12 October 2023

Charles Finley
FYI.org.nz

Via email: [FYI request #24144 email]

Dear Charles

Thank you for your Official Information Act request, received on 14 September 2023. You
requested: “a list of all the projects [Te Waihanga has] a governance role in across
government, including some details around agency, size, project status, length, value etc”.
Background information
Government Procurement Rules and the Cabinet Office Circular on investment management
settings both require that agencies considering the procurement of infrastructure with a total
cost of ownership of more than $50 mil ion must engage with Te Waihanga early in the
development of the project’s business case. Our project advisors play an active role in a
number of transformational infrastructure projects.

Recently, this has included direct involvement in two workstreams run by Auckland Light Rail:
the Transport Design Huihuinga and the Business Case Huihuinga.  We have been involved at
a governance level on the New Zealand Battery Project, the Ministry for Primary Industry’s
Plant Health and Environment Capability Project, Our Place in Antarctica – the
redevelopment of Scott Base, the investigation of whether there is a need for permanent
National Quarantine Capability, and the Department of Internal Affairs’ Te Ara Tahi – Heke
Rua Archives project.

At Ministerial direction we have been an observer at governance meetings for the New
Dunedin Hospital, and the New Zealand Upgrade Programme.  As the policy owner for the
Public Private Partnerships model, we attend steering group meetings for active projects
including Transmission Gully, Puhoi to Warkworth and Waikeria Prison projects.

At a programme level we recently supported the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
in a deep dive review into each of the 16 projects in the Mental Health Infrastructure
Programme. The review (published in December last year) identified characteristic issues with
project planning and prioritisation that were an important driver of the health sector reforms
and have highlighted the opportunities the reforms present to improve on New Zealand’s

Level 7, 95 Customhouse Quay
DX SX33303 | Wellington
tewaihanga.govt.nz
Wellington 6011
NEW ZEALAND

processes for health capital delivery.  To help address these concerns we worked with Te
Whatu Ora as part of an Independent Working Group to define a new operating model for
the infrastructure division within the new health entity.

At a project level we have engaged with Te Whatu Ora, the New Zealand Defence Force and
Ministry of Education on market engagement processes to inform the procurement strategy
in their business cases.  We also worked closely with Treasury on the process to establish Rau
Paenga to provide more hands-on project management support for other government
agencies, particularly those that do not routinely build physical infrastructure. At Cabinet’s
request we helped Rau Paenga identify an initial portfolio of projects including facilitating a
proposal for central co-ordination of water infrastructure upgrade works through the Crown
Water Supplier Forum (Ministry of Education, Department of Conservation, NZ Defence
Force, Corrections).

Our direct role in project advisory is supplemented by participating in key government
processes relevant to infrastructure investment.  We take an active role in the Budget
process, with officials sitting on the budget investment panel and providing detailed
feedback to Government on investment proposals seeking Budget funding.

To improve the information coming into the investment management system we have taken
a more active role commenting on Risk Profile Assessments for new investment initiatives
and participated in a significant number of Gateway reviews for high risk/high value projects.
This ensures project owners are receiving our advice and input formal y at key project
milestones. Final y, we have provided more insight and analysis into the Treasury’s quarterly
investment reports, ensuring both system and project risks are reported to Ministers on a
regular basis.

List of projects that we play a governance role in
The following list provides information about infrastructure projects that Te Waihanga is
currently involved with to support organisations across government, and the various
governance roles we play.

As we are not the lead organisation for these projects, we do not necessarily hold current
information on the project size, status, length, value etc and recommend that you seek that
information from the lead organisation in each case (or from publicly available information
about these projects).

Level 7, 95 Customhouse Quay
DX SX33303 | Wellington
tewaihanga.govt.nz
Wellington 6011
NEW ZEALAND

Project
Lead
Brief description of project
Type of
Member-
Name
Organisa-
Governance  ship Type
tion
Group
Investigating the ability of pumped hydro,
New Zealand
and alternative technologies, to address
Steering
Committee
Battery Project  MBIE
New Zealand’s dry year electricity problem  Committee
Member
SouthPAN (Southern Positioning
Augmentation Network) wil  improve the
Joint
accuracy and reliability of satellite-based
Governance
Board
SouthPAN
LINZ
positioning systems in Australasia.
Board
Member
Our Place in
Antarctica
Steering
Committee
Antarctica
New Zealand  Redevelopment of Scott Base
Committee
Member
Programme supporting Archives New
Zealand, National Library, and Ngā Taonga
Sound & Vision to create fit-for-purpose
Te Ara Tahi -
Department  buildings, improve digital infrastructure,
Heke Rua
of Internal
embed mātauranga Māori, and identify
Steering
Committee
Archives
Affairs
collaborative opportunities
Committee
Member
External
Observer
(does not
New Dunedin  Te Whatu
Steering
receive
Hospital
Ora
New Dunedin Hospital
Committee
papers)
The $12b NZUP was announced in January
2020 and includes $6.8b of Crown
New Zealand
investment across 24 land transport
Upgrade
projects in rail, roads, public transport, and  Steering
Programme
Waka Kotahi  walking and cycling infrastructure.
Committee
Observer
Project
Transmission
Transport project delivered under a Public  Governance
Gully
Waka Kotahi  Private Partnership.
Group
Observer
Project
Puhoi to
Transport project delivered under a Public  Governance
Warkworth
Waka Kotahi  Private Partnership.
Group
Observer
Department  A new prison with a dedicated mental
Project
Waikeria
of
health and addiction service – Hikitia –
Governance
Prison
Corrections
being developed at Waikeria Prison.
Group
Observer
External
Whangārei
Observer
Hospital
(does not
Redevelop-
Te Whatu
Steering
receive
ment
Ora
Whangārei Hospital Redevelopment
Group
papers)

Level 7, 95 Customhouse Quay
DX SX33303 | Wellington
tewaihanga.govt.nz
Wellington 6011
NEW ZEALAND

Please note that this letter (with your personal details removed) and the enclosed documents
may be published on Te Waihanga’s website.

This reply addresses the information you requested. You have the right to ask the
Ombudsman to investigate and review my decision.

Yours sincerely

Blake Lepper
General Manager, Delivery

Level 7, 95 Customhouse Quay
DX SX33303 | Wellington
tewaihanga.govt.nz
Wellington 6011
NEW ZEALAND

Document Outline