Integrated End-To-End corridor management: A collaborative approach to nz's infrastructure challenges
INTEGRATED END-TO-END CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT: A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO NZ’S INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES
The below article by Greg Preston, Trust Secretary for Digital Built Aotearoa, appeared in Issue 36, of InfraRead | Te Kawepūrongo Waihanga, June 2025.
New Zealand faces significant challenges over the next 30 years, with an estimated $1 trillion needed to address the current infrastructure deficit. Much of this, including our lifeline infrastructure, sits within our road corridors – those critical spaces that bring our communities light, heat, water, telecommunications, and transport options.
To tackle this deficit, we need to ensure that access to road corridors for infrastructure maintenance and renewals is well-coordinated. Fixing pipes shouldn’t involve struggling to notify affected parties or identifying who needs to be involved. Yet, with 74 road controlling authorities across NZ and no standardised way to collaborate or share information, we would struggle, as a sector, to claim that we’re doing this effectively or efficiently.
The consequences of the current fragmented approach are duplicated efforts, poorly sequenced projects leading to costly disruptions, and a higher risk of damage to underground assets. This waste impacts on our communities and economy. With urgent renewals needed, like water infrastructure, it’s critical we take a more coordinated strategy. The solution lies in taking an integrated, end-to-end approach to corridor management — one that’s prepared for disruptions, accounts for utility locations, and considers the broader impact of planned and unplanned changes.
Digital collaboration for smarter corridor management
Digital Built Aotearoa (DBAF) is a charitable foundation that stewards digital tools, like the National Forward Works Viewer (FWV) and NZ Underground Asset Register (UAR), to improve resilience and coordination in the infrastructure sector. DBAF, which traces its roots back to Christchurch’s rebuild, acts as a neutral data trust for the public good. Importantly, DBAF doesn’t own the data, but simply facilitates the standardising and sharing of data through tools that are common across NZ and the supply chain.
The FWV serves as a central, authoritative online map displaying planned infrastructure works from hundreds of organisations nationwide. Anyone planning to operate within a corridor can input project details such as dates, locations, contacts, and boundaries, etc; and generate lists of clashes or collaboration opportunities (e.g. shared traffic management or trenching). Geospatial layers can be added for context (e.g. freight routes, earthquake-prone buildings, etc), to provide a shared picture of projects and risks. This minimises disruption and improves coordination.
Complementing this, the UAR, developed with Wellington City Council, gives a central view of underground assets. Traditionally, asset data is scattered across multiple formats held by individual owners. UAR breaks down these silos with an intuitive map-based interface, helping users to identify asset locations, types, and ownership. And its available instantly, at any time – 24/7. It also streamlines reporting of damaged or misplaced assets, improving records and reducing excavation risks.
Bridging the information gap
While there’s many powerful tools for infrastructure planning, they’re often focused on internal functionality, or one part of delivery rather than end-to-end, sector-wide collaboration. Tools like the FWV and UAR help bridge these gaps by creating vendor-neutral, secure, open platforms where infrastructure professionals can upload and view project and asset data. Both tools federate vast datasets into a single layer for easy querying.
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This technology-led approach holds potential for real-time visibility into corridor activities — who’s working where, and when, and associated risks and disruptions. By allowing collaboration across all stakeholders, there’s benefits across the entire infrastructure management lifecycle—from project prioritisation to maintenance, and asset management. The management of things like Corridor Access Requests (CARs) gets more efficient when you have easy access to the relevant data needed to decide who should have access, and when.
A big part of DBAF’s charitable purpose lies in improving our business-as-usual (BAU) practices so we’re ready in times of response and recovery. With New Zealand in an almost constant state of recovery from natural disasters, we have a unique responsibility to our communities to share what we learn. And we’ve found that, ultimately, we ask the same questions in recovery as we do in BAU – who’s doing what, where are our assets, and what are the risks? Having data readily available in shared platforms hugely improves our response times, removing the need to build systems and processes from scratch, train teams, and find essential information.
Shaping the future of corridor management
New Zealand’s journey toward integrated end-to-end corridor management is ongoing, but tools like the FWV and UAR represent a huge shift in the dial. By embracing collaborative digital solutions, owned by a purpose-focused charitable trust, the country can manage its vital infrastructure networks as the interconnected systems that they are – ensuring a safer and more resilient future for infrastructure in NZ.
For more information email: info@forwardworks.co.nz