Editing Economy of New Zealand (section)

== Infrastructure ==
According to the National Infrastructure Unit of the Treasury, New Zealand "...continues to face challenges to its infrastructure; all forms of infrastructure are long-term investments, and change does not come about easily or quickly."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infrastructure.govt.nz/plan/2011implementation/2013report/nsir-oct13.pdf|title=Infrastructure 2013 National State of Infrastructure Report|publisher=National Infrastructure Unit, [[New Zealand Treasury]]|access-date=22 December 2014|date=2013}}</ref> A report prepared for the Association of Consulting and Engineering New Zealand in 2020 claimed that there was an infrastructure deficit of $75{{nbsp}} billion (about one quarter of GDP), following decades of under-investment that began in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/122771520/major-report-reveals-75-billion-infrastructure-deficit-warns-of-recession-risks | title=Major report reveals $75 billion infrastructure deficit, warns of recession risks| first=Joel| last=MacManus| work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] | date=6 September 2020|access-date=30 May 2021}}</ref>

=== Transport ===
{{main|Transport in New Zealand}}
[[File:Wellington infrastructure.jpg|thumb|Highways, rail lines and an inter-island ferry in central Wellington]]
New Zealand's transport infrastructure is "generally well developed."<ref name="transport infrastructure">{{cite web|url=http://www.transport.govt.nz/ourwork/keystrategiesandplans/connectingnewzealand/cnzstateofinfrastructure/|title=Connecting New Zealand – State of our infrastructure|date=26 April 2018|publisher=[[Ministry of Transport]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141217144202/http://www.transport.govt.nz/ourwork/keystrategiesandplans/connectingnewzealand/cnzstateofinfrastructure/|archive-date=17 December 2014}}</ref>

==== Road network ====
{{main|New Zealand state highway network}}
The New Zealand state highway network consists of 11,000&nbsp;km of road, with 5981.3&nbsp;km in the [[North Island]] and 4924.4&nbsp;km in the [[South Island]], built and maintained by the [[NZ Transport Agency]], and paid for from general taxation and fuel excise duty. Heavy road users must pay Road User Charges as well, there is limited use of tolling on state highways. There is also 83,000&nbsp;km of local roads built and maintained by local authorities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzta.govt.nz/network/maintaining/index.html|title=Maintaining our network|publisher=[[NZ Transport Agency]]|access-date=15 December 2014}}</ref>

==== Railway network ====
{{main|Rail transport in New Zealand}}
The railway network is owned by [[state-owned enterprise]] [[KiwiRail]] and consists of 3,898&nbsp;km of railway line, built to the [[narrow gauge railways|narrow gauge]] of {{RailGauge|1067mm}}.<ref name="transport infrastructure" /> Of this, 506&nbsp;km is [[Railway electrification system|electrified]].<ref name="transport-m2nz">{{cite web|last1=Bell|first1=Mike|title=New Zealand Transportation|url=http://www.move2nz.com/nz/nz_transport.aspx|publisher=move2nz|access-date=13 December 2016|archive-date=10 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510075328/http://www.move2nz.com/nz/nz_transport.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Airways ====
{{main|Airports in New Zealand}}
There are seven international airports and twenty-eight domestic airports.<ref name="transport infrastructure" /> [[Air New Zealand]], 52% government-owned,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/investor-centre-frequently-asked-questions|title=Frequently Asked Questions|language=en-NZ|access-date=12 September 2018}}</ref> is the [[national carrier]] and a [[Government-owned corporation|state owned enterprise]]. [[Airways New Zealand]], another state owned enterprise, provides air traffic control and communications.

==== Seaports ====

New Zealand has 14 international seaports.<ref name="transport infrastructure" />

=== Telecommunications ===
[[File:24 Dunedin Town Hall at the Octagon square, Dunedin, New Zealand.JPG|thumb|right|Telephone booths in [[Dunedin]]]]
{{main|Telecommunications in New Zealand}}
Present-day telecommunications in New Zealand include telephony, [[Radio in New Zealand|radio]], [[Television in New Zealand|television]], and [[Internet in New Zealand|internet]] usage. A competitive telecommunications market has seen mobile prices drop to some of the lowest in the OECD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comcom.govt.nz/regulated-industries/telecommunications/monitoring-reports-and-studies/monitoring-reports/|title= 2013 Annual Telecommunications Monitoring Report|publisher=[[Commerce Commission]]|date=21 May 2014|access-date=22 December 2014}}</ref> The copper wire and fibre cable networks are mostly owned by [[Chorus Limited]], a publicly listed company. Chorus wholesales services to retail providers (such as [[Spark New Zealand|Spark]]). In the mobile sector, there are three operators: Spark, [[One NZ]] and [[2degrees]].

==== Internet ====
{{main|Internet in New Zealand}}
New Zealand has a high rate of internet use. {{As of|2014|10}}, there are 1,916,000 broadband connections and 65,000 dial-up connections in New Zealand, of which 1,595,000 are residential and 386,000 are business or government.<ref name=stats>{{cite journal| url= http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/information_technology_and_communications/ISPSurvey_HOTP2014.aspx| title=Internet Service Provider Survey: 2014| journal=Internet Service Provider Survey| date=14 October 2014| publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]]| access-date = 14 October 2014|issn=1178-0509}}</ref>

The Government has two plans to bring [[Ultra-Fast Broadband]] to 97.8% of the population by 2019, and is spending NZ$1.35 billion on public-private partnerships to roll out fibre-to-the-home connection in all main towns and cities with population over 10,000. The program aims to deliver ultra-fast broadband capable of at least 100&nbsp;Mbit/s download and 50&nbsp;Mbit/s upload to 75% of New Zealanders by 2019.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ultra-Fast Broadband Initiative|url=http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/technology-communication/fast-broadband/ultra-fast-broadband-initiative|publisher=Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment|access-date=6 March 2014}}</ref> In total, 1,340,000 households in 26 towns and cities will be connected.

