Built to deliver in the water sector

New Zealand’s water sector is at a turning point. With ageing infrastructure, regulatory reform, new performance standards and significant investment required over the next decade, councils and water authorities are navigating some of the biggest changes the sector has seen in years.

For Fulton Hogan, that challenge is also a clear opportunity: to help clients deliver well across the full water project lifecycle – from early planning and design through to installation, operations and maintenance.

As National Water Manager Simon Drew put it during Fulton Hogan’s 2026 Water Workshop in Auckland, “A client in need is a client indeed.” It’s a simple phrase, but it captures an important truth about where the sector is heading.

Clients need practical partners who understand the pressure they are under and can step in with the capability, experience and scale to help solve complex problems.

Fulton Hogan is well placed to do exactly that.

The scale of change in the water sector

The scale of the opportunity is significant. Historic underinvestment in three waters infrastructure, the restructuring of water entities, and rising regulatory expectations have created an urgent need for action. Across New Zealand’s 52,000 km water mains network, around 20 per cent of pipes are rated in poor condition.

Meeting the sector’s needs will require an estimated $48 billion of investment over the next 10 years, along with thousands of additional skilled workers.

Against this backdrop, Fulton Hogan is continuing its evolution from contractor to true infrastructure lifecycle partner.

A full lifecycle approach for water projects

Fulton Hogan brings expertise not just to construction delivery, but to every stage of a project.

That includes working with clients earlier – helping shape projects, planning for future needs, contributing to design, delivering construction efficiently, and then supporting long-term operations and maintenance to keep assets performing well for communities.

This end-to-end capability is one of Fulton Hogan’s greatest strengths in the water sector.

At the workshop, around 70 Fulton Hogan water specialists from across Aotearoa came together with industry leaders to discuss the challenges facing the sector and the role the business can play in responding.

Speakers included Water New Zealand Chief Executive Gillian Blythe, alongside representatives from Taumata Arowai, who shared insights into the changing landscape and the expectations on asset owners and delivery partners alike.

The message was clear: the sector needs organisations that can do more than build. Partners must be able to connect strategy, design, delivery and ongoing maintenance into one seamless offering.

That is where Fulton Hogan stands apart.

Local knowledge backed by trans-Tasman capability

Its teams already bring deep experience from region to region, from Invercargill to Northland, and from Taranaki to the Chatham Islands.

That local knowledge is backed by a wider trans-Tasman network, with Australian and New Zealand teams sharing lessons, procurement insights and operational experience to strengthen capability on both sides of the Tasman.

This combination of local presence, practical expertise and cross-market learning gives Fulton Hogan a strong platform to support clients through uncertainty and change.

Just as importantly, it positions the business to help deliver projects in a way that creates lasting value – not only through well-executed construction, but through smarter planning, better integration and stronger long-term asset performance.

Site visits during the workshop to Auckland’s Archboyd Pump Station and the Harania Flood Resilience Project reinforced that point. These are the kinds of initiatives that show what is possible when delivery capability is matched with sector knowledge and a commitment to supporting communities over the long term.

For Fulton Hogan, the future of water is not only about growth. It is about leadership, partnership and the ability to deliver well from beginning to end.

As the demands on the sector continue to grow, that full lifecycle approach will matter more than ever. For clients looking for a partner who can help shape, build and maintain the infrastructure New Zealand needs, Fulton Hogan is showing it has both the capability and the ambition to lead.