As we await the formation of the next government, this panel will explore the sector’s top priorities for the incoming administration.

• priorities for the national infrastructure plan and long‑term investment certainty
• addressing funding pressures on local government and the wider network
• procurement reform and the growing urgency to prioritise maintenance and renewals
  

Hear from the Mayor on his vision for Auckland's roading network for the next decade and what he believes must change to deliver better roads, less congestion, and greater value for ratepayers.

What are the practical changes underway in Auckland to improve project delivery, make better use of existing road corridors, and ensure transport investment delivers maximum economic and community benefit?

This session offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from New Zealand's largest city's mayor on the future of roading, transport governance, and infrastructure delivery.

• integrating Auckland Transport more closely with Auckland Council: progress and expected benefits
• working with NZTA: opportunities, challenge, lessons learned, and advice for other councils. Where local and national priorities align, where they don't
• reducing congestion through smarter infrastructure investment
• progress on road cones and improving productivity on worksites
• what Auckland's experience can teach the rest of New Zealand

The National Pavements Technical Group (NPTG) will outline its current work programme, including recent technical developments, emerging research, and sector-wide priorities relating to pavement design, materials performance, and long-term asset resilience. This update will offer valuable insights into the group’s collaborative initiatives and upcoming guidance that will help shape best practice across the roading and infrastructure sector.

Matt will explore early experiences under the new Government procurement rules and what they mean for local government, nearly one year after their implementation. The session will assess whether the rules are making a meaningful difference in practice, identify opportunities for improvement, and consider how they could support more consistent and effective procurement across councils.

• what councils and suppliers are experiencing under the new rules, one year on
• early indications of whether the rules are changing procurement behaviour, accountability, and outcomes
• challenges, unintended consequences, and areas where implementation could be refined
• emerging lessons for suppliers working with local government
• opportunities to strengthen procurement capability, guidance, and consistency across councils
• the role of NZ Government Procurement in supporting better local government procurement outcomes

The move to a risk‑based approach to Temporary Traffic Management (TTM) marks a fundamental shift for the sector, alongside broader changes including digital tools and evolving competency frameworks. As the industry works toward the 1 July 2027 transition, the focus is turning to what this looks like in practice.

This panel brings together perspectives from contractors, councils, utilities, and consultants to explore how the new approach is being implemented on the ground – what’s working, what isn’t, and where the biggest opportunities and risks lie.

The discussion will focus on real-world experience and how the sector is adapting to deliver safer, more efficient outcomes.

• what does risk‑based TTM look like in practice across different organisations?
• what early lessons, challenges and successes are emerging?
• how are procurement and delivery models shaping outcomes?
• where is collaboration working well – and where is it falling short?
• what does success look like by 2027, and how will it be measured?

Access to global expertise, supply networks, and technical innovation has the potential to reshape how bitumen is sourced, specified, and used in New Zealand. As road owners seek longer-lasting pavements, greater resilience, and better value from investment, what opportunities could international capability bring to the local market?

• how global supply capability and sourcing networks can strengthen bitumen procurement and supply resilience in New Zealand
• international innovations in bitumen products, modified binders, and pavement technologies that improve network performance
• lessons from overseas markets and how global experience can be applied to New Zealand’s unique road network challenges
• the future of bitumen supply and specification, including smarter material selection and whole-of-life approaches to deliver greater value, durability, and sustainability

Across the roading sector, risk management frameworks have grown increasingly sophisticated – yet many practitioners are questioning whether risk aversion is now actively undermining cost reduction, productivity, and innovation.

This candid panel discussion will explore the growing disconnect between technical assurance, organisational risk frameworks, and the practical need to do things differently if the sector is to deliver more with less. Well-intentioned technical controls and conservative interpretation of standards can unintentionally block innovation, delay delivery, and lock in higher costs.

A central theme will be accountability: if we want to push outside traditional construction windows, trial new approaches, or adopt alternative methodologies, who actually owns the risk?

• when does risk management tip over into value destruction?
• are technical standards and assurance processes being applied more conservatively than intended?
• how can experienced managers be empowered to take managed risks without undermining safety or quality?
• what role must clients play in accepting and sharing risk to enable innovation and cost reduction?
  

