As a nation we have shown we are often at our finest in a crisis. Our response to the Kaikoura earthquake saw rapid mobilisation of a specialist workforce to execute $1.2 billion of civil works in just 12 months.
A planning, consenting and procurement process that would usually have taken years was compressed into weeks. The social, environmental and economic outcomes generated by this effort is a result the NCTIR (North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery) team and their supporting agencies which they can all be very proud of. They proved that speed, quality and environmental stewardship are not only possible, but essential ingredients in a successful response to an infrastructure crisis.
New Zealand has been praised around the globe for its management and response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our political leaders stuck to the mantra of "go hard and go early" to beat Covid-19, and New Zealanders gave up unprecedented liberties and livelihoods in doing their part to halt the virus. The public and private sectors worked together on initiatives like Shovel Ready Projects and stimulus investment in water infrastructure. First and foremost, the wellbeing of Kiwis has been the focus and it has paid off so far.
Covid has taken a toll on New Zealand, and its full implications haven't yet been felt. Much like the months of aftershocks following the Christchurch earthquakes, the periodic outbreaks of Covid have kept Kiwis well-grounded in the reality of the threat we continue to face to both our social and economic wellbeing as the virus rages on in many corners of the globe.
This crisis has seen us find new ways through some of the cumbersome bureaucracy that places "process" ahead of "progress" with the RMA Fast Track legislation one example of a concerted effort to bring a Kaikoura-like focus to the response. I recently took part in a seminar with our water sector where I was informed consent costs have reached 25 per cent of the capital value of significant water projects, a staggering figure roughly five times the contractors profit margin for actually building a typical project of this nature.
As we progress through the Covid response, it's imperative that we continue to shed some of the bureaucratic baggage we have accumulated over the years. It's essential that we take this opportunity to redefine "normal".