- Southland faces severe road funding shortfall impacting maintenance of its vast network.
- Mayor Rob Scott seeks fairer funding to address critical safety and infrastructure issues.
Southland District Mayor Rob Scott has raised urgent concerns about road safety in his region, highlighting a funding shortfall that could have dire consequences for residents. In a letter to Transport Minister Simeon Brown dated 11 October, Scott outlined the challenges of maintaining Southland’s extensive 5000km roading network—the second largest in New Zealand—while relying on just 21,000 ratepayers to cover the costs.
“Noting the size of our roading network ... with only 21,000 ratepayers to cover its costs, our people feel the pinch of every dollar that we spend,” Scott wrote.
The council initially requested $147 million to maintain its roads, including plans for 105km of sealing and 13km of rehabilitation work. However, only $125 million was approved, leaving a significant funding gap equivalent to an 18 percent rates increase.
In response to the shortfall, the council has reluctantly proposed cost-cutting measures, including eliminating edge markings to save $1.2 million. Scott has criticised this decision, stressing the importance of such markings for safety on unlit rural roads.
“At face value this might not sound like a big issue, but it is a significant safety concern especially in our 100km/hr rural roads. We don’t have streetlights, and at night and/or poor weather conditions these lines are a vital tool in monitoring one’s position on the road. This is the kind of decision that has the likelihood of people losing their lives.”
Scott outlined three key requests to the minister: reconsider the full $147 million funding request, allow councils to redistribute funds within their roading budgets, and establish more equitable Funding Assistance Rates.
The Southland network includes 3000km of unsealed roads, 2000km of sealed roads, and 840 bridges, of which 56 are closed or weight-restricted.
Scott remains hopeful after meeting with the minister, stating, “The numbers are hard to argue with there, and I’m optimistic that we’ll get to a good outcome.”
In response, Brown noted that no council receives full funding due to nationwide demand exceeding available funds. He said 87 percent of Southland’s request had been approved and that he had forwarded Scott’s concerns about edge marking to officials for further review.