Wairarapa MP Kieran McAnulty says Labour’s new land transport policy, which includes a 12-cent petrol tax increase, will have big implications for Wairarapa.
The Labour Party’s draft government policy statement on land transport went out for consultation yesterday.
It proposes spending $20.8 billion from 2024 to 2027, a 34 per cent increase on the 2021 to 2024 budget.
The Government Policy Statement sets out priorities for investment over a period of 10 years, with a new one every three years.
The policy would partly be funded by increasing petrol tax and road user charges.
Petrol tax would increase by two cents at the start of 2024, followed by another two-cent rise six months later, then an annual four-cent increase in 2025 and 2026 – a total of 12c over three years.
McAnulty said the increase in funding would mean more money for Wairarapa councils to upgrade and fix local roads and more money for Waka Kotahi NZTA to maintain and improve state highways.
“I am very firm in the view that this is the perfect opportunity for Waka Kotahi to commit to improving the Carterton to Featherston stretch [of SH2], to returning the speed limit back to 100kmh, and to continuing the higher subsidy for the road to Ngawi [Cape Palliser Rd].”
Waka Kotahi said in March that it would not return the speed limit on SH2 between Carterton and Featherston to 100kmh unless the corridor’s environment “significantly changed” or if the 80kmh speed limit was no longer considered safe or appropriate.
The transport agency is currently discussing details on the future funding arrangement for Cape Palliser Rd with South Wairarapa District Council.
It has not provided a specific timeframe for when future funding arrangements will be decided.
McAnulty said the policy included upgrading the Melling interchange and the roads to Wellington Airport.
“It’ll mean a quicker and safer trip between Wairarapa and Wellington city and the airport.”
McAnulty said Wairarapa had directly benefited from his Labour Government’s transport funding, specifically with the Manawatu Gorge replacement highway, the new SH2 roundabouts, the new trains for Wairarapa Line coming at the end of the decade, and Wairarapa Line train track upgrade.
Transport Minister David Parker said the increased petrol tax and road user charges would raise that tax revenue from $13.1 billion to $14.5 billion over three years.
Additional funding for the policy would come from a $2.9 billion Crown grant to the National Land Transport Fund and a $3.1 billion Crown loan from that same fund, to be repaid over 10 years from petrol tax and road use charges.
Parker said the significant increase in funding would pay to repair cyclone-damaged roads, build new roads, and improve public transport.
Consultation on the draft policy statement closes at 5pm on Friday, September 15.
The road between Masterton and Carterton has never been slower or worse. We have 80km speed limit. I think our current MP is vaguely imagining a return to better roads and 100km speed limit sometime in the future? I’m considered about the now. Now is utterly hopeless.
Great food going up even more, every time fuel goes up every thing to do with transportation goes up. Government and councils out of control, wonder why New Zealanders 🤔 are leaving for Australia.