Construction workers are leaving New Zealand in droves as delays to big projects are creating uncertainty across the infrastructure industry.
The Government's decision to cancel Three Waters and Light Rail has left a lot of contractors out of work, who are now urging the Government to move fast and kick projects into gear before more experienced staff are lost overseas.
Next Level Civil owner Ryan Ruthe said he'd love to be fixing roads but instead he's building driveways to keep his business trucking along.
"We were quite heavily involved in road maintenance, it was almost overnight once the Government changed, the funding became uncertain and the phone stopped ringing. We're just in a holding pattern waiting for things to improve.
"I'm getting two to three phone calls a week from good employees looking for jobs because the projects they've been on are winding up," Ruthe said.
Also speaking to 1News, Civil Contractors NZ boss Alan Pollard said workers across the industry are frustrated.
"What we're seeing is the immediate uncertainty is causing clients to defer or cancel contracts, awaiting some kind of certainty from the Government is really frustrating because we know there's a mountain of work to be done," he said.
"Cash flow is strained when the workers aren't earning money and the equipment isn't earning money, we have seen some businesses fail."
Industry leaders have written to infrastructure minister Chris Bishop pleading for urgent help, but Bishop said the industry isn't under pressure.
"I do take issue with the characterisation that the sector is falling apart or under pressure, there is a lot of work out there, we are responding for example to the weather events last year and there is lots of work and there is lots more to do," he said.
"Once the Government's other projects take off, the future looks brighter."
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