Arrangements for Cross-Sectoral Infrastructure Advice
127. There is no single cause of the infrastructure stresses that have occurred. Electricity failures have been due to inadequate market governance arrangements, and to uncertainties about the regulatory environment, generation fuel availability and cost. Auckland's transport difficulties have been primarily due to local authority governance and funding failures. Water allocation difficulties are attributable to poorly developed strategic planning and allocation frameworks. However, the effect of the failures is the same - erosion of infrastructure providers' and users' confidence and shortcomings in delivery of sustainability objectives.
128. Present institutional arrangements for delivery of infrastructure policy and advice feature leadership by Infrastructure Ministers, advice prepared by Ministries with sector-specific responsibilities, supplemented by special purpose interdepartmental processes such as the IWG, the SDPoA Officials Co-ordinating Group, the Officials Committee on Sustainable Energy and the Joint Officials Group on Auckland transport. Main accountabilities are set out in Statements of Intent and associated documents.
129. Advice on infrastructure policy and performance will continue to be organised on a sector-specific basis, with lead Ministries reporting to Ministers with sector-specific responsibilities and with a range of issues being considered by Infrastructure Ministers.
130. Officials will continue to co-ordinate work on a limited number of cross-sectoral issues, including promulgation of the findings of the Stocktake, commissioning future infrastructure audits, and operationalising the infrastructure theme under GIF by developing budget initiatives related to infrastructure for GIF Budgets (a present GIF role).
131. A contingency budget of $0.5 million has been agreed for 2004/2005. Officials would seek access to these funds if appropriate as work on issues covered in this report gets underway.
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