Transporting New Zealand is welcoming progress on the Government’s Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, but says cross-party support is needed to prevent costly cancellations and disruption to the infrastructure pipeline in an election year.
It follows confirmation that the NZTA board has endorsed investment cases for all RoNS projects, including Sections 2 and 3 of the Northland Expressway, the East West Link, Hamilton Southern Links, Petone to Grenada and Cross Valley Link, SH1 Wellington improvements including a new Mt Victoria tunnel, and the Hope Bypass. The move involves $1.2 billion of combined funding to take the programme to its next development phase.
Transporting New Zealand chief executive Dom Kalasih says improved roading connections were good news for safety, productivity, and improving New Zealand’s economic growth
“When people and freight are moving efficiently, that’s good news for the entire country. You can see this in the close correlation between heavy traffic movement and GDP growth.”
Kalasih is calling on all political parties to support the infrastructure pipeline by maintaining the projects identified in the National Land Transport Programme 2024–2027, including Roads of National and Regional Significance.
“These are not projects that can be delivered within a couple of election cycles. They require consistency across successive governments if they are to be delivered affordably and without delay. A politically-driven cancellation or winding-back of this infrastructure programme would be a nightmare for road users, local communities, and the national economy,” Kalasih says.
“I’m optimistic that we can get buy-in on a bipartisan infrastructure pledge. Senior government ministers have highlighted the value of bipartisan commitments, and opposition spokespeople have indicated they don’t want to see projects cancelled.”
Transporting New Zealand’s proposed bipartisan transport pledges are:
- Support the infrastructure pipeline by maintaining the projects identified in the National Land Transport Programme 2024–2027, including Roads of National and Regional Significance.
- Maintain road maintenance and economic growth as strategic priorities in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport.
- Back low-emission and high-productivity vehicles through continued land transport rule reform and pricing incentives.
- Follow through on road revenue reform, including the transition to Road User Charges for all vehicles from 2027 (at the earliest).
- Support sustainable transport funding through tolling and greater use of public-private partnerships.
