RoNS Reality Finally Hits Home
In something of a Matariki miracle, the government has finally acknowledged that their mega-road programme isn’t feasible (as we’ve been pointing out for quite some time), and have scaled it back accordingly.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop has been hinting for some months that this was probably going to happen, with the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme alone expected to cost over $50 billion, but it’s good to finally have it confirmed as of last Thursday:
Transport Minister Chris Bishop is welcoming the publication of NZTA’s Major Transport Projects Pipeline, setting out the phasing for projects including the Roads of National Significance and major public transport projects.…
2 Comments Weekly Roundup 10-July-2026
With a long weekend to celebrate Matariki, we’ve pulled together another bumper weekly roundup for you to enjoy. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Patrick took a look at Te Ara Tupua in Wellington and what we can learn from it.…
Why the RoNS are even more unthinkable now
Our open letter to Chris Bishop, imploring him to bring some sense to the overblown Roads of National Significance juggernaut, has sparked a lot of discussion and some very good questions about the way ahead.
Once upon a time, the RoNS were a shiny election bauble, a vision of brand-new highways sweeping across the country.…
Open letter to Chris Bishop
Kia ora Minister Bishop,
Congratulations to you and the government for your work to secure cross-party support for the National Infrastructure Plan.
It is imperative that you now urgently apply that agreement to the Warkworth to Te Hana project, and to the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme as a whole, as they run entirely counter to the plan.…
Te Ara Tupua: Resilience and choice
Next weekend I’m heading down to the capital for Matariki and to ride Te Ara Tupua. In advance, I’ve been thinking what we can learn from the evolution of this corridor over time.
I was last there in January 2026, when Waka Kotahi kindly gave me a tour of the nearly complete project: Land Bridge
The best way for Aucklanders to think about this key link between Wellington City, the Hutt Valley and Wairarapa is that it’s their Harbour Bridge.…
Weekly Roundup 3-July-2026
Wow, it’s already July! Enjoy some stories on all things cities and urbanism ahead of the weekend. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday we had a guest post from the esteemed Darren Davis, looking at what it would take to get passenger rail to Tauranga
On Tuesday Connor shared Greater Auckland’s PC120 feedback to the central local boards in the Auckland Isthmus.…
Throwback Thursday: Imagine, a City
Today’s throwback story by Patrick Reynolds is quite a recent one, from December 2025. We’re sharing it again prompted by Chris Parker – comedian, aka truth-teller – whose positive affirmations of Auckland struck a chord with us, and likely will for our readers, too.…
Our PC120 feedback to central Local Boards
Currently, Local Boards in Auckland are being asked to consider two different options when it comes to PC120. In our view, Option B is ideal as it focuses upzoning around existing infrastructure and strong transport links, within the central isthmus. (By contrast, Option A does only the bare legal minimum.)…
Trains to Tauranga: What needs to happen?
This is a guest post by Darren Davis. It originally appeared on his excellent blog, Adventures in Transitland, which we encourage you to check out. It is shared by kind permission. Prologue
It’s been 25 years since the Bay of Plenty has had a regular passenger service in the form of the Kaimai Express.…
Weekly Roundup 26-June-2026
We’re at the final Friday of June, meaning we’re now about halfway through the year. Check out this roundup of stories to cap off your week! This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday we ran another guest post by Nicolas Reid, answering some frequently asked questions on his Waitematā Harbour Bridge Proposal
On Wednesday Connor covered our presentation to Council about Nicolas’s bridge proposal.…
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