12. CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Transport
What factors were used to determine which highways would be fast tracked as the Government’s roads of national significance?
Hon NATHAN GUY (Associate Minister of Transport) Link to this
The initial list of roads of national significance identified seven of our most essential routes that have high traffic volumes, and that require work to reduce congestion, improve safety, and support economic growth. Those roads are very important in their respective regions; they rank close to the top of the regions’ priority lists, and are within or adjacent to our five largest centres in terms of population and growth.
If the priority for roads of national significance is economic development, then why has Taranaki, with its substantial dairy industry, missed out on upgrades to State Highway 3 between Mōkau and Piopio?
That member will be pleased to know—showing a little bit of interest in the Taranaki region, because she will no doubt be heading there with the Labour caucus next week—that a working party was set up in 2003, led by the Taranaki Regional Council and the three Taranaki district councils. I am ashamed that each year since 2003 the previous Labour Government spent on average only $2 million to $4 million on State Highway 3.
Mr SPEAKERThe member was just going to ask a further supplementary question, but I feel that the Minister could do a little better than that in answering that question. It was a reasonable question asking about why a certain State highway was not included and about what the Government plans to do about that highway. I think a little more than we received would be appropriate.
I just asked the Associate Minister to answer the question. Had the Associate Minister not been critical of the Labour Party, I might have been more forgiving of the way he answered. But if he will not answer the question at all, I would advise him not to get stuck into another party.
In my primary answer, I alluded to the reasons that the Government decided to use a particular decision-making process in respect of the roads of national significance. One particular parameter relates to high vehicle volumes, and about 3,000 vehicles travel on that particular route north of Waitara each day. There are also parameters relating to congestion and safety, and to supporting economic growth.
Why did the Government decide to bring forward Labour’s Kōpū Bridge replacement project by 1 year, given that it is not a road of national significance and the bridge’s carriage of primary products for export is insignificant compared with Taranaki’s State Highway 3?
It is a significant investment for the Coromandel region. There is huge economic development. Fifty jobs will be created to work on this bridge, with flow-on benefits of 100 jobs. This Government is getting on with building infrastructure and is improving the economic development of this country.
David BennettIn addition to the recent announcements about the Victoria Park tunnel and the exciting Kōpū Bridge replacement, the Minister of Transport is in Tauranga today to announce the start of consultation on tolling as a possible means of bringing forward the Tauranga eastern link road. This new road will boost productivity, improve access to the Port of Tauranga, and greatly enhance safety. The important point is that it will reduce travel time by 24 minutes on a return journey.