Big plans to improve roading network

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The Government is pressing on with National’s election commitment to build 15 new four-lane highways, restarting the equally lauded and ridiculed Roads of National Significance programme from its last time in power to do so, and will consider public-private partnerships and fast-track consenting to help make them a reality.

Meeting another election pledge, it is also committing $4.8 billion to fixing potholes — out of a total spend of $20bn over the next six years outlined in its draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on land transport.

National has kept its promise not to increase fuel excise duty in the current term of Parliament, but instead is hiking car “rego” fees by $50 over the next two years — and signalled 22c of fuel excise duty increases in a second term, along with an equivalent lift in road-user charges.

Motoring fines are also set to be hiked, having not been increased since 1999. Transport Minister Simeon Brown is keen to have them adjusted for inflation — which is a near doubling; a full adjustment would take a seatbelt fine from $150 to $278.

National’s pre-election cost estimate of $17bn for the 15 separated, dual-carriageway highways was heavily criticised as being too light, with NZTA/Waka Kotahi estimates showing the roads could cost twice as much as what National had budgeted.

The draft GPS doesn’t put a cost estimate on the new highways, but Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said building a modern transport system was crucial for a productive economy, and he made no apology for using “innovative” funding tools to improve infrastructure.

“We cannot keep doing things the way we’ve been doing it,” he said.

Brown said NZTA would be assessing the projects and would go to the market to look for private sector investment.

He also said he wanted 2 percent of the state highway network renewed each year.

Notable differences from the remaining three years of the GPS developed under the last government are the axing of money set aside for inter-regional rail ($50m a year) and coastal shipping ($20m a year).

Labour had also planned to spend up to $2.3bn on public transport over the next three years; the National-led Government has reduced that by nearly $1bn. Funding for walking and cycling improvements has been cut from $1bn to $510m.

The draft GPS is very much about delivering on National’s election promises and addressing the dire state of much of the country’s roading network, after extensive damage caused by multiple severe weather events. Now for the Government to deliver on its plans.