Gigabit internet (1000&nbsp;Mbit/s download speeds) was made available to the entire Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) footprint on 1 October 2016, in an announcement from Chorus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chorus.co.nz/chorus-launches-gigabit-wholesale-broadband-services-nationwide|title=Chorus launches gigabit wholesale broadband services nationwide {{!}} Chorus|website=www.chorus.co.nz|access-date=30 October 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030201700/https://www.chorus.co.nz/chorus-launches-gigabit-wholesale-broadband-services-nationwide|archive-date=30 October 2016}}</ref>

A$300 million Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) has also been introduced by the Government, with the aim to bring broadband of at least 5&nbsp;Mbit/s to 86% of rural customers by 2016.<ref name="mbie-rbi">{{cite web|title=Rural Broadband Initiative contracts|url=http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/technology-communication/communications/broadband-policy/rural-broadband-initiative/rural-broadband-initiative-contracts|publisher=Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment}}</ref>

=== Energy ===
{{main|Energy in New Zealand}}
From 1995 to 2013, the energy intensity of the economy per unit of GDP declined by 25 percent.<ref name="Energy2014">{{cite web| url=http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/energy/energy-modelling/publications/energy-in-new-zealand| title=Energy in New Zealand|publisher=MBIE| date=July 2014| access-date=3 August 2014}}</ref> A contributing factor is the growth of relatively less energy-intensive service industries.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/environment/sustainable_development/key-findings-2010/efficiency-how-efficiently-we-using-resources.aspx#energy|title=Key Findings on New Zealand's Progress Using a Sustainable Development Approach|work=[[Statistics New Zealand]]|year=2010|access-date=21 April 2012}}</ref> New Zealand will be potentially among the main winners after the global transition to renewable energy is completed; the country is placed very high – no. 5 among 156 countries – in the index of geopolitical gains and losses after [[energy transition]] (GeGaLo Index).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Overland |first1=Indra |last2=Bazilian |first2=Morgan |last3=Ilimbek Uulu |first3=Talgat |last4=Vakulchuk |first4=Roman |last5=Westphal |first5=Kirsten |title=The GeGaLo index: Geopolitical gains and losses after energy transition |journal=Energy Strategy Reviews |date=1 November 2019 |volume=26 |pages=100406 |doi=10.1016/j.esr.2019.100406 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2019EneSR..2600406O |hdl=11250/2634876 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

==== Electricity ====
{{main|New Zealand electricity market|Electricity sector in New Zealand}}
The [[electricity market]] is regulated by the Electricity Industry Participation Code administered by the [[Electricity Authority (New Zealand)|Electricity Authority]] (EA).<ref>{{cite web|title=The Code|url=https://www.ea.govt.nz/code-and-compliance/the-code/|publisher=Electricity Authority / New Zealand government|access-date=11 November 2016}}</ref> The electricity sector uses mainly [[renewable energy|renewable energy sources]] such as [[Hydroelectricity|hydropower]], [[geothermal energy|geothermal power]] and increasingly [[wind energy]].

The 83% share of renewable energy sources<ref name="nzcpe">{{Cite web|title=Climate explained: why switching to electric transport makes sense even if electricity is not fully renewable|url=https://blog.planetaryecology.org/2020/05/19/climate-explained-why-switching-to-electric-transport-makes-sense-even-if-electricity-is-not-fully-renewable/|last=nzcpe|date=18 May 2020|website=Planetary Ecology|language=en-GB|access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref> makes New Zealand one of the most [[Sustainable energy|sustainable]] economies in terms of electricity generation;<ref>{{cite web|title=New Zealand Commits to 90% Renewable Electricity by 2025|date=26 September 2007 |url=http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2007/09/new-zealand-commits-to-90-renewable-electricity-by-2025-50075.html|publisher=RenewableEnergyWorld.com|access-date=11 November 2016}}</ref> in terms of total energy consumption in the New Zealand economy, this represents the 30% that comes from renewable sources.<ref>https://www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/27344-energy-in-new-zealand-2023-pdf {{bare URL inline|date=February 2024}}</ref> New Zealand suffers from a geographical imbalance between electricity production and consumption. The most substantial electricity generation (both existing and as remaining potential) is located on the South Island and to a lesser degree in the central North Island, while the main demand (which is continuing to grow) is in the northern North Island, particularly the [[Auckland Region]]. This requires electricity to be transmitted north through a power grid which is reaching its capacity more often.

===Water===
{{main|Water supply and sanitation in New Zealand}}
As of 2021, almost all of the three waters assets (drinking water, stormwater and wastewater) are owned by local councils and territorial authorities. There are currently 67 different asset-owning organisations in total.<ref name="dia">{{cite web| url=https://www.dia.govt.nz/Three-Waters-Reform-Programme| title=Central/Local Government Three Waters Reform Programme | publisher=Te Tari Taiwhenua – Department of Internal Affairs| access-date=30 May 2021}}</ref>

The challenges for local government include funding infrastructure deficits and preparing for large re-investments that are estimated to require $110{{nbsp}}billion over the next 30 to 40 years.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300262242/government-thinks-110-billion-needed-to-fix-broken-water-system| title= Government thinks $110 billion needed to fix broken water system| work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] | first=Thomas | last=Coughlan| date=26 March 2021|access-date=30 May 2021}}</ref> There are also significant challenges in meeting statutory requirements for the safety of drinking water, and the environmental expectations for management of stormwater and wastewater. [[Climate change adaptation]], and providing for population growth add to these challenges.