As in most of the colonies, all the more important public works of New Zealand are in the hands of the Government and other public bodies: comparatively few have been undertaken by private enterprise.

The initiation of public works in New Zealand is coeval with the founding of the colony, and in the early days they simply kept pace with the spread of settlement. But in 1870 a great impetus was given to the progress of the whole country by the inauguration of the "public works policy," which provided for carrying out works in advance of the settlement. Numerous railways, roads, and water-races were constructed, and immigration was conducted on a large scale. As a consequence, the population increased from 267,000 in 1871 to 001,000 in 1881, and the principal branches of settlement advanced in much the same proportion.