Mt Victoria tunnel ground-breaking promise down to the wire

Monday, 23 June 2025

Have your say in the comments below

Pre-election promises of an “improved life” for walkers and cyclists through Mt Victoria have been pushed to the ‘maybe’ pile but, with a rapidly approaching deadline, the Transport Minister says there will be spades in the ground for a second car tunnel this term.

In September 2023 Chris Bishop, then National’s infrastructure spokesperson campaigning to win the Hutt South seat from Labour, made a pre-election promise: “The next National government will start construction on a second Mt Victoria tunnel in its first term”, he said, adding it would “improve life for walkers and cyclists”.

Green transport spokesperson and Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter asked Bishop ‒ now Transport and Infrastructure Minister ‒ last week whether the new tunnel would have “provision for walking and cycling”.

Bishop laughed, threw the question to officials, then confirmed: “I don’t know.”

Outside of select committee, his office confirmed the business case was being worked on and no decisions had been made.

Genter said the danger was that the second tunnel would now be built for cars only, leaving cyclists and pedestrians still sharing a polluted existing tunnel.

The original plans included a four metre-wide pedestrian and cycle tunnel from the Basin Reserve to Taurima St in Hataitai. Separately, the existing Mt Victoria car tunnel would lose its walking and cycling path and become one-way with a second car tunnel built alongside going the other direction.

“Seems like classic National: make promises to seem balanced in the election campaign,” Genter said.

“But in truth, they don’t have the money for the tunnel, and they don’t care about the people walking, cycling or taking the bus.”

She doubted that the promise of spades in the ground, above a ceremonial dig, for the new car tunnel was now feasible this term given the time left.

Bishop’s office said construction of the second tunnel “sure is” starting this term.

But the clock is ticking with the next general election in the second half of 2026. The last legal date for the next election is December 19, 2026.

The Post in January saw documents showing the final decision on funding would be made in June, with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi starting construction in 2026. But with just days left in June it appears there has been a delay.

Waka Kotahi last week confirmed the investment case was still due by the end of June but it needed to go to the board, which was expected to next meet in August. It would go to the minister after that.

“This investment case informs the decision to invest in the project, and includes confirmation of the scope of the project, and preliminary design to confirm an investment envelope for the project,” a Waka Kotahi spokesperson said.

“Until these steps are complete, we cannot confirm specifics on the project’s footprint, design characteristics, time frames, or its estimated cost.”

Motukairangi/Eastern ward councillor Teri O’Neill, who lives in Hataitai, said the existing pedestrian path through the tunnel was the cheapest way to get to the city for her, residents, school children, workers and “heaps of cyclists”.

“You can’t promise a tunnel for everyone and then forget the people walking and biking through it,” she said.

Sarah Free, also a local ward councillor, said she expected some preliminary designs and engagement with the Wellington Council by now.

“It is absolutely imperative the designs include some significant improvements for cycling and walking, and it’s good to be reminded of the minister’s pre-election promises,” she said.

Tim Brown, the final ward councillor, said there appeared to be strong political will to improve SH1 between The Terrace and airport, and to reduce its disruption to the city's traffic flows.

“I'm also sure that Wellingtonians will be asked to help pay,” Brown said.

The council supported “time of use” or congestion charging to pay for the work, but Brown said there were still a lot of questions about how other congestion issues would be solved.

He suspected cycling improvements “don’t improve CBA [cost-benefit analysis] scores. Whereas I tend to feel that there is probably a reasonable strong case for busways.”