April 17, 2026
he South Island is being set up to ‘‘fail’’ with a lack of Government investment in transport infrastructure, Canterbury’s regional council chairperson says.
Dr Deon Swiggs says the South Island, and the Canterbury region in particular, is not getting its fair share of transport funding.
‘‘Transport infrastructure isn't just about roads, it's about economic resilience, productivity, and regional equity.
‘‘If we don’t invest in resilience we will fail and we will end up with an even bigger bill.’’
The Canterbury region comprises 13 percent of New Zealand’s population, produces around 12% of Gross Domestic Product and makes up around 15% of vehicle kilometres travelled.
But the region received just 5% of funding from the National Land Transport Fund in the 2024-27 and 2021-24 funding periods.
The South Island received 12% in the 2024-27 funding period, even though it makes up 24% of the population, produces 22% of GDP and makes up 26% of vehicle kilometres travelled.
‘‘No matter what way you cut it, Canterbury and the South Island are in a transport funding crisis,’’ Dr Swiggs said.
Dr Swiggs also chairs the Canterbury Regional Transport Committee, which comprises the region’s mayors and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency representatives.
He said the lack of equitable funding meant local councils struggled to keep on top of infrastructure maintenance.
The Hurunui district has 286 bridges, with around one-third needing to be replaced over the next 30 years.
Environment Canterbury had planned to increase the electric buses in its fleet and boost public transport services in its last Long Term Plan, adopted in June 2024.
‘‘We had to reduce our investment on public transport because the Government cancelled the funding, and now look at what’s happening with the fuel crisis,’’ Dr Swiggs said.
With a general election this year, he encouraged voters to question candidates on how they plan to address transport funding.
‘‘This isn't about asking for special treatment, it's about fair allocation based on evidence and need,’’ Dr Swiggs said.
‘‘This situation is not acceptable and we all need to be telling central Government that this trend needs to stop and reverse.’’
Hurunui District Council chief executive Hamish Dobbie said his ratepayers were contributing significantly more than the local share on roading projects to offset some of the funding shortfall.
‘‘Our roading network would go backwards and our ratepayers have said ‘we don’t want that to happen’.
‘‘There may be a rational explanation for why the South Island misses out, but you’ve got to wonder whether it’s political.’’
Waimakariri District Council chief executive Jeff Millward said the lack of funding produced ‘‘a significant backlog and appears to be an unfair distribution’’.
Kaikōura District Council chief executive Will Doughty said his council shared the concerns.
Councils are starting to plan ahead for next year’s Long Term Plans, where they will need set a budget with their communities to spend on roading and public transport.
But the 2027-30 National Land Transport Fund is not expected to be released until later next year, after Long Term Plans are adopted on June 30, 2027.
South Island Minister James Meager said funding decisions were based on “national priorities, project readiness and value for money”, and not “a simple regional split”.
He noted Canterbury had received a record $1.8 billion of funding in the 2024-27 funding period.
The Government was funding the Woodend Bypass, a second Ashburton bridge, Rolleston access improvements, the Pages Road bridge and Brougham Street upgrades in Christchurch, and coastal shipping resilience projects.
NZTA’s national land transport programme development manager Gareth Hughes said an investment framework was used to ensure funding was allocated according to priorities set out in the Government Policy Statement on land transport.
Regional equity is not considered in the criteria for ranking transport funding proposals, he said.
‘‘The reality is proposals put forward from the North Island have typically achieved a higher ranking and prioritisation than those put forward from the South Island.’’
By David Hill
he South Island is being set up to ‘‘fail’’ with a lack of Government investment in transport infrastructure, Canterbury’s regional council chairperson says.
Dr Deon Swiggs says the South Island, and the Canterbury region in particular, is not getting its fair share of transport funding.
‘‘Transport infrastructure isn't just about roads, it's about economic resilience, productivity, and regional equity.
‘‘If we don’t invest in resilience we will fail and we will end up with an even bigger bill.’’
The Canterbury region comprises 13 percent of New Zealand’s population, produces around 12% of Gross Domestic Product and makes up around 15% of vehicle kilometres travelled.
But the region received just 5% of funding from the National Land Transport Fund in the 2024-27 and 2021-24 funding periods.
The South Island received 12% in the 2024-27 funding period, even though it makes up 24% of the population, produces 22% of GDP and makes up 26% of vehicle kilometres travelled.
‘‘No matter what way you cut it, Canterbury and the South Island are in a transport funding crisis,’’ Dr Swiggs said.
Dr Swiggs also chairs the Canterbury Regional Transport Committee, which comprises the region’s mayors and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency representatives.
He said the lack of equitable funding meant local councils struggled to keep on top of infrastructure maintenance.
The Hurunui district has 286 bridges, with around one-third needing to be replaced over the next 30 years.
Environment Canterbury had planned to increase the electric buses in its fleet and boost public transport services in its last Long Term Plan, adopted in June 2024.
‘‘We had to reduce our investment on public transport because the Government cancelled the funding, and now look at what’s happening with the fuel crisis,’’ Dr Swiggs said.
With a general election this year, he encouraged voters to question candidates on how they plan to address transport funding.
‘‘This isn't about asking for special treatment, it's about fair allocation based on evidence and need,’’ Dr Swiggs said.
‘‘This situation is not acceptable and we all need to be telling central Government that this trend needs to stop and reverse.’’
Hurunui District Council chief executive Hamish Dobbie said his ratepayers were contributing significantly more than the local share on roading projects to offset some of the funding shortfall.
‘‘Our roading network would go backwards and our ratepayers have said ‘we don’t want that to happen’.
‘‘There may be a rational explanation for why the South Island misses out, but you’ve got to wonder whether it’s political.’’
Waimakariri District Council chief executive Jeff Millward said the lack of funding produced ‘‘a significant backlog and appears to be an unfair distribution’’.
Kaikōura District Council chief executive Will Doughty said his council shared the concerns.
Councils are starting to plan ahead for next year’s Long Term Plans, where they will need set a budget with their communities to spend on roading and public transport.
But the 2027-30 National Land Transport Fund is not expected to be released until later next year, after Long Term Plans are adopted on June 30, 2027.
South Island Minister James Meager said funding decisions were based on “national priorities, project readiness and value for money”, and not “a simple regional split”.
He noted Canterbury had received a record $1.8 billion of funding in the 2024-27 funding period.
The Government was funding the Woodend Bypass, a second Ashburton bridge, Rolleston access improvements, the Pages Road bridge and Brougham Street upgrades in Christchurch, and coastal shipping resilience projects.
NZTA’s national land transport programme development manager Gareth Hughes said an investment framework was used to ensure funding was allocated according to priorities set out in the Government Policy Statement on land transport.
Regional equity is not considered in the criteria for ranking transport funding proposals, he said.
‘‘The reality is proposals put forward from the North Island have typically achieved a higher ranking and prioritisation than those put forward from the South Island.’’
By David Hill
