Balancing Priorities: Investing in Infrastructure vs. Maintenance

This chapter explores the challenges New Zealand faces in balancing investments in new infrastructure with the critical need for maintaining existing assets. It discusses the efficiency of infrastructure spending, ownership patterns, incentivizing investments in publicly held assets, and the importance of quantifying maintenance spending. The conversation also touches on societal priorities in spending, with a spotlight on transportation and healthcare sectors, and transitions to New Zealand's support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.