Govt unveils $33 billion transport programme

In News•6 Minutes•By NZ Trucking magazine•September 6, 2024

The Government has unveiled the next three years of transport projects, worth $32.9 billion.

Of that, $23.6b will come from the National Land Transport Fund, $5.8b from councils’ rates, and additional Crown investment.

The plan was developed by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi in line with the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport finalised in June.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown said the National Land Transport Programme will create a more reliable and efficient transport network that boosts economic growth and productivity.

“Transport is a critical enabler for economic growth and productivity, but spending more money will not in itself deliver better results. Our Government is committed to making sure that every dollar is spent wisely on the projects and services needed to grow our economy and enable Kiwis to get to where they want to go, quickly and safely,” he said.

The programme has $32.9 billion of investment, which has four key priorities:

Delivers on the coalition agreements to reintroduce the successful Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with a pipeline of 17 RoNS across the country
Gets back to basics, focusing on maintenance and pothole prevention to reduce the number of potholes on our roads
Supports reliable public transport services and delivers four new major public transport projects to increase travel choices in our main cities
Ensures councils are doing the basics brilliantly, with increased pothole prevention, reduced funds for cycleways, and no funds for speed bumps

“I’m pleased to see that this NLTP adopted by the NZ Transport Agency board, which boosts funding by 35% per cent compared to the last three years, strongly reflects our Government’s priorities of economic growth and productivity, increased maintenance and resilience, safety, and value for money,” Brown said.

Walking and cycling improvements, which goes towards helping councils build new cycleways, has been halved from $910 million in the 2021-2024 programme to $460m – a large cut when factoring in inflation that has occurred in that time. Rail has also been cut from $1.3b in the last plan to $1b in this one.

Auckland is a big winner, getting about a quarter of the funding at $8.4b.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party has hit back at the government announcement, saying the National Land Transport Programme “lacks ambition”.

Labour’s transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere said the traffic problems in Auckland aren’t going to be solved with more roads.

“I would have liked to see increased investment in rail including freight and passenger services across New Zealand,” he said.

“Taking trucks off our roads is what will permanently fix the pothole problem, not some arbitrary fund that will only result in more patch-up jobs and road cones.”

Green Party transport spokeswoman, Julie Anne Genter, slammed the announcement, describing the move to cut walking and cycling improvements as “terrible”.

She said the programme marks “another missed opportunity to take meaningful action to fight the climate crisis”.

“The Government’s heavy reliance on roading, alongside reduced investment in public transport infrastructure, shows it has no plan when it comes to climate change, other than going backwards.”

The plan will see $7 billion going towards building additions to the state highway network, including the 17 new Roads of National Significance (RoNS) promised by the National Party during its election campaign.

“The NLTP prioritises 17 RoNS to create a pipeline of roading infrastructure across the country. Takitimu Northern Link Stage 1 is already underway with Ōtaki to North of Levin to begin construction next year. NZTA is now adding seven further projects to begin procurement, enabling works and construction in the next three years,” Brown said.

“These RoNS, paired with 11 Roads of Regional Significance, will enable economic growth and unlock land for thousands of houses,” he said.

“Kiwis will see fewer potholes on our roads as we invest significantly in resealing, rehabilitation, and drainage maintenance to prevent pesky potholes from forming in the first place.”

Funds for the NLTP are collected from fuel excise duty, road user charges, vehicle registration and driver licensing fees.

The Roads of National Significance listed in the NLTP are: