New Zealand’s Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment has funded a collaborative report for its Extreme Weather Science Response initiative. The report focuses on building resilience during critical infrastructure recovery initiatives following disasters. It establishes a six-stage decision-making framework that emphasises the importance of planning and investment decision-making. The report stresses the need for inclusive stakeholder engagement to ensure that resilience plans meet the community’s diverse needs and consider interdependencies. It suggests using adaptive planning principles and emergency preparedness measures to enhance infrastructure resilience against disruptive events. The report is aimed at policymakers, infrastructure operators, and community leaders and provides a comprehensive guide for improving infrastructure resilience through strategic recovery planning and investment. It advocates for strategic investment in infrastructure repair and reinstatement to reduce vulnerabilities and improve future response and recovery capacity. The report guides informed decision-making to support critical infrastructure recovery efforts and offers many transferable insights.