Five of the Government's flagship Roads of National Significance have been put in the slow lane with no construction timeline, even as four other projects in the programme are under construction and two more move into procurement.
NZTA released its Major Transport Projects Pipeline today, setting out the phasing for projects including the Roads of National Significance and major public transport projects.
Watch: Chris Bishop outlines the new timelines for Roads of National Significance
The affected projects are Hope Bypass Stage 2, Sections 2 and 3 of the Northland Expressway (excluding the Brynderwyns section), Auckland's East-West Link, the Alfriston to Drury section of Mill Road, and Petone to Grenada.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said some of these projects would continue only with "preparation for future route protection" rather than moving into construction.
Four RoNS projects are currently under construction: Ōtaki to north of Levin, the Hawke's Bay Expressway, Takitimu North Link Stage 1, and SH29 Tauriko West (Omanawa Bridge).
The first stage of the Northland Expressway, between Warkworth and Te Hana, is in the final stages of procurement and is due to start construction before the end of the year.
Procurement is also underway for the Cambridge to Piarere project funded in Budget 2026, which will extend the Waikato Expressway, with Stage 1 construction due to begin in early 2027 and Stage 2 later that year.
A second group of projects is moving through planning and approval stages.
Early work is underway on the Belfast to Pegasus project after it received provisional approval, while Takitimu North Link Stage 2 has been approved under the Fast-track Approvals Act.
Scathing assessment of the Government's Roads of National Significance programme (Source: 1News)
Planning is continuing on Mill Road Stage One, Stages 1B and 2 of the Northwest Busway, and Hope Bypass Stage 1, with improvements to the Lower Queen Street intersection being prioritised.
NZTA is also working through consenting and designation before construction can begin on several major projects, including SH1 Wellington Improvements (featuring a second Mt Victoria tunnel), the Brynderwyns section of the Northland Expressway, the wider SH29 Tauriko project and Northwest Busway Stage 3.
Land has already been designated for the Northwest Alternative State Highway and Hamilton Southern Links.
Funding options range from fuel tax hikes to borrowing as election-year scrutiny hits transport priorities. This story was originally broadcast in February 2026. (Source: 1News)
'Not all projects can start immediately' – Bishop
Bishop defended the staggered approach, saying "not all projects can start immediately".
"It takes time to get projects ready for construction, with route protection (designations and consenting), detailed design, and property acquisition all needing to be completed before main construction works can begin."
Asked whether the Government had taken on more than it could deliver, Bishop said the 2023 commitments had been ambitious but pushed back on suggestions the timeline itself had been unrealistic.
"We are committed to these projects, so they are significant government commitments and, as we always did say back in 2023 as well, they would be long-term projects," Bishop said.
"I don't respectfully think anyone thought we were going to build a four-lane road to Whangārei in three years."
He said the phasing allowed continued investment in the transport network including maintenance, resilience and safety work, and public transport projects such as Auckland's Northwestern and Eastern Busways.
"Major new corridors are important, but New Zealanders also need a safe, reliable and resilient transport system every day," Bishop said.
On funding pressures facing the programme, Bishop said fuel excise duty had fallen 21% in real terms since it was last increased in 2020, while construction costs had risen significantly over the same period — a trend he said had been compounded by the conflict in the Middle East.
'That's not a plan, that's a wishlist' – Labour
Labour's transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere criticised the pipeline, saying it amounted to an admission that the Government's transport programme is not fully funded.
"The Government has released a list showing many of their flagship projects are still years away, with some only proceeding 'as funding becomes available'," Utikere said.
"That's not a transport plan, that's a wishlist."
Utikere accused the Government of overpromising during the 2023 election campaign. "National promised communities these projects would be delivered. Now it's quietly admitting many have no funding to get built," he said.
"They over-promised, under-budgeted, and are now walking back the certainty they sold at the election."
He said the pipeline undercut the Government's earlier claims about its transport programme.
"This is an extraordinary admission from a government that insisted its transport programme was fully costed," he said, calling for "a transport programme built on realistic funding and credible planning, not election slogans."
'More pipe dream than pipeline' – Greens
Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said the pipeline showed billions of dollars of roading projects remained unfunded with no build timeframe.
"The Government has released less a pipeline and more a pipe dream with no clear way to fund its mega-projects," she said, adding that moving projects into a slower phase was "an admission that the numbers don't stack up" for the programme.
Genter said the roading focus had come at the expense of public transport, rail, walking and cycling funding, and criticised the lack of mass transit plans for Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton and Tauranga.
"Funding needs to be where it moves the most people: rapid, reliable public transport, safe streets and a resilient roading network," she said.
Today's headlines in 90 seconds include the US president threatening fresh strikes on Iran, wild weather making its way north and preparations underway for a state visit from the Indian Prime Minister. (Source: TVNZ)
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