Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says neglected regional roads are more worthy of taxpayer money than the nine nationwide highways that the National Party wants and have begun online petitions to support.
The highways were announced by National on the election campaign last August and were expected to cost about $10.5 billion.
"These would greatly improve safety and travel times, better connect our regions and boost regional economic growth," National's transport spokeswoman Judith Collins said.
The road proposals are:
• The upgrade of the Redoubt-Mill Road corridor from Manukau and Flat Bush to Papakura and Drury
• The extension of the Waikato Expressway from Cambridge to the foot of the Kaimai Range, and from Cambridge to Tirau
• The continuous four lane extension of the Northern Motorway from Warkworth to Whangarei.
• An East-West Link Road project between the Onehunga-Penrose industrial area and State Highways 1 and 20
• The Tauranga to Katikati Road project as a continuous four lane State Highway with wide lanes and safety measures
• The four laning of the Napier to Hastings Expressway
• The Otaki to north of Levin expressway road project
• The Christchurch Northern Motorway between Belfast and Pegasus
• The construction of the four-lane State Highway 1 link between Christchurch and Ashburton