Social infrastructure

Infrastructure can broadly be defined as long-term physical assets that operate in markets with
high barriers to entry and enable the provision of goods and services.

Social infrastructure is a subset of the infrastructure sector and typically includes assets that
accommodate social services. As set out in the table below, examples of social infrastructure
assets include schools, universities, hospitals, prisons and community housing. Social
Infrastructure does not typically extend to the provision of social services, such as the
provision of teachers at a school or custodial services at a prison.

In contrast, economic infrastructure supports economic activity and is often characterized by
user-pays or demand-based revenue streams (such as tolls on toll roads or landing fees for an
airport). In New Zealand, Social Infrastructure is almost exclusively provided by a central or
local government (or related entities such as district health boards and universities).

Examples of social infrastructure assets:

Sectors Examples
Health
Medical facilities
Ancillary infrastructure (e.g. offices, car
parks, training facilities.)
Education
Schools
Tertiary facilities
Residential student accommodation
Housing
State or council housing
Defence force housing
Civic and utilities
Community and sports facilities
Local government facilities
Water and wastewater treatment
Transport
Bus stations
Park and rides
Availability-based roading (excluding
demand-risk toll roads)
Corrections and justice Prisons