Aggregate and Quarry Association CEO Wayne Scott says the bipartisan consensus emerging in Britain around the need for infrastructure investment should be adopted by both major NZ political parties as they head into an election year, for the health of the aggregates sector. First published in Contractor Perspectives, January 2026.
I’d barely heard of YIMBYism until late last year; now I’m a huge fan of the movement and believe it’s essential we as a nation adopt it if we want any hope of achieving the ‘quality of life’ we all seek as Kiwis.
‘Yes In My Backyard’ began as a movement 10-or-so years ago in San Francisco amid a housing affordability crisis. It’s now a potent political force across the United States and, more recently, Britain.
YIMBYism focuses on encouraging new housing, opposing density limits and supporting public transport. It has supporters across the political spectrum. Left-leaning adherents want more affordable homes, a slowdown in urban spread and reduced emissions; those on the right think housing should not be over-regulated by the Government and nor should NIMBYs be able to stop homes being built.
Yet the Conservative Government in Britain caved in to NIMBYism and amid a housing crisis dropped mandatory council house-building targets.
In 2023, the Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer sensed the opportunity and proclaimed himself a “Yimby”. He promised to “bulldoze” planning rules, and “back the builders, not the blockers”. When elected last year, he unveiled wholesale planning reforms and set Labour the highly ambitious target of building 1.5 million new homes before the next election, due in 2029.
At this year’s Labour party conference, new Housing Secretary Steve Reed donned a red cap emblazoned with the slogan “Build, Baby, Build!” Some of his Labour colleagues may have been uneasy at the Trumpian connection but a week later the Conservatives unveiled their own blue “Build, Baby, Build” caps and hard hats.
We’ve had lots of talk so far about developing a political consensus in this country on infrastructure but, frankly, talk is cheap. The coalition Government calls for consensus on infrastructure but ditched virtually all of Labour’s projects on coming to office – with huge impacts on the construction sector; we are only now seeing a pipeline of work re-emerge.
In late October, Transport Minister Chris Bishop, appointed in January, told news source Stuff that he was yet to meet with his Labour counterpart. Equally, Labour’s Education spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime, repeatedly ignored or declined meeting requests from Education Minister Erica Stanford to outline NCEA and curriculum reforms.
Politicians too often only operate with their eyes on winning the next election. What we need are political leaders who can look beyond the three-year cycle and stand up for policies that will deliver enduring benefits for the nation. Such leaders know that there can be risks in getting in front of issues either with voters or elements in their party base. They have the courage to spend some of their political capital to do what is right and what is needed.
I’ll credit this current Government with some policies which have assisted the quarry sector including putting aggregate at the top of the Critical Minerals List and the fast-track legislation, even if I think they’ve overcooked that with some of the most recent amendments.
There have also been the reforms of the RMA, although the two major bills this administration has introduced seem awfully likely to be very similar to the two Acts on spatial planning and natural and built environments which the Labour Government passed. Amendments rather than wholesale replacement would have seemed more sensible.
The shape of the new Government to be in place by the end of this year is less critical for our sector, in my view, than having sound and enduring policies. To that end, we will be seeking commitments to “Build Baby Build!” from Chris Bishop and Labour’s Infrastructure and Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty around the time this article emerges.
I will be seeking both to commit to ensuring a bipartisan approach is taken to infrastructure development – no matter which major party forms the core of the next Government.
And I will be reminding them that you cannot have “Build Baby Build” if quarry supplies are not front and centre of any planning laws.
Freshwater standards implications