Infrastructure for a Better Future

Michel Virlogeux is a structural engineer and bridge specialist whose career spans more than 50 years, including work on the Normandy Bridge and Millau Viaduct. 

During a recent visit to New Zealand for the Bridge and Geotechnical Conference 2026, Michel sat down with Peter Nunns, General Manager – Strategy at Te Waihanga, to reflect on his career and how bridge engineering has changed over time. 

They discuss what it takes to design infrastructure that is both practical and beautiful, the importance of designing for place, and the capability governments need to be effective infrastructure owners.

In this episode of the ‘Infrastructure for a better future’ podcast series, Professor Jim Hall, Institution of Civil Engineers Past President and chair of the Enabling Better Infrastructure steering group in the UK, speaks to Geoff Cooper, Chief Executive at the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, about some of the long-term trends he’s seeing in infrastructure around the world. The series is produced by Te Waihanga.

In this episode of Infrastructure for a better future, Jessie Lea, Special Advisor – Asset Management at Te Waihanga, speaks to Stacey Marsh, Head of Infrastructure Asset Management at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. 

Jessie and Stacey speak about their career journeys into asset management, the challenges and opportunities of asset management in the health sector, and the need to lift hospital investment for an ageing population – one of the priority areas for the decade ahead in the National Infrastructure Plan.

Earlier this year Andy Jinks, Regional Director - Midlands at National Highways UK, spoke at our infrastructure symposium. While Andy was here, Jessie Lea, Special Advisor - Asset Management at Te Waihanga, sat down with him to talk through his experience in improving asset management capability at National Highways and London Underground.

In this episode of Infrastructure for a better future, Jessie Lea, Special Advisor - Asset Management at Te Waihanga, speaks to Jan Stoker, Senior Strategic Advisor Asset & Maintenance Management at the Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management, Netherlands, and Murray Pugh, Chief Executive, at Āpōpō, Infrastructure Asset

Jan and Murray speak to the challenges faced when it comes to looking after the assets we have and how the role of Asset Manager can change from an accidental one, to one that is sought after profession that drives critical asset management processes within organisations.

In this episode of Infrastructure for a better future, Graham Campbell, Director - Economics & Research at Te Waihanga, speaks to Charles Marohn, Founder and President of Strong Towns, after his recent visit to New Zealand from the United States.

Graham spoke to Charles about his view of the National Infrastructure Plan and how his experiences in the United States align with the key issues in the Plan. This includes managing assets when demand reduces, getting more from our infrastructure and looking after the assets we have.

Alain Bertaud is one of the world's most influential urbanists and a leading thinker on how cities actually work. He recently visited our offices and sat down with Te Waihanga Chief Executive, Geoff Cooper to talk about urban planning, zoning, congestion charging and the heart of the city.

The estate managed by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) spans the length of New Zealand. It covers 80,000 hectares of land, has over 7,000 buildings and includes every type of infrastructure across its camps and bases except for railway lines - and it used to have those.

With responsibility of such a range of infrastructure it’s no surprise that NZDF made multiple submissions for the first round of the IPP, six of which were endorsed. Throughout application process, NZDF saw the value in getting feedback on infrastructure projects to improve their process for selecting what to build and where and showing decision-makers that a proposal as part of the IPP is a priority for New Zealand.

In the episode of Infrastructure for a better future, Nadine Dodge, Director – Infrastructure Priorities and Evaluation at Te Waihanga, speaks to Phil Gurnsey. General Manager, Estate Strategy at NZDF about their experiences with the IPP.

It seems obvious when you think about it, but somehow, it's easy to forget – infrastructure is all about people. It's not about concrete and construction. These are just means to an end. When the people and communities who collectively use and pay for infrastructure are missing from being a meaningful part of the conversation, it can be hard to tell if infrastructure investment and services are meeting the mark.

Watercare provides water and wastewater services to 1.7 million people in the Auckland region. They ensure that there is a reliable water supply through an extensive network of treatment plants, reservoirs, pumps and pipes. Their goal is simple, deliver clean and healthy water to Aucklanders and collect and treat wastewater to prevent environmental pollution and protect public health. But for Watercare, looking after its assets and investing in new infrastructure to meet these goals are only part of the puzzle, the other part, is people.

In this episode, Jean Beetham, Senior Advisor - Economics and Research and Bas van Laanen, Senior Advisor - Digital and Content, from Te Waihanga, speak to Moana Williams, Manager Strategic Relations and Community, Jenny Wigley, Customer Insights Specialist, and Chris Allen, Manager Strategic Planning, from Watercare about their recent engagement on their Metropolitan Servicing Strategy.

Te Waihanga Director of Economics & Research, Graham Campbell, speaks with Chuck Marohn, Founder and President of U.S. non-profit Strong Towns. They talk about infrastructure in the U.S. and New Zealand, and what can make infrastructure more sustainable.