This page relates to the 2021-24 National Land Transport Programme.
All approved organisations and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (for its own activities) maintain an activity management plan (AMP), with the process described below providing guidance for the continuous update and improvement of these plans as living documents. We (Waka Kotahi as investor) expect the principles of the Business Case Approach to have informed the development of an AMP.
In order to meet their statutory obligations, road controlling authorities (RCAs) (as approved organisations) and Waka Kotahi (for its own activities) develop a significant number of strategic, tactical and operational documents related to transport activities. Waka Kotahi acknowledges that there are a number of internationally recognised methodologies and standards to guide practitioners in the development and/or review of AMPs. Where the AMP development / review follows one or more of these methodologies / standards we expect a well-developed AMP will fulfill the business case requirements when supporting funding requests, and we do not require the development of a separate business case to support funding requests for continuous programmes (such as maintenance, operations and renewals programmes and regular road safety promotion activities) or for low-cost, low-risk programmes of network improvements, provided the information requirements are fulfilled in the AMP.
RCAs should ensure that they have regard to the Business Case Approach when developing / reviewing their AMP to ensure it fulfils the role of a business case. This requires the AMP and other supporting information to set out clearly the case for investment. You can find, on the Waka Kotahi site, supporting material in the form of exemplars to assist in developing AMPs.
AMP example tool for exemplar s2, ex5 [PDF, 1.3 MB]
AMP example tool for exemplar s6, ex4 [PDF, 1 MB]
AMP example tool for exemplar s7, ex4 [PDF, 1.1 MB]
AMP example tool for exemplar s7, ex6 [PDF, 1.1 MB]
Robust evidence must underpin an AMP informed by business case principles to support funding requests, ie we require evidential, quality and compelling data supported by sound analytics. The AMP must be built on the development of business case principles AMPs.
A typical continuous activities planning improvement cycle for AMPs is shown in the diagram below; the text in brackets (eg strategic assessment) is intended to show where in this review cycle the AMP is addressing the equivalent stage in the business case life cycle.
The planning improvement cycle process applies key elements of the Business Case Approach including confirming there is robust evidence and supporting analytics to support these business case elements.
Activity management continuous improvement cycle overview [PDF, 204 KB]
The strategic case represents the context and case for change if variation is needed – it is the approved organisation’s or the Waka Kotahi (for its own activities) portrayal of the current state, including the assumptions that underpin the current state and the outcomes targeted. The strategic case, comprising a strategic assessment and strategic context, will demonstrate why investment is needed.
The strategic context takes into account suppositions about the future, the organisation’s objectives and the implications of the strategic documents (such as the Government Policy Statement on land transport or plans or strategies) on problems and benefits, or to position the outcomes sought against wider national, regional and district outcomes.
Government Policy Statement on land transport
The strategic assessment ensures the problems, opportunities and consequences are well understood, clearly identified and articulated, including identification of the benefits and outcomes which can be achieved by addressing the problems and opportunities. In a stable network, this may be simply maintaining the network to the agreed levels of service, as depicted by existing performance measures.
The strategic case should facilitate the optimisation of the total programme in the AMP and demonstrate that the balance between capital improvements and operational activities in the proposed programme is appropriate.
For an AMP we would expect to see the following information to meet the requirements of the strategic case.
The programme business case represents the conversation of planning and considering possible interventions – it is an approved organisation’s or Waka Kotahi (for its own activities) portrayal of the planned or future state.
The primary purpose of the programme business case is to provide robust evidence to support an investment in continuous programmes (such as road maintenance, operations and renewals programmes and regular road safety promotion activities) or for low-cost, low-risk programmes of network improvements.
The AMP will identify possible alternatives and options, develop a range of possible programmes setting out their benefits, consequences and potential costs, and then identify a preferred programme of activities to progress. Any deficiencies in the AMP, such as evidence base or knowledge gaps, can be corrected either through the articulation of this stage, or as an application to the NLTP to improve individual components.
We expect there to be a clear linkage between the recommendations in the approved organisation’s and the Waka Kotahi (for its own activities) AMPs, the requested funding and the defined quantities of works for each work category in the road operations, maintenance and renewal programme. Where there are differences in the programme funding request submitted to that contained in the AMP there must be evidence to explain those differences and their impact on the AMP. The preferred programme should contribute to the achievement of the government’s priorities for land transport.
For an AMP we would expect to see the following information to meet the expectations of the programme business case.
