NZTA launches review amid six roading contract investigations and SFO probe
Friday, 22 May 2026
The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has launched an external review following reporting by the Sunday Star-Times and The Post into taxpayer-funded alliance contracts involving billions of dollars of public spending.
That reporting revealed six separate investigations, alongside allegations of financial discrepancies, conflicts of interest and contract management failures.
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The Serious Fraud Office has also opened a probe into the contractor alliance responsible for Auckland’s motorway network, amid allegations of financial discrepancies of between $700,000 and $1.3 million.
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On Thursday, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the agency’s board chairperson, former National Party leader and minister Simon Bridges, had commissioned an review into its “integrity processes”.
He released a letter from Bridges, dated May 15, which said: “Following our discussions this week relating to NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi's (NZTA) handling of alleged financial discrepancies and contract management practices within its alliances and/or roading projects, I am writing to you to confirm that the Board has taken steps to initiate an external review.”
The scope of the review was the “complaints handling settings across NZTA’s infrastructure-focused investigations, including the six Alliance matters along with third-party contractors”.
It would also examine how complaints were received, managed, decided and actioned, and provide recommendations for improvement, Bridges said.
It was due to get under way “shortly”, with “experienced specialist reviewers”. A draft report would be ready by the end of June.
The letter also confirmed NZTA had already commissioned a separate review in February “to identify how its processes and practices for dealing with protected disclosures could be improved”. That’s also due in June and is being conducted by Wellington barrister Samantha Turner.
An alliance is a partnership where government agencies or councils work as one team with private contractors to build major infrastructure projects. They are usually governed by a joint board that makes all decisions unanimously.
Earlier this month, the Star-Times revealed a leaked preliminary review into the $602m alliance set up to rebuild roads and rail links after Cyclone Gabrielle had raised concerns about spending, contractor accommodation arrangements, staffing levels, and resistance to releasing information.
It was sparked by disclosures from three protected whistleblowers.
The Post then revealed this was one of six separate investigations involving taxpayer-funded alliance contracts.
And that the Serious Fraud Office is also investigating allegations of financial discrepancies, conflicts of interest, and preferential treatment of a subcontractor within the contractor alliance responsible for Auckland’s 200km motorway network.
A separate preliminary integrity report, revealed last week, also identified more than $5.1 million in unapproved or contested contract variations on the $84m Te Ara Tūtohu (Waitara to Bell Block) route improvements project in Taranaki, alongside a disputed invoice that appeared to have billed for hours worked by a staff member while she was on leave.
A spokesperson for Bishop confirmed the Minister had recently spoken with Bridges and NZTA chief executive Brett Gliddon seeking assurances NZTA's handling of alleged financial discrepancies was “appropriate and thorough” and that matters are “reported to appropriate authorities at the earliest opportunity”.
Bridges said he expect the findings would be made public once concluded.