Heavy investment in roads will boost standard of living, National leader Christopher Luxon says

National’s pledge to invest heavily in roads of national significance as well as infrastructure to enable more housing in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Wellington is being positioned as a way to lift New Zealanders’ standard of living.

Leader Christoper Luxon, who made the announcement to an audience in central Hamilton on Monday, said their measures, at a cost of $24 billion, would slash congestion, unlock housing growth, boost productivity and lift incomes.

“National’s vision is for New Zealand to become one of the world’s leading small, advanced economies and our transport plan will help drive prosperity and lift the standard of living for all New Zealanders,” he said.

“With National’s Transport for the Future plan in place, New Zealanders will be able to get where they want to go faster and spend less time in their cars and more time doing what they love. Freight will also move more efficiently around the country, improving productivity.

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“Modern infrastructure like roads, public transport networks, energy, water services, hospitals and schools are fundamental to the quality of life of all of us. National has a strong legacy of delivering key infrastructure projects from Ultra-Fast Broadband to the Waterview Tunnel, to the rebuilding of Christchurch.”

National’s Transport for the Future plan

Deliver new Roads of National Significance – including four lanes from Whangārei to Tauranga, Mill Rd in Auckland, Petone to Grenada and the Cross Valley Link, Belfast to Pegasus and the Woodend Bypass north of Christchurch. They would also build infrastructure to open up the potential for tens of thousands of new houses in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Wellington.

Better public transport – including a rapid transit network in Auckland with transport corridors in the North West, Botany to the airport and the full Eastern busway.

Rebuilding regions and improving resilience – including priorities for rebuilding flood and cyclone-damaged regions like Northland, East Coast and Hawke’s Bay, and upgrades to transport infrastructure in Ashburton, Queenstown, Otago and Southland.

“National understands the importance of maintaining fiscal discipline and delivering value for every taxpayer dollar we invest. That’s why we are proposing a long-term programme of investments to deliver the infrastructure New Zealand needs within the fiscal constraints that the country finds itself,” Luxon said.

“National has already announced we will establish a National Infrastructure Agency which will coordinate government funding, connect domestic and offshore investors with New Zealand infrastructure projects, and improve funding, procurement and delivery.

“The $24 billion Transport for the Future package will be funded through reallocated money from the National Land Transport Fund, additional Government investment and other innovative funding tools like value capture – where developers who benefit from new infrastructure contribute to the cost, and equity finance opportunities for local and global investors.

“A National government will rebuild the economy to reduce the cost of living, lift incomes, deliver better public services and build the infrastructure New Zealanders deserve.”

Infrastructure to boost housing

One of National’s pledges is to build key roading and public transport infrastructure to unlock housing growth in New Zealand’s fastest growing cities, housing and infrastructure spokesperson Chris Bishop said in a statement on Monday.

“New Zealand’s housing crisis will be solved through a mixture of greater density in our cities and new development of greenfield housing. We simply must build tens of thousands of new houses and National is committing today to deliver the required infrastructure to make them a reality.

National’s Transport for the Future plan would facilitate new houses by requiring the transport agency to prioritise funding for state highways in four areas:

• The North West Alternative State Highway in Auckland

• Southern Links in Hamilton

• The Tauriko West State Highway 29 upgrade in Tauranga

• The Petone to Grenada Link Road and Cross Valley Link in Lower Hutt and Wellington

“National’s plan to build the North West Alternative State Highway in Auckland at an estimated cost of $2.3 billion, will be a key component in unlocking urban growth in Auckland’s North West, supporting projected growth of 107,000 additional people and 44,300 new houses,” Bishop said.

“The Southern Links project in Hamilton will see the construction of 21km of state highway, three new bridges, and 11km of urban arterial roads inside Hamilton’s Peacocke growth area.

“This project is expected to cost $600 million and will support the projected growth of at least 8,000 new homes in the Peacocke area alone.”

The Tauriko West upgrade on State Highway 29 would provide a western corridor for Tauranga, with four lanes where they are needed and sufficient side road access to connect new housing areas, Bishop said.

“This upgrade is expected to cost $1.9 billion and will unlock development opportunities for up to 18,500 houses and 60,000 square metres of retail in the Tauranga area and will provide a more efficient and resilient freight route for the upper North Island.

“The long-awaited Petone to Grenada Link Road and Cross Valley Link will see four lanes between Petone and Tawa, a new interchange at Petone, and increased capacity across the Hutt Valley, taking the pressure off the congested Petone Esplanade.”

With an estimated cost of $1.8 billion, Bishop said the project would reduce commuter travel times between Porirua and the Hutt Valley by around 30 minutes each day in peak travel, allow public transport from the Hutt to Wellington’s northern suburbs, and would unlock greenfield development opportunities for up to 5,200 new homes in the area.

“National’s new public transport projects in Auckland will increase housing density in our biggest city. North West Rapid Transit, alongside the Eastern and Airport-to-Botany busways will open big areas of Auckland to sensible density and urban development where families find it easier to get around.

“In addition to funding through NZTA prioritisation, National will take advantage of private capital for these roads. Options will include tolls, ‘value capture’ and cost recovery.

The 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.