- By Simeon Brown, Member of Parliament for Pakuranga
The Coalition Government is committed to getting New Zealand moving in the right direction again and we are moving at pace to deliver the change our country needs.
As Minister of Transport, a key piece of work I have been undertaking is our plan to build 15 new Roads of National Significance (RoNS) around New Zealand.
These RoNS were outlined in our Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport released earlier this year, which prioritises economic growth and productivity, maintenance and resilience, safety and value for money.
Rebuilding New Zealand’s economy is a key goal for our Government, and upgrading our transport infrastructure with these priorities in mind will help us achieve that.
Further progress on the planning for these new RoNS was announced last week, with NZTA [NZ Transport Agency] releasing its proposed delivery approach through the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP).
The SHIP outlines how NZTA plans to deliver projects like the RoNS and set out a long-term construction pipeline for the next decade.
This will include the possibility of accelerating project development through fast-track legislation and seeking new sources of funding and financing to ensure timely and on budget delivery.
The SHIP also includes the Coalition Government’s commitments to other major infrastructure projects like a second Waitemata Harbour Crossing, the Northwest Rapid Transit Corridor, and increased investment in road maintenance and renewals.
We know that we must move quickly to deliver the transport infrastructure New Zealand needs, and that long-term planning is essential to provide certainty and to ensure we keep up with population and economic growth.
This kind of thinking has been missing for the last six years, with the previous Government dragging its feet on important projects and cancelling many outright.
Communities across the country have been crying out for greater investment, so I am pleased to see NZTA moving quickly to deliver on the Coalition Government’s transport priorities.
The NZTA Board must adopt a new National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) by September 1, which will confirm which projects may be funded by the National Land Transport Fund over the 2024-2027 period.
I am looking forward to the NLTP’s release later in the year and to confirmation of much-needed investment into our transport infrastructure.
To learn more about the State Highway Investment Proposal, you can visit NZTA’s website at www.nzta.govt.nz and search for “State Highway Investment”.
