Rationale boss Edward Guy, whose company celebrated its 25th birthday last week, also believes a "watershed moment" has arrived when it comes to relationships between local and central government.
That’s because councils up and down the country, particularly those in growth areas, such as Queenstown, are faced with huge infrastructure deficits, are shouldering water reform, and are dealing with changes to the Resource Management Act — requiring extra resourcing — all the while being fiscally-constrained.
But, he says, it’s "an opportunity in disguise".
"Our infrastructure deficit [in Queenstown] is huge, and that’s been building up over many, many years from under-investment — that’s central government [and] local government — it is what it is.
"I think it’s about looking at alternative models for delivering infrastructure.
"What we’re really looking at is efficiency ... that should be what we’re chasing."
Having previously worked as an infrastructure analyst for Works Consultancy, as Queenstown council’s roading manager for two years, and with Beca before starting Rationale in 1999, Guy says there are many ways councils can look to deliver infrastructure differently, noting "the current model is probably broken".
"You look at Otago at the moment; we’ve got five or six local authorities all delivering a roading programme, is there an opportunity to do that differently?"
Regional deals may provide part of the solution, but he also believes councils need to look at private capital.
"It’s all about affordability."
He notes, though, Queenstown, for example, is in the "perfect storm" at present.
There’s been under-investment in the interests of keeping costs, such as rates, down, followed by the global pandemic, which has driven inflation, and now there’s a cost of living crisis.
"From the work we’re doing at the moment, what we’re seeing is we haven’t got enough money to [invest in necessary infrastructure] ... and if we don’t do it, it holds back our economy.
"It feels like we’re in the need for a paradigm shift, and it needs to be driven by efficiency, because we’re quite poor, but if we don’t get on to this, we’re going to have effects on our economy, which will just keep us poor."
Guy says it all represents a "once-in-a-generation chance" to reimagine infrastructure planning, funding and provision, while providing for housing and economic growth.
"We need to think big, and think differently," he says.
