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The state of our roads in Invercargill and Southland is a huge concern.
Our councils have done their best, under very trying circumstances, but cuts to government road funding have meant that they have had a difficult job in recent years.
Millions of dollars in Waka Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency) funding, as part of the 2021-24 National Land Transport Programme, was cut from local council’s budgets.
This saw the Southland District Council losing $7.5 million and Invercargill City Council receiving $10 million less.
Then followed bridge closures around Southland, cuts to road and street maintenance and increased rates for local people.
But instead of fixing our roads, this Government wasted millions on pet projects that came to nothing:
- $51 million for Auckland’s cancelled cycle bridge
- Up to $29 billion for Auckland light rail.
- 1,000 extra NZTA staff since 2017
- 97 comms staff at NZTA in 2022, up from 32 in 2017
- $491,000 to rent an empty office on the Auckland waterfront for the cancelled cycle bridge Instead of this wasteful spending, we need sensible investment in local roads that benefits regional growth and development.
National will establish a Pothole Repair Fund to urgently address the shocking state of our local roads and state highways.
National’s repair fund will see an additional $500 million over three years allocated to local authorities and NZTA to address potholes and other damage.
Rather than wasting money on expensive transport projects that nobody wants, National will focus on fixing our roading network to ensure people and freight can move around the country safely and efficiently.