National will establish a Pothole Repair Fund to urgently address the shocking state of our local roads and state highways, National’s Transport spokesperson Simeon Brown says.

• $500m fund to be established for state highway and local roading repairs
• New directive to NZTA to double the current rate of roading renewals
• Halve the standard response rate for pothole repair from 48 to 24 hours

“In 2022, over 54,000 potholes needed repair on State highways around New Zealand, the highest number in ten years. In Auckland alone, there is a backlog of 1,000 kilometres of needed road repairs, with Auckland Transport estimating it will take up to 10 years to clear.

“Potholes are a safety hazard and have been causing significant damage and disruption to freight and motorists all over the country.

“National’s Pothole Repair fund will see an additional $500 million over three years allocated to local authorities and NZTA to address potholes and other damage to both local roads and State Highways.

“The cost of the Pothole Repair Fund will be met from re-prioritising spending within the National Land Transport Programme, including a reduction in expenditure on activities which unnecessarily slow traffic down such as blanket speed limit reductions and excessive speed bump installations, or the failed Road to Zero advertising campaign, towards investment in safer roads which are properly maintained.

“National will also introduce new rules for pothole repair on State Highways, including halving the standard response time for pothole repair from 48 to 24 hours, and introducing a requirement for NZTA to undertake renewal and rehabilitation work on at least 2 per cent of the roading network each year, more than double the current rate.

“Rather than wasting money on slowing people down, giant red zeros, or expensive transport projects nobody wants, like the $30 billion Auckland light rail project, National will focus on fixing and enhancing our roading network to ensure people and freight can move around the country safely and efficiently.”