Combined funding of nearly $1.2 billion will see the Government’s Roads of National Significance programme move to the next phase of development, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. 

“The Government is committed to building a long-term pipeline of transport infrastructure investments to redress New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit and build jobs and growth for Kiwis,” Mr Bishop says.

“Our Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme is a vital part of this pipeline, and I’m pleased to see good progress on getting these important projects ready for delivery.

“The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board has now endorsed investment cases for all of the RoNS, with the most recent endorsements including Sections 2 and 3 of the Northland Expressway, the East West Link, Hamilton Southern Links, Petone to Grenada and Cross Valley Link, SH1 Wellington Improvements including a new Mt Victoria tunnel, and the Hope Bypass. These investment case summaries have now been published on NZTA’s website.

“The Board has also approved more than $675m in funding to progress consenting, design, route protection, site investigations, and some early works. In addition, more than $515m is expected to be used from approved RoNS property funding to enable local property acquisition to get underway on these projects

“The NZTA Board’s endorsement of these investment cases, and approval of funding for next steps, ensures progress on these projects can continue at pace.

“It’s part of the Government’s work to ensure New Zealand has a credible pipeline of high value infrastructure projects extending into the future, and that they’re ready to go as funding becomes available.

“It’s important that we also have a clear plan for delivery, including well-reasoned prioritisation to inform the order in which these RoNS are funded and delivered. The Government will have more to say about that in the coming months. 

“Today’s news complements work already underway on other RoNS, including Warkworth to Te Hana, Cambridge to Piarere, Takitimu North Link Stage 1 and 2, SH29 Tauriko West, Mill Road Stage 1, Hawkes’s Bay Expressway, Otaki to north of Levin, Belfast to Pegasus and Woodend Bypass, and the SH16 alternative.”

“The Northland Expressway represents a transformational opportunity to boost jobs and growth in a region rich with potential. The investment case has confirmed the preferred route, with delivery readiness being prioritised for an alternative to the Brynderwyn Hills in line with our coalition agreement with New Zealand First,” Mr Bishop says.

“Overall, the investment case shows strong benefits with travel times reduced by up to 38 mins between Te Hana and Whangarei, deaths and serious injuries reduced by 66 per cent, travel time delay reduced by 64 per cent, and resilience risk reduced by 82 per cent on average. The Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) is 1.4.

“Next steps for NZTA include property acquisition, with consents and designation for an alternative to the Brynderwyn Hills (section 2b) expected to be lodged using the Fast-track Approvals Act (FTAA) by the end of March 2026. Designations for the remainder of the corridor are expected to be lodged via the FTAA by late 2026.

“The Northland Expressway is expected to be built in stages over multiple National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) periods. This allows NZTA to focus delivery of priority benefits sooner, alleviate resilience and safety issues, and provide a strong pipeline of staged work for the construction sector as funding allows in future.”