Direction 4: Ensure Auckland’s infrastructure is future-proofed

​It is essential that Auckland's infrastructure is well-functioning and can withstand short-term shocks, such as flooding. It also needs to work well in the long-term, particularly in the face of climate changes.

Climate change will put additional strain on our infrastructure. New infrastructure will need to recognise future pressures and be resilient and adaptable.

Much of our infrastructure, such as water supply, wastewater, stormwater networks and power supply networks are ageing and does not meet modern requirements or expectations.

• poor water quality from ageing wastewater networks with insufficient capacity increased
• greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels-dependent transport
• reduced resilience to climate change.

Find out more by reading Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri Auckland’s Climate Plan.

Transport infrastructure can have harmful environmental impacts, such as run-off from roads. This run-off pollutes our waterways.

This is addressed under the Transport and access outcome.

New infrastructure requires a significant investment of time and money.

We have to start now to create the systems and services we want in the future.

This means that we:

• need to build flexibility and adaptability into infrastructure design to ensure it is easier to modify and respond to changing needs
• must reduce and potentially eliminate the impacts of inefficient infrastructure through retrofits and upgrades and finding alternative ways to deliver core services.

New ways of delivering core services can range from decentralising power supplies to recycling wastewater and turning waste into resources.

We also need to consider bolder initiatives, such as retreating from some coastal areas and avoiding flood inundation zones by Making Space for Water, to ensure development is sustainable over the long-term.

Related information

• Green infrastructure
• Our cultural heritage
• Climate change
• Ridge to Reef: Auckland’s marine environments and their relationship to the land
• Auckland Plan 2050 – Full print document (PDF 36.6 MB )
• Auckland Plan 2050 – Environment and cultural heritage (PDF 9.6 MB).