Tauranga City Council has rethought pavement delivery in response to where traditional pavement types no longer meet network needs. By reducing excavation depths through the use of concrete pavements, the council has demonstrated the ability to bridge low-strength subgrades and deliver longer-lasting outcomes.

Applying overseas research, embracing calculated risk, and focusing on innovation, Tauranga City Council has achieved cost-stable and resilient pavement solutions.

This session will share the journey from concept to delivery, along with key lessons learned and practical innovations.

As New Zealand’s transport sector transitions to risk-based temporary traffic management (TTM), Bruce Goodall will examine whether these approaches are delivering safer and more effective outcomes than traditional Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management (COPTTM) practices.

Drawing on findings from a major AA Research Foundation study, Bruce will compare risk-based and conventional approaches and consider what the results mean for the road marking industry and wider transport sector.

• findings from the AA Research Foundation’s comparison of risk-based TTM and traditional COPTTM
• how different TTM approaches affect safety outcomes for workers and road users
• lessons from implementation across the road marking industry
• implications for future policy, procurement, and project delivery

As councils look for ways to improve network performance while managing cost and sustainability pressures, alternative materials are gaining renewed attention.

Steve Guy will walk through the full lifecycle of Selwyn District Council’s rubberised surfacing treatment, from the decision to trial the treatment through to procurement, supplier selection, and delivery with contractors.

A balanced assessment will cover what worked well, the cost equation, and the challenges that emerged, including constructability, consistency of supply, and unexpected operational or performance issues. The discussion will also cover Selwyn District Council’s approach to managing risk and lessons for future trials.

• why Selwyn District Council trialled rubberised surfacing
• cost comparison with conventional treatments
• supplier, contractor, and delivery model considerations
• observed performance, including durability, noise, and ride quality
• lessons learned, potential pitfalls, and what other councils should look out for

The introduction of New Zealand’s risk-based approach to temporary traffic management (TTM) represents a significant shift in how safety, risk, and cost are expected to be assessed and reflected at bid stage. While the intent is to improve safety outcomes and enable more proportionate responses, the practical reality has introduced new layers of complexity for pricing, evaluation, and risk ownership.

Delegates will get an insight into how the shift to risk-based TTM is challenging traditional bid pricing models, particularly within procurement environments that still rely heavily on price competition and static evaluation frameworks. It will examine where misalignment can occur between TTM risk intent, bid pricing decisions, and on-the-ground delivery – and what this means for safety, commercial outcomes, and client confidence.

• how the move to risk-based TTM is changing assumptions at bid stage
• why pricing risk-based TTM is materially more complex than traditional approaches
• where bid pricing, non-price attributes, and evaluation weightings can work against risk intent
• the downstream impacts of early TTM pricing decisions on delivery, margin, and safety

As climate impacts, extreme weather events, and network disruptions become more frequent, transport agencies face increasing pressure to balance resilience investment with competing funding priorities. The economic and social case for investing in resilience before disaster strikes will be explored, rather than relying on costly recovery programmes after the fact.

Drawing on infrastructure, sustainability, and asset management perspectives, the session will examine the long-term value of proactive resilience measures, the broader social and economic costs of transport network disruption, and the role of evidence-based decision-making in strengthening infrastructure outcomes. Attendees will gain insights into how resilience investment can support network reliability, community well-being, and more sustainable transport outcomes.

• understand the case for proactive resilience investment
• embed resilience into asset management and planning
• assess the impacts of transport network disruptions
• balance resilience priorities with funding constraints
• build more reliable and sustainable transport networks

Auckland Airport’s pavement network supports one of New Zealand’s most important transport and freight hubs, placing exceptional demands on its infrastructure.

This session will explore how Auckland Airport plans, funds, delivers, and maintains its heavily loaded pavement assets while managing operational constraints and long-term performance requirements.

Findings from recent doctoral research on pre-construction services (PCS) in New Zealand’s horizontal infrastructure sector will be presented, with a focus on how earlier and more effective contractor involvement can improve value, risk management, and carbon outcomes. Using industry engagement and New Zealand case studies, the research considers how PCS can be applied more consistently on complex projects to support better delivery and sustainability outcomes.

