Wellington tunnel investment case ready ‒ but still a secret

Friday, 4 July 2025

The state transport agency has apparently completed its investment case for two new Wellington tunnels, but the details are still under wraps.

Wellington City councillors, who had a briefing from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi on Thursday, aren’t much the wiser.

Councillor Diane Calvert was pleased to see progress even if little was revealed at the briefing behind closed doors on Thursday.

“It was very limited details. From my perspective, we’re keen to see details,” she said.

At stake are a second Mt Victoria tunnel, a second Terrace tunnel, major alterations around the Basin Reserve, and State Highway 1 changes through the central city.

Politically, the hot potatoes are two aspects of the Government plan ‒ will it deliver on a pre-election pledge to have a spades in the ground for the second Mt Victoria tunnel before the next general election in 2026? And how will it get all the traffic from new tunnels down the confined streets through the central city?

The agency had a June 30 deadline to draft the investment case and an unnamed spokesperson said the draft had been done but it won’t be “considered complete” until it goes to the agency’s board, which next meets in August. The Wellington proposal would go to the board with 17 other national roads of significance, Calvert said.

NZTA refused to release the draft investment case or a summary of what it said because its release “would be damaging to the public interest”.

“With respect to the information that has been withheld, we do not consider there are any other factors which would render it desirable, in the public interest, to make the information available.”

Thursday’s briefing was a chance for councillors to ask questions about Wellington region’s roads of national significance, of which the tunnels project was one.

Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter criticised the secrecy around the investment case.

“This is a public investment made with public money, the public (especially in Wellington) deserve to know what is happening ‒ and to have input into the project,” she said.

Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul backed Genter’s comments.

“The fast-track process makes little space for community input and the construction will have enormous environmental and social impacts so public transparency is critical,” she said.

“This is not simply a matter of making it faster for politicians to get to the airport. It will radically alter our transport system in Wellington.

“Our communities wishes for walking and cycling enablement and wider incorporation of our pubic transport system must be honoured.”

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 recently confirmed that promised improvements for walking and cycling were not so certain but his office said the promise of spades in the ground on the second tunnel this term remained.

The investment case cannot go for Government sign-off until after the Waka Kotahi board looks at it ‒ and makes it officially complete ‒ in August. The next board meeting is August 8.