REVEALED: ACT’s infrastructure policy could cut millions in cultural contracting costs

At least $15.8 million has been spent on iwi and hapū resourcing, cultural monitoring, advisory roles and artwork across just three major transport projects, information obtained by the Taxpayers’ Union reveals.

The figures come as ACT today announced a transport policy aimed at stripping ethnicity-based requirements from infrastructure procurement.

Official information responses show:

• Ōtaki to North of Levin: $7.98 million (GST inclusive) on iwi and hapū resourcing, including $2.01 million on iwi advisor roles.
• Transport Rebuild East Coast: $3.54 million paid to iwi and hapū groups for cultural oversight and monitoring.
• Te Ara Tupua: $4.26 million (GST inclusive) for mana whenua sculptures and artwork.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead Rhys Hurley said:

“ACT’s policy is exactly the kind of reform taxpayers need on our transport projects. Infrastructure funding should be about who can deliver the best project at the best price, not who can tick the right cultural box.”

“These OIAs suggest around one percent of major transport project budgets is being set aside for ethnicity-based requirements. Consultation with iwi where projects affect sites of genuine cultural significance is entirely appropriate, but that is very different from millions being spent on ongoing advisory roles, monitoring and artwork.”

“This is one reason New Zealand ranks among the top 10 percent of OECD countries for infrastructure spending, yet sits in the bottom 10 percent for efficiency of that spending.”

“Road users are already paying through fuel taxes, road user charges, rates and tolls. They should not be paying for millions on layers of unnecessary cultural procurement and reporting that do not make a road safer, faster or more reliable.”