Industry Update: Auckland Zoo’s biggest-ever project is coming to life!

Auckland Zoo biggest project ever

With our track-record for completing audits on small to large infrastructure projects, our team of assurance specialists are always keeping an eye on some of the most exciting local and international industry updates. The Auckland Zoo’s project is one that we have loved reading about in November.

The most ambitious development ever undertaken at Auckland Zoo is already winning awards, and with new sections under construction now, it will be a must-see attraction as soon as it reopens. The South-East Asia Jungle Track is a $60 million project that encompasses a new café and high canopy (opened late last year) plus a soon-to-be opened lowlands tiger habitat and a tropical dome ‘swamp forest’.

Although the project faced some delays due to the recent lockdown restrictions, construction on the lowlands and swamp forest areas restarted under level 3. The new 35m boardwalk should be ready to go by Christmas. Once complete, the lowlands area will house the new Sumatran tigers due to arrive in 2022, as well as an adjoining otter habitat. The swamp forest will provide a climate-controlled ecosystem for crocodiles, fish, turtles and tortoises.

You can see photos of the work underway here, or read about how the already completed high canopy habitat recently won a prestigious Australian award for innovative design that advances animal welfare.

It’s wonderful to see projects that highlight the importance to protect species and improve animals’ wellbeing by  educating the next generation about conservation and sustainability.

Major projects, such as this development at Auckland Zoo, carry a lot of complexity. Here at IMA Services, our team of experienced quality assurance auditors can reduce extra costs and assist to keep projects within budget by providing the clarity needed to make well-informed decisions. 

Want to know more? Get in touch with us today.

How Infrastructure Projects Boost Recovery

Infrastructure Investment | IMA Services Blog

With our borders beginning to reopen, 2021 is set to be a year of bumper economic growth for New Zealand. 

 

One area where an enormous sum of cash is being splashed: infrastructure investment. It might seem as though a new roundabout is the last thing anyone needs in a health crisis, and it’s pretty infuriating when you’re stuck in traffic, but infrastructure spending is a powerful tool for economic recovery. Within a decade, every dollar spent on infrastructure generates around $2.70 in returns, according to S&P calculations cited here. 

 

Infrastructure stimulus helps recovery by: 

  • Creating jobs for a wide range of industries, from labourers to lawyers. For every $1 billion spent, infrastructure projects can create up to 10,000 jobs.
  • Targeting spending for specific places, using local workers and boosting a town or part of a city.
  • Improving efficiency by making it easier to work and travel around New Zealand, or boosting digital connectivity. 
  • Making the nation more sustainable by supporting clean energy sources and energy-efficient outcomes. 
  • Addressing problems that need solving or mitigating, like flood risks from climate change and the housing shortage. 
  • Building assets that support New Zealand’s future growth. While direct cash stimulus has a part to play in recovery, wage subsidy money is largely spent or saved. Constructing a new water treatment plant or train station leaves behind long-term assets that improve our lives. 

 

To get the maximum benefit from infrastructure spending, projects need to be well-managed. They must deliver measurable results in a timely way, and the assets created need to live up to what they promised. Infrastructure projects that run wildly over time are a problem. Even worse are failed projects – those with such serious problems that they can’t be used for their intended purpose. The disastrous Berlin Brandenburg airport is a perfect example, although at least it’s finally getting some use. This is just more evidence in support of that old industry saying: ‘Every dollar you spend in planning saves two dollars later on. 

 

Well-planned and well-executed projects will help economic recovery in the short term, and in the long term, they help New Zealand thrive as a place to live and work. Try to bear that in mind when the road works are holding you up again!