Eligibility for the Regional Infrastructure Fund

To be eligible for consideration for RIF funding, applicants must meet the specified criteria including aligning with their region’s priorities. On this page is information on the types of projects eligible or ineligible for RIF funding, as well as each region’s key priorities.

Applicants should review this information carefully. Questions can be directed to regional Kānoa – RD advisors.

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Eligible applicants must:

• Be a New Zealand-based legal entity (which does not preclude partnering with offshore parties). A legal entity is an organisation with its own legal identity and constitution, separate from its members (for example, businesses, partnerships, trusts, councils, and iwi).
• Be able to deliver on a project asset based in one of the provincial regions of New Zealand. Specifically excluded are: Auckland (all elements of the Auckland Unitary Authority), Wellington (Wellington City, Lower Hutt City, Upper Hutt City, and Porirua City) and Christchurch City.
• Be focused on delivering a ‘hard infrastructure’ (for example, tangible or built) asset or completing physical works that protect existing Crown/local infrastructure or assets developed through the RIF.
• Contribute to improving regional resilience and/or productivity.
• Fit at least one of the RIF funding component definitions (resilience or enabling infrastructure). Applicants can read more about this here:
  About the Regional Infrastructure Fund
• Show an ability to deliver, including an implementation plan appropriate to the size, scale and nature of the project, robust project governance/decision-making systems and risk identification and management.
• Have a co-investment element (from a private sector investor, iwi or other non-government entity) where relevant (for example, not be wholly central government-funded unless concessionary funding is supported), while any investments in individual businesses must have an element of co-investment.
• Require government financial support to progress or to attract private sector investment (either within the region or elsewhere) – in other words, the project would not otherwise happen without RIF support.
• Show alignment to regional development priorities. Regional priorities are listed at the bottom of this page.

Align with regional priorities

Where the investment is for an asset in an individual business:

• Benefits and outcomes from the project should be non-exclusive to the individual business, meaning, the investment must generate broader benefits or services for other businesses or the community; and
• The business must have a primary focus on one of the following areas: energy security, water security, food security, or growth of a Māori-owned business that is critical to enabling outcomes throughout a community or region.

Exclusions for funding

The following type of projects will not be eligible for RIF support:

• The project is based outside of the provincial regions of New Zealand. Specifically excluded are Auckland (all elements of the Auckland Unitary Authority), Wellington (Wellington City, Lower Hutt City, Upper Hutt City, and Porirua City) and Christchurch City.
• Projects already underway, unless the applicant can demonstrate why the project would not proceed further without RIF support and otherwise fits RIF criteria.
• ‘Business as usual’ infrastructure maintenance works.
• Purchases of land, except in instances where this is essential to the success of an investment-ready RIF eligible infrastructure project.
• Projects funded through the following central government programmes:
  • social infrastructure (housing and accommodation, schools, hospitals), large-scale national digital connectivity (broadband) initiatives and Roads of National Significance.
• Ancillary commercial activity such as marketing or business development (this includes business cases).
• Funding for apprenticeships or Vocational Education and Training. Vocational Education is defined as preparing learners for jobs based in manual or practical activities.
• Potable water supply (water used for human consumption) projects, wastewater, or storm water management assets, except for the following that will remain eligible:
  • rural, community-owned water assets (not on the local authority’s water network);
  • water assets, not ‘business as usual’ assets and are directly critically enabling for eligible RIF projects, for example storm water assets typically vital to ensure the success of a floodbank project.