A new cross-Tasman infrastructure initiative could be used to get Australian companies in to help address New Zealand's housing shortage.

Finance Minister Bill English is signalling the Australia-New Zealand Infrastructure Pipeline project, launched in Australia, could be used for that purpose.

He said people were needed in New Zealand's housing market with experience building at a large scale.

English said before the Christchurch earthquakes, the bigger operators here were only doing 300-400 houses a year, but now we need people who can do thousands.

"So this Pipeline is going to help show to the Australian construction industry there is big opportunity in New Zealand for large scale projects, and also show the New Zealand businesses what they need to do to scale up and who they can work with."

Labour MP Phil Twyford said his party is not against Australian companies coming here to do housing work as a short term measure, given the desperate need here for housing.

But he sees the fact it's necessary as a government failing.

Twyford said after eight years in office, the government utterly failed to invest in New Zealand, to build the workforce here, and to help young people find career pathways in the construction industry.