The next National government will invest in Transport for the Future, building Roads of National Significance, delivering better public transport, and prioritising the rebuild of our regions with improved resilience, National’s Transport spokesperson Simeon Brown says.

“National’s Transport for the Future plan will cut congestion, provide more low emission transport options and create a more productive and resilient transport network that drives economic growth to boost incomes and unlock land for thousands of houses.

“National’s vision is to provide New Zealanders with safer, faster and more reliable transport options so they can get to work, get their kids to school and freight can move around the country more easily.”
National will deliver 13 new Roads of National Significance:

• Northland – Whangārei to Port Mardsen, Warkworth to Wellsford
• Auckland – Mill Road Stage 1, East-West Link, North West Alternative State Highway
• Bay of Plenty – SH29 Tauriko West, Tākitimu Northern Link Stage 2
• Waikato – Cambridge to Piarere, Southern Links
• Greater Wellington – Petone to Grenada Link Road and Cross Valley Link, Second Mt Victoria Tunnel
• Nelson – Hope Bypass
• Canterbury – Belfast to Pegasus motorway including the Woodend Bypass.

“National’s Transport for the Future plan will unlock tens of thousands of new houses in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Wellington.

“It will also deliver more low emission transport options by providing better public transport including a rapid transit network in Auckland with transport corridors in the North West, from the Airport to Botany, and the full Eastern Busway.

“National will rebuild regions affected by this year’s weather events – including the Hawke’s Bay Expressway, a Brynderwyn Hills bypass in Northland, and upgrading the Napier to Taūpo and Napier to Gisborne roads. We will also upgrade transport infrastructure in Ashburton, Queenstown, Otago, and Southland to deliver a better roading network for the South Island.

“National’s $24 billion Transport for the Future plan will be funded by a combination of reallocated funds from within the National Land Transport Programme, new government investment and private funding.

“Funding sources will differ between projects. For example, the four-lane Whangārei to Port Marsden Highway will be built using money that is currently earmarked for safety upgrades on the existing road, and additional allocation from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) and new Crown funding. The Cambridge to Piarere Expressway will be paid for through the NLTF and new funding.

“The public transport projects, and roads specifically designed to unlock housing, will use a combination of Crown funding, NLTF funding, and private capital. Funding packages for these projects will be arranged by the new National Infrastructure Agency and could use a variety of private funding tools commonly used overseas, including tolls, equity finance, and ‘value capture’ meaning those who benefit from land being unlocked for new greenfield development will contribute to the cost of opening it up.

“National will rewrite the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport within our first six months to transition the National Land Transport Programme from a three-year to a 10-year investment horizon, providing more certainty around long-term commitments and aligning with local councils planning requirements

“National will scrap costly projects that are going nowhere like Auckland Light Rail and Let's Get Wellington Moving and build a transport network that will benefit more New Zealanders.”