Delaying infrastructure has cost the country billions, report finds

9:19 am today

Last year Auckland water supplier Watercare pushed back the re-opening of the contaminated Onehunga Water Treatment Plant by another two years.

A new report shows pausing, cancelling and delaying infrastructure projects has cost New Zealand an estimated $11.8 billion in the last 25 years.

Projects like Auckland Light Rail, Transmission Gully, and the Interislander ferry replacements have all been paused, delayed or scrapped by various governments.

The report, The cost of stopping: Assessing the true cost of delaying, deferring and cancelling infrastructure projects, was released on Thursday and commissioned by Civil Contractors New Zealand, Infrastructure New Zealand and Water New Zealand.