• why PCS is applied inconsistently across New Zealand infrastructure projects
• decision-making factors influencing whether and when PCS is engaged
• how project complexity affects the value derived from early contractor involvement
• development and validation of a project complexity index using New Zealand case studies
• findings on the optimal timing for PCS engagement and the impact on project outcomes
• implications for clients, designers, and contractors seeking better procurement, delivery, and sustainability outcomes

Practical, on-the-ground experience highlights the interface between political decision-making and infrastructure delivery, including the impact of political settings on project outcomes, asset performance, and long-term service delivery.

Lessons learned from real-world infrastructure delivery demonstrate how improved understanding and communication between political leaders, officials, and practitioners can support better management of asset risk, more informed investment decisions, and more sustainable long-term outcomes for communities.

• where political decision-making most directly influences infrastructure outcomes
• challenges and risks arising when political and delivery realities are misaligned
• improving understanding of asset condition, service levels, and investment trade-offs
• lessons from practice on bridging policy intent and on-the-ground delivery
• opportunities to strengthen collaboration between political, governance, and delivery partners

The changes to the NZTA M4 basecourse and M3 sub‑base specifications are a big step change in how aggregate quality is defined and managed. The intention of the updates were to better align aggregate classes with loading, reduce the use of premium aggregates on low‑risk sites, and give more certainty around performance and sustainability across the network. However, experience to date shows the practical implementation of this requires additional guidance.

The new requirements for a class-based system have highlighted that aggregates previously accepted under the old NZTA M4 are now not all suitable for the same historic loading conditions. This, in some cases, is increasing the demand for Class 1 materials, resulting in greater reliance on imported aggregates, reduced use of well-performing local materials, and unintended consequential impacts on project cost and delivery.

This in turn provides an opportunity to develop an engineering framework for upgrading lower-class aggregates, and enabling greater use of locally available materials where performance requirements can be achieved through modification.

• intention and outcomes from the new specifications
• where are the current gaps for designers and specifiers?
• how is the feedback being captured?
• where is the knowledge about the changes and impacts being shared?
• what can we do to solve the challenges we are seeing in some regions?

With pressure mounting on council operating expenditure, many asset owners are re‑examining where critical skills should sit and what their value is. In this session, Lynette Ellis explores Christchurch City Council’s thinking on in‑housing talent versus continuing to rely on outsourced engineering and advisory services. Drawing on national trends and lessons from NZTA’s recent moves, Lynette will discuss what functions make sense to bring back in‑house, where consultants still add the most value, and how councils can improve their attractiveness as employers in a tight labour market.

• capability building
• cost certainty
• resilience
• longer‑term implications for project delivery and asset stewardship

As transport networks become increasingly complex, agencies are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven technologies to improve traffic flow and network performance. This session will explore how AI is being used to support real-time traffic management, optimise signal operations, and reduce congestion across urban transport networks.

• explore AI applications in real-time traffic management
• understand how data can support congestion reduction
• examine the benefits of adaptive signal control
• learn about challenges and opportunities in AI implementation
• consider the future of smarter, connected transport networks

New Zealand is entering a period where maintaining and renewing bridge infrastructure will place increasing demands on asset owners, funding agencies, and communities. Ageing assets, rising costs, resilience expectations, and workforce constraints are creating challenges that are unlikely to be solved through traditional approaches alone.

While bridge owners across the country face many of the same issues, solutions are often developed independently. As investment pressures continue to grow, is there an opportunity to think more strategically about how bridge infrastructure is planned, delivered, and managed across New Zealand?

This session will challenge conventional thinking around bridge renewal and replacement, exploring whether a more coordinated approach could help unlock greater value, improve resilience, and make better use of limited resources. Drawing on lessons from transport networks in New Zealand and overseas, the discussion will consider what future bridge stewardship could look like, and the role collaboration may play in achieving it.

• rethinking how bridge infrastructure is renewed in an increasingly constrained environment
• balancing resilience, risk, and affordability across ageing transport networks
• where standardisation can create value, and where bespoke solutions remain essential
• whether a more coordinated national approach could improve infrastructure outcomes

As climate risks intensify, New Zealand’s councils and network owners must strengthen infrastructure resilience while working within constrained funding environments.

