Simon Bridges: Auckland Business Chamber Chief Executive on Infrastructure Investment Summit in Auckland

Expectations we'll have a strong showing of investment opportunities for our venture-hungry guests.  

More than 100 offshore firms are making an appearance at the Government's Infrastructure Investment Summit in Auckland over the next two days.  

 Auckland Business Chamber Chief Executive Simon Bridges told Andrew Dickens expects to see the opening up of public-private partnerships in areas like health, justice and the Māori economy. 

He says investors want the sizzle and the vision, but that's ultimately what they're coming to see - and we need their capital. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The government's Big Investment Summit kicks off today in Auckland.
There will be more than one hundred capital funds and
construction companies and infrastructure experts will be in town. Of course,
the purpose of the event is to highlight upcoming partnership
opportunities for overseas investment right across the New Zealand's economy
and we're praying and hoping and believing that will boost
growth and Auckland Business Chamber of CEO Simon Bridges will

(00:22):
be there and joins me. Now, hello, Simon, looking forward to.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
It morning, Andrew. Yeah, Well, well I'm glad you're praying
for it, because that's important.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
How big a deal is this? You know, is it
going to work? Is it going to live up to
the hype?

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah? Look I believe so. You've got the makings of
a strong event. Is the US today afternoon for the
Poephrey and the opening Prime Minister made a short I
think s extinct statements. I mean what he talked about
really was we're open the business of the world, and
you know it's very much and keeping what they've already said.
You know, they've started investing ZRE this year, they've they've
done their migrant visitors settings is doing the international set

(00:59):
piece is so it was very much in keeping with that.
I mean. The other thing I thought he said, which
was interesting and absolutely correct, is you know, a very volatile,
uncertain world, New Zealand's a safe haven for investment relatively.
You know, we're Western, we're English speaking, all of these things.
So what's been a disadvantage for us in the past
that were a long way away and they were a
bit irrelevant maybe I think is coming home for us.

(01:22):
The other thing that was interesting yesterday, I mean the
start of it. But you know, there's a strong bipartisanship.
I think you've got Barbara Edmonds and Karen McNulty from
the Labor Party there. So that's good because the international community,
you know, those one hundred something investors that you've talked about,
they want to see that this is in a flesh
in the pend, that this is something that's there for
a while.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
What kind of companies will be there? I know the
future fun from Australia is not going to be there,
which is unfortunate, and only one from Singapore, But what
sort of companies will be there?

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Oh? Look, I mean it's you've got some very big investors,
you know. So, yes, I was talking to Brookfield. You know.
One of the numbers I remember the gentleman I was
talking to sathing one hundred billion investors just in Australia, right,
and that is literally just Australia had already quite significant
investments in New Zealand. You've also got the big constructors.
You've got guys like It's the owner from Spain, a

(02:10):
very significant infrastructure company, Capella Capital, many others. So you know,
I definitely think and in fact, you know some of
that the internationals there were saying to me is you know,
g you actually have compiled a very strong list of
people coming to it. So you know, no one suggesting
Rome was built in today. Walkland or Wellington for that matter,

(02:31):
won't be. But it's a really good start.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
We know that the government has just opened up for
registrations of interest in the Northern Expressway, that twenty eight
plain extension of State Highway one. What other projects might
they be spooking at the conference?

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yeah, what's a good question. I mean, I think if
you just look at the agenda, what you see is
you're going to get a high level I think from
the Prime minister, the finance minister, you know, the leadership
of the government if you like. And then and then
you know, it gets a bit more and I don't
mean this in a bad one. I mean positively a
more specific and workmen like you know, we're hearing about immigration, Maori, economy, health, education,
justice resources. So I would expect and I have no

(03:08):
special information, but I would expect you'll see the sort
of opening up of public private opportunities in those areas.
And you know, of course that's in the end. They
want the sizzle, they want the vision, but that's in
the end what these investors are coming to see. And
we need their capital, you know, over one hundred billion
dollar deficit and infrastructure, and we also need to know

(03:28):
how their innovation and the competition that they bring.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
Well, good stuff, Simon, enjoy yourself, enjoy the breakfast, and
have a great tirement and get out there and sell,
sell Sell. Simon Bridges, as the your con Chamber's CEO,
I can tell you that they're going to concentrate the
Government's going to concentrate on four growth sectors. They are aquaculture,
renewable energy, clean technology, and advanced transportation, which includes.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
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