Chris Bishop's infrastructure surprise should be no surprise

The Alliance Party says New Zealanders should not be surprised by the National Infrastructure Plan detailing the catastrophic state of the nation’s infrastructure after four decades of harmful and irresponsible economic policies.

Alliance Party Leader Victor Billot says Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop’s comments that “many people will be quite shocked” at the infrastructure deficit is a staggering admission of the failure of successive governments. 

Mr Billot says the multi-billion-dollar infrastructure fiasco is not a freak accident, but the predictable culmination of decades of neglect, hollowed-out public institutions, and a ‘zombie’ economic orthodoxy.

He says treating infrastructure as a commercial activity rather than a public good is what has led to the current ‘Broken New Zealand’. 

Mr. Billot says the Alliance categorically rejects the user-pays approach for essential services.

“For 40 years, successive governments have prioritised debt reduction and tax cuts for the wealthy over the basic needs of the community,” says Mr. Billot. 

“The result is what we see today: raw sewage pouring into our harbours, undrinkable water in our provinces, and a country where nearly a quarter of all treated water leaks away before it even reaches a household tap.”

Mr. Billot says the government’s failure to take climate change seriously is now being measured in lives lost. 

“The recent tragedies in Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa were exacerbated by a lack of coherent planning,” says Mr. Billot. 

“The catastrophic failure at Wellington’s Moa Point wastewater plant is the most vivid example of a ‘Broken New Zealand’.”

The Alliance is campaigning for the 2026 General Election on a platform of transformation and national resilience:

• Public Ownership: Halting all asset sales and restoring direct democratic control of energy, transport, and water infrastructure.
• Electricity: Integrating generating and supply companies under 100% public ownership to end market-driven speculation.
• Strategic Investment: Moving away from a fixation on debt levels to fund a massive, state-led investment program in housing and public services.
• Rail and Shipping: Rebuilding the national rail network as a public system and prioritising a New Zealand-flagged merchant fleet to build supply chain resilience.
• Tax Reform: Implementing a truly progressive tax system, including a Financial Transactions Tax and a comprehensive Capital Gains Tax, to fund these public goods.

“What we are seeing is not a bug, but the features of deregulated capitalism,” Mr. Billot says.

“We don’t need more ‘learnings’ or endless reviews. We need to reclaim our infrastructure and economy for the working people who are the backbone of this country”.