and focuses on the areas where improvement is most needed:

consistent and transparent investment planning
robust and reliable asset data to inform better decisions
visibility of asset performance across agencies.

"The guidance introduces annual performance metrics on financial, service, and risk performance. If used, these will give decision‑makers and the public clearer visibility of how well agencies are managing their assets and whether they are meeting their long‑term plans.

"But guidance only works if it's used, and we're challenging every agency to raise the bar. Managing our assets well is not an optional 'nice to have' - it's a basic building block to ensure services can meet community needs at an efficient cost, now and into the future," Hagan says.

"Our poor asset management record reflects a systemic issue. To lift performance consistently across the system, agencies need to be clear about what assets they own, why they own them and how they plan to manage them in such a way that they deliver high‑quality, value for money services to the public.

"Most of the infrastructure we will need for the next 30 years already exists - but we need to look after it. By using this guidance, leaders can turn asset management from a compliance task into a strategic advantage - helping deliver better services, smarter investments, and stronger public trust," Hagan says.

Notes

The guidance 'Asset Management and Investment Planning' supports Government direction through Cabinet Office circular (23) 9, which requires agencies to prepare long‑term asset management and investment plans.
The guidance draws on the ISO 55000 international standard that provides a framework for effective asset management. The guidance includes a number of performance metrics that agencies can adopt to monitor and report actual outcomes against their plans.
The guidance was developed with a working group of representatives from key government agencies. The guidance draws on their collective experience and insight to ensure it is both practical and effective.
Beyond developing this new guidance, the Commission highlighted the need for better asset management in the draft National Infrastructure Plan that we publicly released in June 2025 for feedback. In the draft Plan we recommended mandating the publication of asset management plans and annual performance indicators, as well as introducing independent assessments of those plans. We are currently working on the final Plan, which we will deliver to the Minister for Infrastructure before the end of the year.
While designed for central government, the guidance can also be used by local authorities and other public asset owners.