Drawing on experience with the World Bank and other international agencies, this session will provide a global perspective on climate-resilient infrastructure and practical approaches to embedding climate risk into road planning and asset management.

• where New Zealand sits globally in hazard exposure and resilience readiness
• international best practice in climate-resilient infrastructure
• integrating climate adaptation into asset management systems
• making decisions under uncertainty and prioritising climate risk
• using climate data to inform long-term infrastructure planning

The creation of the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT) represents one of the most significant machinery-of-government changes in recent years, bringing together responsibility for housing, transport, environmental policy, and local government.

MCERT’s vision centres on a more integrated approach to planning, investment, and infrastructure delivery, with significant implications for the organisations responsible for building, operating, and maintaining New Zealand’s transport networks.

• why the Government created MCERT and what success looks like
• connecting transport, housing, growth, and environmental outcomes
• improving planning certainty and investment confidence
• addressing New Zealand’s infrastructure delivery challenges
• what road owners, councils, and industry can expect over the coming years

Hear a big-picture perspective on the choices New Zealand faces as it plans, funds, and delivers the infrastructure needed to support future generations.

As governments, councils, and industry navigate growing demands on limited resources, how should New Zealand balance ambition, affordability, and long-term national benefit? What infrastructure outcomes should we aspire to, and are our current settings helping us get there?

This closing keynote offers an opportunity to step back from individual projects and consider the broader vision for New Zealand's future, reflecting on the role infrastructure will play in shaping the country we leave for the next generation.

• what kind of infrastructure system New Zealand should aspire to build over the coming decades
• balancing investment, performance, and affordability in a constrained fiscal environment
• whether current planning, funding, and delivery settings are enabling or limiting progress
• the role of leadership, long-term thinking, and national ambition in infrastructure decision-making
• what future generations will expect from the decisions being made today
• lessons from New Zealand's infrastructure journey and opportunities for the future

The ticketed dinner will feature a three-course meal, great networking, entertainment and presentation of the Rising Star Award.

Building on VINCI’s established presence in New Zealand, the acquisition of Fletcher Construction represents a significant milestone for the infrastructure sector. The acquisition brings together VINCI’s global scale, innovation capability, and research depth with Fletcher Construction’s strong local experience and delivery expertise, creating new opportunities to apply global capability in a local context.

VINCI’s strengths in major infrastructure delivery, digital engineering, and long-term asset stewardship will be examined in relation to the New Zealand market, along with the implications for future delivery models and sector capability, including:

• the strategic significance of the Fletcher Construction acquisition and what it enables for New Zealand
• VINCI’s global profile, operating model, and long-term investment approach
• innovation and research initiatives, including examples supporting climate adaptation and resilience
• the role of client–contractor alignment in achieving sustainable, long-term outcomes

Following the 2023 Auckland storm events, Auckland Council established the Auckland Recovery Office as a coordinated, place-based response to delivering infrastructure and community recovery at scale. This session will showcase the Recovery Office as a leading example of how a multi-billion dollar recovery programme can be mobilised and delivered effectively under significant time, funding, and public pressure.

Separate to the Recovery Office programme, our Long-term Plan 2024/2034 invested significantly in critical infrastructure to strengthen the physical resilience of Auckland and we stood up the Auckland Future Fund to build financial resilience into council’s books.

2024-2025 saw record investment in Auckland: $3.9 billion, the highest capital programme in our history. It focussed on where investment is needed the most – on managing Auckland’s growth and building resilience to the impacts of climate change. This included major progress on the City Rail Link and Central Interceptor, the backbones to our transport and water infrastructure. We invested $1.2 billion in water infrastructure to ensure safe, reliable services, reduce wastewater overflows, and protect the environment, and $1.5 billion in transport upgrades to improve access to public transport, reduce congestion, and upgrade key travel routes.

• aligning multiple agencies at pace to deliver a unified response
• managing programme scale alongside community expectations
• integrating recovery activity into business-as-usual operations
• building enduring capability through improved preparedness, governance, and recovery-ready systems

With the Government signalling reform of the Utilities Access Act and a refresh of The Code, alongside a stronger push for consistent asset data and register adoption, there is growing national momentum to improve how infrastructure corridors are managed.

