NZTA has proposed a second toll point on the State Highway 2 Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road between the Domain Rd Interchange and new Pāpāmoa East Interchange. Photo / File
A proposed new tolling gantry for the city with two of New Zealand’s three toll roads - and more to come - has a councillor claiming there’s a “double standard” being applied.
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has opened consultation on adding a second gantry to the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road on State Highway 2.
Tauranga is already home to the Takitimu Drive Toll Road (formerly Route K).
In Tauranga, the under-construction Takitimu North Link will have two tolling gantries, with the new four-lane highway at Tauriko West also set to be tolled.
The total would be four toll roads with six tolling points in and around the city.
The latest proposal would add a gantry to charge drivers using SH2 between Domain Rd and the new Pāpāmoa East Interchange.
They would pay a lower toll price ($1.10 for light vehicles and $2.80 for heavy vehicles) than those travelling the full length of the toll road (currently $2.30 and $5.60 respectively).
The new interchange, eagerly awaited by the growing residential community in Pāpāmoa East, is set to open in mid-2026, with a SH2 off-ramp opening this month.
NZTA said the new toll point would save $1.7 million in interest payments on the road, which opened in 2015, and would pay it off an estimated 12 months earlier.
A 12-month toll-free period was proposed for Pāpāmoa East Interchange users to support its early opening.
Pāpāmoa ward councillor Steve Morris urged residents to “flood NZTA and the Government with submissions” during consultation for the second tolling gantry.
He claimed a “double standard” had been applied to road tolling in New Zealand.
He gave examples of a recently opened bridge to the new Peacocke subdivision in Hamilton, which he said was a “very similar scenario” to the Pāpāmoa East Interchange.
“It’s access to a subdivision, it’s to enable growth, but the Government has not put a toll on that.
“Then you look at the Waikato Expressway, no toll, you look at Transmission Gully, no toll. You look at the Christchurch motorways, no toll.
“The new road which has just opened up in the Manawatū, between Palmerston North and [Woodville] … it’s an $800 million bit of kit, and again, no toll.”
Morris said he believed Pāpāmoa residents, and people from across Tauranga, felt there was inequality with road tolls compared to the rest of the country.
“Every day there’s another positive announcement about roading in New Zealand or something that’s just opened, and none of them have tolls.
“There’s definitely a double standard there.”
New Zealand’s third existing toll road is the Northern Gateway, north of Auckland.
NZTA regional manager of system design Susan Collins said tolling had been used effectively in Tauranga to bring forward the construction of new roads, which supported growth and productivity.
“The Tauranga Eastern Link was a vital transport link in the Bay of Plenty, providing a safer, more efficient and reliable route.
“Tolling supports faster delivery and long-term maintenance of roads.”
She said the location of the current toll gantry near the Paengaroa roundabout meant users travelling between the Domain Rd and Pāpāmoa East interchanges were not able to be tolled.
“It was the intention of the existing toll scheme to ensure all Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road users make a direct contribution to the road they’re using.”
A government policy statement set the expectation that NZTA would consider tolling to support the construction and maintenance of all new roads.
NZTA confirmed the Takitimu North Link expressway was approved as a toll road in December.
When the $884m Stage 1 opens (scheduled for 2028), the cost to drive between Te Puna and Tauranga will be $2.10 for light vehicles and $4.20 for heavy vehicles off-peak, or $3.10 and $6.20 respectively during the peak.
When Stage 2 opens, there will be two separate gantries when travelling the full length between Tauranga and Ōmokoroa. Driving the full length will cost $3.10 for light vehicles and $6.20 for heavy vehicles off-peak, and $4.10 and $8.20 respectively during the peak.
For Tauriko West, an NZTA spokesperson said the investment case included a tolling assessment and proposed tolling to support the construction and maintenance of the road.
NZTA was looking at the broader Western Bay of Plenty transport network and said tolling was well integrated and equitable.
The agency said tolling was a user-pays option bringing efficiency, safety and resiliency benefits to the transport network.
“There are free and viable alternative routes for travellers to use if they don’t want to pay the toll price.”
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford encouraged residents to participate in the consultation for the new Pāpāmoa gantry.
“This is your opportunity to have your say on something that directly affects our local community,” Rutherford said in a statement.
Rutherford said NZTA needed to know whether the community supported or opposed the tolling proposal.
“Your voice matters in this process, so make sure it’s heard.”
Consultation ends at 5pm August 28. Visit nzta.govt.nz/teltolling to make a submission.