Infrastructure agency elicits DCC concern

Concerns a new national infrastructure agency could one day take control of ratepayers' assets mean it will have to be watched closely, some Dunedin city councillors say.

The concern was raised as councillors at yesterday's Dunedin City Council meeting decided to endorse a DCC submission on the government's new plan.

The aim is to launch a new independent entity to help tackle a major infrastructure deficit in New Zealand, by providing overarching support and advice to improve long-term planning and investment.

The new body is expected to be up and running by late next year, once input from interested stakeholders had been considered.

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull has already welcomed the initiative, telling the Otago Daily Times it could help tackle an $80 million infrastructure backlog in water infrastructure investment.

It could also help co-ordinate the spending plans of councils across a region, or across the country.

Councillors yesterday said the new approach had merits but also raised potential concerns.

Cr Jim O'Malley worried the new body could impose a national strategy over councils' own plans.

A centralised body could over time become a centralised decision-making body, and eventually a centralised resource distribution body, which posed risks for a city such as Dunedin.

The New Zealand Transport Agency's approach to funding, through the National Land Transport Programme, already resulted in decisions about Dunedin's future being made by people in Wellington who had never been to the city.

The same could happen again for other forms of infrastructure, unless there was strong local input, he believed.

Mr Cull agreed in part, saying he could see the potential advantages of a new national body, but also heard the concerns "loud and clear''.

"I support this ... at the same time as watching those risks don't flower and cost us,'' he said.

Cr Aaron Hawkins said it was beyond the financial capabilities of some smaller councils to bring their infrastructure up to standard or respond to the challenges posed by climate change.

However, he was concerned those challenges could be "weaponised'' to remove local control of core council assets, which needed to be resisted.

Cr Kate Wilson also agreed there were "some potential issues'', but stressed the focus was on quality, independent thinking on infrastructure challenges.

"I don't have the same fear of an infrastructure ministry assisting with good planning,'' she said.

Councillors voted 14-1 to endorse the council's submission on the new agency, as only Cr Lee Vandervis opposed it.