Wellington City Council is already demonstrating what this looks like in practice. In partnership with the Digital Built Aotearoa Foundation, the city has launched a live underground asset register and is now embedding strengthened corridor management requirements through its Local Code. This work represents a shift from policy to implementation, showing how collaboration across utilities, contractors, and road controlling authorities can deliver more resilient and efficient corridor outcomes.

• translating national policy direction into practical delivery
• improving underground asset data quality and register adoption
• strengthening corridor management rules and consistency
• enabling sector-wide collaboration to address complex challenges
• sharing Wellington's learnings to support national progress

A plan without implementation is but a pipe-dream. How do we implement long-term infrastructure plans, delivering outcomes?

Drawing on experience across New Zealand’s largest transport projects, alliances and PPPs, this session will unpack the commercial, contractual, and market realities that impact the delivery of infrastructure – and where they can come unstuck.

This is a delivery-focused view of what needs to change if long-term ambition is to translate into sustained outcomes.

• what makes a long-term pipeline credible?
• aligning planning with procurement and funding
• getting risk allocation right
• lessons from major projects
• maintaining capability, capacity for sustained delivery momentum

Join Bryan Ferguson from Taupō District Council for a practical discussion on the role of fabric sealing in extending pavement life and improving network performance. This round table will explore real-world experiences, whole-of-life cost considerations, and where fabric sealing can provide the greatest value for road owners.

New Zealand faces an ageing bridge portfolio at the same time that construction costs continue to rise. With limited budgets available, infrastructure owners must make increasingly difficult decisions about whether to replace assets, strengthen them, or extend their service life.

KiwiRail has demonstrated that strategic life-extension programmes, structural health monitoring, and targeted interventions can significantly reduce long-term infrastructure deficits while maintaining safety and network performance.

This round table will examine how bridge owners can make better investment decisions. Are we replacing assets too early? Can digital monitoring change the decision-making process? And how do we build confidence in life-extension strategies among engineers, funders, and communities?

Infrastructure decisions worth millions of dollars are made every day based on testing results. Yet many clients, designers, contractors, and asset owners have limited visibility of how accredited laboratories operate, the controls that underpin test quality, and the challenges involved in delivering consistent, reliable results across New Zealand.

IANZ-accredited laboratories sit at the centre of infrastructure quality assurance, providing independent assurance that materials and construction comply with specifications, and are fit for purpose. As standards evolve, new technologies emerge, and projects become increasingly complex, understanding the role of accredited laboratories has never been more important.

Explore how testing laboratories deliver confidence in infrastructure outcomes, the systems that ensure consistency and reliability, and the opportunities for industry to work together to continually improve quality and trust in testing results.

The road corridor is not owned in the ordinary sense. The territorial authority holds it in trust for the public, not as a proprietary asset, but as a steward. Within that, two distinct management roles operate: the Road Controlling Authority (RCA), which makes technical decisions about how the road is formed and maintained; and the Corridor Manager (CM), which coordinates access between everyone with a legitimate claim on the corridor – the RCA and other council activities, utility operators with statutory rights under the Utilities Access Act, and private users who have negotiated access through council processes.

The legal framework requires the CM to maximise public benefit and minimise disruption. The mechanism is specific, but underutilised: utility operators must share forward works programmes and participate in strategic and operational liaison meetings; the CM uses that information to set meaningful conditions on access. Engagement in these processes maximises public benefit, and utility operators are required to engage in this process.

Water services reform and the government's investment in corridor stewardship are changing the institutional picture.

This round table is for RCAs, corridor managers, utility operators, and practitioners on all sides of the corridor fence. Topics include the ownership and management structure; rights, obligations, and the condition power; forward works planning in practice; risk and liability; and where the system goes from here.

With constrained budgets and growing infrastructure demands, councils and contractors are being asked to do more with less. Yet many projects continue to be hampered by adversarial relationships, risk transfer, and misaligned expectations.

Having worked on both sides of the table, Johannes brings a unique perspective on how infrastructure owners and suppliers can work more effectively together.

Explore whether current procurement approaches are fostering collaboration or creating barriers to success. What does a high-performing client–contractor relationship look like? How should risk be allocated? And what practical changes could improve delivery outcomes across the sector?

