New Zealand’s water sector could be entering a significant new period of infrastructure investment, but having the projects in the pipeline is only part of the equation.
Watercare’s recently announced FLOW 2026 programme includes more than 1,000 projects, $15.2 billion of planned investment over the next decade and an estimated 2,000 new jobs.
For CKL Environmental Manager Andrew Carline, however, the bigger question is whether New Zealand’s water sector will have the depth of specialist capability required to deliver that investment.
In the September/October edition of Water New Zealand, Andrew draws on more than 35 years in the consulting engineering industry to consider what FLOW 2026 could mean for the wider sector.
He argues that while much of the discussion has understandably focused on jobs, specialist capability takes years to develop through practical experience, mentoring and professional growth – and cannot simply be created when demand arrives.
With significant water infrastructure investment also expected across the country, Andrew says long-term visibility of the project pipeline will be critical. It gives businesses greater confidence to recruit, develop people and invest for the future – helping New Zealand build the capability needed to deliver the infrastructure ahead.
Read Andrew’s full opinion piece, What Watercare’s FLOW 2026 could mean for the water sector, on page 34 of the September/October 2026 edition of Water New Zealand here.
