Road maintenance recommendations welcomed

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed today's publication of the final report from the cross-sector Road Maintenance Task Force.

"We established the task force in July last year to drive value for money and seek opportunities to reduce costs for roading authorities around the country in the road maintenance, operations and renewals area," Mr Brownlee says.

Task force membership was drawn from the NZ Transport Agency, Local Government New Zealand, Roading New Zealand, road controlling authorities representing rural, urban and provincial areas, the NZ Contractors' Federation and the Association of Consulting Engineers NZ.

"This Government is making a huge investment in transport, and we want to ensure we get the best possible return on that investment for all New Zealanders," Mr Brownlee says.

"Including contributions from local government, a total of $12.3 billion will be invested over the next three years through the National Land Transport Programme, including $3.2 billion for the maintenance, operation and renewal of local roads and state highways.

"That's a huge investment, and we all have a responsibility to ensure that we get the best possible return on that investment for all New Zealanders.

"Through the Road Maintenance Task Force we've brought together the knowledge and expertise of the entire sector to identify how best to increase efficiency and value for money."

Mr Brownlee says that while New Zealand manages its road networks very well, and compares favourably with international standards, there are also clear opportunities to do things better.

"The task force has successfully brought the roading sector together to identify how best to increase value for money and mitigate cost increases – essentially, saving money without sacrificing quality," Mr Brownlee says.

The Task Force has identified four general areas for improvement:

• Adopting business models that utilise greater collaboration;
• Improving procurement practices, to standardise documentation and clarify risk allocation;
• Utilising more sophisticated prioritisation methods in decision-making through level of service differentiation;
• And, advancing asset management planning that optimise the long term effectiveness and efficiency of work programmes.

 

Mr Brownlee says the report's findings and recommendations will now be implemented by the NZ Transport Agency and local authorities.

The full report of the Road Maintenance Task Force and accompanying questions and answers are available at www.nzta.govt.nz.