Infrastructure Asset Management in a Municipality
Ian Rae,Michael McQuillan
Auckland City Council Private Bag 92517 Wellesley Street
Auckland City New Zealand
Abstract
Auckland City Council is the largest multi-functional local authority in New Zealand. It has an
annual turnover in excess of $400 million and has 1700 employees. Auckland City’s jurisdiction
covers 592 square kilometres and includes approximately 380,000 residents. Legislative changes
from the national Parliament in the late 1990’s required local authorities to adopt a significantly
more disciplined approach to managing infrastructure assets which included accounting for
depreciation.
Auckland City responded by setting up processes to produce asset management plans for all of
Council’s assets. At the core of improved asset management are accurate asset registers to enable
both asset planning and asset accounting.
Auckland City’s asset management system manages the City’s pipe networks (270,000 records
in total), roading asset information (40,000 records) and parks and streetscapes asset records
(15,000). It is tightly integrated with the Council’s GIS system and interfaces to the financial
system for financial asset management and planning.
The system is now “live” and benefits realisation is beginning. It has been recognised that
strategic I.T. planning, appropriate process design, information management principles and
effective change management are all important contributing factors to address to ensure
maximum delivery of benefits.
Introduction
Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, with a population of just under 382,000 within the city
boundary and 1.18 million in the greater Auckland area. This represents about one third of the
population of the whole country.
The city and suburbs cover an area of 60 square kilometres, with many of the suburbs having
their own unique character.
English is the main written and spoken language, with Maori, Polynesian and Asian languages
also being spoken by ethnic communities.
The climate is temperate, with warm summers (averaging over 24 degrees) and cooler winters
(averaging 16 degrees). The summer months are between December and March. The prevailing
wind is westerly.
The city is built on a narrow isthmus between two harbours, the Waitemata to the East and the
Manukau to the West. The Waitemata is the main deep water shipping access, with extensive
wharf facilities and the largest container port in the country. Water sports are a pastime enjoyed
by a large number of Aucklanders and the city enjoys the reputation as being known as the 'City
of Sails' due the number of yachts which sail in the harbours and the adjoining Hauraki Gulf.
A Bill has passed through Parliament creating the Hauraki Marine Park and providing protection
for a marine environment of national and international importance. Surrounded by extinct
volcanoes and a myriad of picturesque islands in the Gulf, Auckland is presently home to the
America's Cup yachting trophy.
Auckland is also the 'gateway' to New Zealand for tourism, with the country's largest airport
serving 45 airlines. Cruise ships call each year especially during the summer period, with many
of the passengers taking the opportunity to take tours of Auckland and the other tourist
attractions of the country.
The city of Auckland is the retail and commercial centre of New Zealand, with a number of head
offices and businesses servicing commerce, manufacturing and tourism. Because it is the focal
business centre for the region a large number of people commute daily into the city by bus, ferry,
rail and private car.
Tourist attractions abound and the area is blessed with a number of spacious and clean beaches.
The main tourist attractions within the city include:
the Auckland Museum which houses one of the best Maori and Polynesian collections in the
world, the Maritime Museum on the waterfront, Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World Aquarium,
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki, the Museum of Transport and Technology, the Auckland
Zoo, Cornwall Park and the many ferry and scenic harbour cruises which operate to the North
Shore and islands of the Hauraki Gulf. There are also a number of historic places and houses
open for viewing. Fine views of the city can be obtained from the Sky Tower, Mt Eden and One
Tree Hill.
Auckland City Council has embraced the use of technology to assist it in responsibly managing
the diverse environment and the range of strategic infrastructure assets within it. From remote,
sparsely populated islands in the Hauraki Gulf to the busy CBD, technology is exploited where
possible to deliver enhanced service and operational efficiencies.
I.T. Strategic Planning
It would not be possible to adopt and use the opportunities available to us through technology
without developing a strategic vision and plan of how technology can assist the organisation to
achieve its strategic goals. Auckland City Council has developed an Information Technology
Strategic Plan (ITSP) which provides the foundation for future technology direction and
opportunities.
A number of key inputs were necessary in order to develop the ITSP. These were :
- an environmental scan of key global and regional forces – attitudes and values,
demographics, globalisation, environment and political
- the strategic plan for Auckland City
- the Auckland City Council business strategy
Examination of the driving forces led Auckland City to the conclusion that the local governments
in New Zealand will have increasing demands put upon them by central government and their
constituencies to take a leadership role and be active in:
- creating the future
- creating regional identity and cohesion
- finding and implementing solutions to issues such as transport, environment, stormwater,
wastewater and water supply.
For Auckland City Council to satisfactorily undertake the above roles, it was proposed that the
ITSP be based on 3 foundation blocks:
- effective regulation of citizenry
- regional and national collaboration and cooperation for the common good
- ffective and efficient management and delivery of services and information
