Nick Leggett: Infrastructure NZ CEO on the plans to re-surface and rebuild areas of Transmission Gully

The initial construction of Transmission Gully is being described as a 'dog’s breakfast' as the chipseal and drainage systems prove unable to cope with demand. 

Newstalk ZB revealed yesterday that NZTA is planning to re-surface and rebuild several kilometres of the road north of Porirua, likely meaning lane closures during the day and full closures at night. 

Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett told Mike Hosking the road was rushed and opened without all consents being satisfied. 

He says New Zealand is not that experienced in building big projects, as things keep getting switched on and switched off. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
How about transmission galier in a country that finally seems

(00:02):
to be getting its infrastructure pipeline up and running, we
might have to set aside a little bit of bitchman
to go and fix the stuff we didn't build properly
in the first place. We got a six month twenty
k resurfacing project having worn the thing out in three
and a half years. The blame you're ready climate in
the weather. Nick Leggart is the Infrastructure New Zealand Chief
executive and is back with this Nick morning hike. A
lot of texts saying it's a PPP in the contract

(00:24):
will pay correct.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, we don't know that the contract was restructured last year,
and in an ideal world that would be the case.
But you know this was a project. You know you
will remember it as everybody listening, well, it was beset
with problems right from the beginning. I think it was underpriced.
And then we had COVID and you will remember those

(00:46):
endless delays. Skilled people left the country, they didn't come back.
In some cases, supply chain problems. Getting aggregate to the
site was really difficult. YadA YadA. It's we do need
a full and a clear sighted review. I think because
road users are going to be really inconvenienced here across

(01:07):
two summers, and we want to know that when we
build this sort of stuff in the future, irrespective of
whether it's a PPP or not. PPPs are good, by
the way, but we've got to get the model right
and we've got to give the public confidence. I think
that the stuff can be done properly.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
A couple of things out of that one, as it
goes back to the COVID rules at the time and
the previous government. Of course, there is no reason why
they couldn't have kept building roads during COVID, is there.
I mean, they're in fresh air, for God's.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Sake, that's I think that's absolutely right. They did suffer
from you know, when the first lockdown happened, people who
were international skills that were working on the job left
the country. I think in some cases they didn't come back.
That was definitely a problem. But as you say, the
stop work just cause delays, and you wonder when there's

(01:53):
a delay and then there's a whole lot of public
pressure to get something open, you know. I mean the
road was opened without consent all being satisfied, So it's
it's it's a bit of a it was a bit
of a dog's breakfast that now we're you know, we're
having to clean up.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
So that's the second part. So there's two parts to it.
Is this a one off like this got cocked up
of the previous government, Therefore we can, you know, let's
put it right and move on, or do we have
ongoing inability to build and secure proper projects in this
country that we're going to have to patch up for
the rest of our lives.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Well, yeah, I think I think there's a yes to
the first question. The second question is we've just got
to do better where it came. I mean, we're not
that experience that building something projects might you know, because
things get switched on and switched off. So I think
that people would expect if we're going to build, whether
it's a new road or a new connection under Orkland

(02:46):
or a light rail or whatever it might be, that
we've got the ability to get it right. And part
of that's just about building muscle and not having that
pipeline as you mentioned at the start. So when a
big project's done, all the skin bills and the experience
from that get transferred to the next big project. We
don't stop and start.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Are we on the track? I mean, I'm trying to
be positive and trying to turn this country around. The
side ornaments Now, so the money, the pipeline, have we
started to look like we're getting this right.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Well, look, there is a good pipeline. You've seen that
six billion dollars of committed money that the government want
to get into the market before the end of this
year on things like the Autucky delve in and other
projects around the country. So but we've got to get
that money into the market. The market has then got
to build and deliver, and we've got to keep that going.

(03:42):
What we can't afford is this is what happens. We've
politicized this stuff too much. So when a new government
comes in, they slow, or they stop, or they cancel.
We've got to have a continuous pipeline that is that's
got more nonpartisan or biparties an agreement, and that way
we will keep the market working as it should and

(04:02):
will give the confidence to the public that infrastructure just
keeps going irrespective of what Tapman politically are in the economy.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Exactly. Well said, you have a good week. I appreciate
it very much. Legate Infrastructure New Zealand Cubic secod For.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
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