NZ Transport Minister Phil Twyford has released the final Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS) 2021 which outlines the planned $48 billion investment in services and infrastructure over the next decade.

“The final GPS supports our government’s five-point plan for economic recovery by confirming our record investments in transport infrastructure and services to create jobs,” Twyford says. 

“Our focus is jobs, and the GPS is on top of ‘shovel ready’ transport projects and those being built through the NZ Upgrade Programme and Provincial Growth Fund – together they will create and support thousands of jobs.”

Twyford says the GPS builds on the NZ government’s current transport policy. “We are continuing to prioritise saving lives on the road, better transport choices to unclog our cities, moving freight more efficiently to support business, and tackling climate change.”

The government has increased the upper range of funding for state highway maintenance by $510 million to improve road safety.

“Rail also gets a $500 million boost in the upper range to keep the network on track, which will help us reduce emissions, accidents and the costs of road maintenance by shifting more freight to rail,” he says.

“Safety remains our government’s top priority and we’re aiming to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the road by 40 per cent by investing $10 billion in our Road to Zero strategy.”

The GPS is how the government guides Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to invest more than $4.5 billion a year raised through the National Land Transport Fund, and how it expects it to allocate funding towards roads, rail, walking and cycling infrastructure, coastal shipping and public transport over the period of 2021/22 – 2030/31.

Revenue collected from fuel excise duty, road-user charges, vehicle and driver registration and licensing, state highway property disposal, leasing and road tolling is all put into the National Land Transport Fund. These funds are used exclusively to invest in transport infrastructure and services. As part of the rail network being funded, track-user charges will be implemented to contribute to the costs of rail.