New Zealand continues to direct most emergency management investment towards response and recovery, despite growing exposure to natural hazards. The reasons preparedness remains underfunded – and the implications for long-term resilience, cost, and community outcomes – will be examined.

Recent event experience provides a basis for exploring the drivers of New Zealand’s disproportionate spending on response and recovery compared with preparedness, reforms emerging through the new Emergency Management Bill, and the implications for councils and infrastructure planning.

• national hazard modelling and risk exposure
• preparedness versus recovery investment in New Zealand
• implications for infrastructure, funding, and resilience
• guidance for councils under the new emergency management framework

A South Wairarapa case study on delivering community connectivity under funding constraints. This session shares lessons learned from managing scope, expectations, and delivery by working differently with the community to achieve practical, value-based outcomes.

Tauranga City Council is exploring innovative approaches to reinstating ageing and poor-condition kerb and channel assets, rather than defaulting to full removal and replacement with new concrete.

In collaboration with CSL Infrastructure, a range of methods have been trialled to retain existing infrastructure while reducing costs and improving performance. Early results indicate these methods can be delivered at substantially lower cost, enable greater lineal metre productivity per shift, and enhance the structural strength of the kerb and channel.

The development and trialling of the approach, key findings to-date, and Tauranga City Council’s future direction will be explored, along with how the lessons could be applied more widely across councils in New Zealand.

As the state highway maintenance sector shifts toward Integrated Delivery Contracts (IDCs) and NZTA’s Infrastructure Delivery Model (IDM), the landscape for contestable roading work is changing – particularly for second and third tier contractors.

How is the new environment working in reality? Drawing on FNR Group’s experience, the audience will hear what has changed in procurement, how opportunities are structured, and where smaller contractors are finding barriers and openings.

The session will also touch on how FNR Group has positioned itself to operate in a market dominated by larger players, and what this means for maintaining a competitive supply chain.

• brief overview of FNR Group, a growing civil contractor
• how NZTA’s IDM is shaping access to contestable work
• the reality for second and third tier contractors under IDC models
• what successful bids look like in the current environment
• lessons for clients seeking to maintain competition and market depth

Roading maintenance contracts are increasingly complex, high-risk, and delivered under sustained cost pressure. While attention often focuses on operations, pricing, and risk transfer, governance and board-level oversight are often what determine whether contracts succeed or fail.

This panel will explore how governance underpins strong relationships, builds trust, and sustains performance across long-term alliances, IDCs, and hybrid delivery models. Discussion will focus on how effective governance supports early issue resolution, disciplined decision-making, and balanced risk ownership – avoiding defensive, contract-driven behaviours.

• what “good governance” actually looks like in roading maintenance contracts
• how boards and steering groups can enable performance rather than constrain it
• when and how governance should step in — and when it should stay out
• lessons from contracts that held together under pressure

An overview of the latest developments shaping the road marking industry, from new materials and application technologies through to changing customer expectations and performance requirements.

• emerging trends in road marking
• advances in products and application methods
• improving durability and whole-of-life value
• technology and innovation opportunities
• future industry outlook

Road marking performance is increasingly being assessed through measurable outcomes rather than age alone. This session will explore the importance of reflectivity as a key indicator of road marking effectiveness, the technologies used to measure it, and how performance data can support smarter maintenance and renewal decisions.

• technologies and methods used to measure road marking performance
• using data to identify when markings should be renewed or replaced
• understanding retroreflectivity and visibility requirements
• why reflectivity matters for road user safety and network performance

New Zealand's regional and rural road networks play a vital role in supporting communities, economic activity, tourism, freight movements, and resilience during emergencies. Yet many regions face the challenge of maintaining ageing infrastructure across vast networks with limited populations and constrained funding.

This closing keynote will explore the realities facing regional transport networks, the importance of long-term investment and resilience planning, and how central government, local government, and industry can work together to ensure communities remain connected and prosperous.

As the sector looks ahead, the session will consider what sustainable infrastructure investment looks like, how priorities should be balanced across the country, and the lessons regional leaders can offer for the future of New Zealand's transport network.

• maintaining critical infrastructure in regional and rural communities
• balancing investment across local, regional, and national priorities
• funding challenges and opportunities for large, dispersed networks
• a vision for the future of New Zealand's regional transport networks