Official Information Act request - Treasury reference 20190632 (market ready roading projects and the Infrastructure Pipeline)

Context and purpose. A requester asked Treasury for its definition of 'market ready', the 12 large roading projects it called market ready, and related correspondence with NZTA, the Ministry of Transport and private consultants (p.1). Treasury clarified that the request related to its 8 April 2019 advice 'Treasury Report T2019/862: Publication of Infrastructure Pipeline', prepared by the Infrastructure Transactions Unit (ITU), since moved to the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, and limited the response to substantive communications from 1 February to 8 April 2019 (pp.1-2).

Key content. The pipeline is described as an industry-facing list of relatively certain and committed government projects due to come to market (p.2). 'Market ready' means ready to engage the market with intent to procure via competitive tender, and may mean a business case approved or near approval, consents obtained and land acquisition commenced; 48% of first-iteration projects were in business case development (p.2). Based on NZTA data, 41 transport projects were identified for the first iteration; 12 major roading projects under re-evaluation were excluded or reduced in scope (p.2). A table lists the 12 with their status (p.3): none are in Otago. Treasury identified no substantive communications with the Ministry of Transport, which was not a contributor (p.3).

Released documents (p.4). (1) A 4 February 2019 ITU paper to the Expert Review Panel by Karen Mitchell and Adam Wood on the pipeline approach, noting only projects with a current business case or funded for procurement would be included, and that most large projects were excluded because they were being re-evaluated (pp.8-11). (2-3) Emails of 13 February 2019 in which NZTA (Tara Macmillan) returned its pipeline data, noting projects would only progress through funding stage gates and re-evaluated projects had been removed, with Advisian's feedback (pp.12-21). (4) A February 2019 slide pack for a Ministers' meeting with Minister Jones comparing the 2015 and 2018 GPS, including the shift of about $3.5 billion from state highway improvements and a new rapid transit activity class (pp.22-31). (5) A March 2019 email listing the re-evaluated projects (pp.32-34). (6) Draft pipeline web text, largely deleted as out of scope (pp.35-40).

Queenstown projects in the pipeline data. NZTA's data input table (Doc 2) includes: 'SH6A Corridor Improvements' - corridor improvements to relieve congestion and ease access from side roads; business case/investment case development, business case complete, procurement 1 October 2020 to 1 February 2021, construction start 1 March 2021, value range $5-25 million (p.17); 'Stanley St Corridor Improvements' - a new town centre arterial to improve access, particularly for public transport, and access to a new town centre public transport hub and Plan Change 50 area, a joint activity with QLDC; business case underway, dates to be confirmed, $50-100 million (p.17); 'Grant Rd Kawarau Falls Bridge Corridor Improvements (Stage 2)' - including Glenda Drive, Frankton BP roundabout and BP roundabout to Kawarau Falls Bridge improvements; business case underway with completion 30 June 2019, project completion 2021, $25-50 million (p.17); and the 'Visiting Driver Signature Project Otago' - tourist driver safety improvements on Queenstown-Milford, Queenstown-West Coast and Queenstown-Christchurch routes, in procurement, under $5 million (p.16). All are marked 'Publish Value Range Only (Estimated Value Sensitive)'.

Mass rapid transit: The release says nothing about mass rapid transit in Queenstown. No Frankton-Town Centre MRT corridor appears in the NZTA pipeline data; the Queenstown entries are road corridor and hub projects. Rapid transit is mentioned only as a national GPS 2018 activity class (p.30) and through the Auckland City Centre to Mangere light rail project (pp.17, 39).