The Government has announced key changes to road tolling policies, aiming to accelerate critical investment in New Zealand’s transport infrastructure.
Transport Minister Simeon Brown says the reforms will help deliver new roads more efficiently while ensuring users share in the cost.
“Tolling is a tool used around the world to accelerate investment in roading infrastructure, and the changes the Government is making will allow this approach to be applied in New Zealand more effectively,” Brown says.
“These reforms ensure that those who benefit from new and improved roads share in the cost of building them, making it possible to deliver infrastructure sooner and more efficiently.”
The new measures include:
- Tolling entire corridors, including existing roads that gain capacity or are extended by new projects.
- Automatically increasing toll prices by inflation to ensure fair contributions over a road’s lifetime.
- Requiring a free, viable alternative route, but allowing heavy vehicle toll mandates where roads are designed to divert traffic from suburban areas.
- Improving the efficiency of toll setup and revenue collection.
“These changes will enable the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider tolling in circumstances beyond what is currently possible. This approach is designed to bring forward investment in critical new roading projects across the country,” Brown says.
“For example, corridor tolling could help deliver extensions to key roads sooner, with those who benefit contributing directly to the cost of building the extension or additional capacity on those roads.”
The Government has established clear principles for NZTA when proposing toll roads, including expectations for consultation with communities. Brown says this will ensure the benefits, impacts on local roads, and use of toll revenue for free alternatives are fully considered.
NZTA is also upgrading its tolling systems to cut costs. Changes include new software and a law adjustment to toll vehicle owners instead of drivers, simplifying the payment process.
“These changes will help New Zealand build future-focused roading infrastructure, improving connectivity and supporting economic productivity,” Brown says.
The Government has approved tolls for three major projects following public consultation:
- Ōtaki to north of Levin
- Takitimu North Link
- Penlink
“Tolling on these roads will support the ongoing cost of delivering these roads and maintaining and operating them,” Brown says. “This will help motorists in Auckland, Tauranga, and Greater Wellington gain faster, safer, and more reliable journeys. Each of these routes retains a free, viable alternative route.”
However, tolling will not be applied to the new Manawatū-Tararua Highway. Brown says late consultation and timing constraints made it uneconomical to implement tolling until well after the road’s completion.
NZTA is expected to consider tolling for all future Roads of National Significance, using toll revenue to fund critical projects while preserving the National Land Transport Fund for maintaining existing roads, Brown adds.
Legislation to implement the changes will be introduced next year.
