Construction projects inject immediate cash into the economy but the benefits can be short-lived. In the midst of a deep recession, ‘It’s the economy, stupid’ became the unofficial slogan for Bill Clinton’s 1992 election campaign. But it’s another axiom from the political playbook that has New Zealanders really thinking: “Never let a crisis go to waste”. Pundits and politicians are already punting around ideas for future growth opportunities from investment in localised renewable energy and electric transport to enabling digital technologies. Investment in this innovation infrastructure will help us emerge, not only hard and fast thanks to short-term spending on hard infrastructure, but also cement long-term sustainable growth.

Source: Stuff July 30, 2020 16:52 UTC