The Government has announced a near $4 billion boost to combat potholes on state highways and local roads over the next three years.
In a statement released today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown said the NZTA Waka Kotahi board had confirmed indicative funding levels in the National Land Transport Programme, allowing the Government to “significantly increase” road maintenance funding.
Over the next three years, the agency will deliver $2.07 billion in state highway pothole prevention, with $1.9 billion going towards prevention on local roads.
The Greens, however, said the money "might as well be money poured down the drain" if NZ failed to confront the climate crisis.
The areas seeing the most pothole funding are Auckland ($487m), Waikato ($214m), Canterbury ($188m), and Northland ($149m).
“Compared to spend under the last government’s 2021-2024 NLTP, this represents a 91% increase in funding for State Highway Pothole Prevention and a 50% increase in the total funding for Local Road Pothole Prevention,” Brown said.
“We have ringfenced this record investment in the Pothole Prevention Fund to resealing, rehabilitation, and drainage maintenance works to ensure that NZTA and councils get our State Highways and local roads up to the safe and reliable standards that Kiwis expect.”
Brown said that over 62,000 potholes needed fixing in state highways around the county last year.
“We are now catching up on the maintenance deficit to ensure that Kiwis and freight can get to where they need to go quickly and safely,” he said.
"Indicative funding levels confirmed under our government provide councils with much-needed certainty as they finalise their Long-Term Plans. It will also enable roading contractors to have a clear pipeline of work in our roading network, which will allow more investment in the people and equipment needed for its maintenance.
“Kiwis want potholes fixed and our roads properly maintained, and this funding boost will deliver real results across the country.
“Boosting investment in pothole prevention will deliver a safe and efficient network for New Zealanders that increases productivity and supports economic growth.”
'Money poured down the drain' - Greens
Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said the Government's choice "to pour billions into potholes whilst remaining inactive on climate change does nothing to solve our transport system's core problems".
"Pouring $4 billion into potholes might as well be money poured down the drain if we fail to confront the climate crisis and prevent a future filled with wave after wave of natural disaster."
She said Brown had created "hype" around potholes but "doesn’t have solutions to the real challenges our transport network is facing".
“The Minister really has no idea how our transport network works and what is needed to enable more people and goods to keep moving. Investment in rail, public transport infrastructure, and coastal shipping is a vital part of reducing pressure on our roads, reducing transport costs, and bringing down emissions.
“Other transport solutions are desperately needed to shift money away from repairing roads constantly. For $4 billion we could stop the damage in the first place by improving low emissions alternatives such as public transport, taking pressure off our climate and roading infrastructure.
“We desperately need funding to shift more heavy freight onto rail and coastal shipping rather than entrenching our dependence on roading.
“To plunge huge amounts of taxpayer money into something as short term in its impact as fixing potholes is simply throwing good money after bad. We need a government that has the guts to look at the long-term needs of our country,” she said.
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