PM to Nelson businesses: We’re committed to Hope Bypass, but …

Thursday, 9 April 2026

Plans to build the Hope Bypass are under way, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has assured a roomful of Nelson-Tasman business leaders.

But, as Luxon faced questions at a Nelson-Tasman Chamber of Commerce lunch on Thursday, he was quick to temper expectations, with a warning about funding for roads being uncertain.

“Our intention is, yes, to carry on with it, and we've got some good momentum and some good activity happening there, as we have, frankly, on the hospital work as well.

“The challenge I say to you in this economic crisis that's been caused by the fuel crisis is, if you take a step back, how do we fund roads in New Zealand?”

The Transport Minister Chris Bishop was under pressure from a fall in income and would need to look at sequencing of works, Luxon said.

“He’s got a lot of work to do to make sure that we get that right, but at the moment, what I can reassure you is, yes, phase one’s up and running, and we know it’s a critical project here.”

The comments came as Nelson mayor Nick Smith and Nelson Regional Development Agency chief executive Fiona Wilson presented the prime minister with a briefing for ministers, laying out the region’s priorities and areas it would be seeking government partnerships.

The document, titled Enabling Nelson Tasman’s Economic Recovery, highlighted the bypass, along with Hospital redevelopment as key infrastructure projects, while also identifying other opportunities for government partnerships to help strengthen the regional economy, including investing in the blue economy, Abel Tasman National Park and the Nelson Cathedral.

In presenting the report, Smith said it was about “central and local government, business and community organisations like the chamber understanding the challenges, but taking the opportunities and that’s what this report is about”.

Luxon welcomed the report, and said he’d already had a quick look and it was “really good work” that would give the Government something to work with.

The Chamber of Commerce event was part of a whirlwind visit to Nelson, where he also visited Port Nelson and opened the new St George’s Cancer Care clinic.

During the Q and A session, Luxon also acknowledged the troubled international back-drop which made it feel like “everything is literally on fire”.

“I know we feel fatigued, I know we're all over it, we want to get back to normal, but we've got to deal with the things that are in front of us.”

That meant community, business and political leaders all playing their part, he said.

“We've got complementary roles to play in an adult way. So we've got to move away from parent-child where the government does everything for everyone, and actually as business leaders, you've got to go educate yourselves.”

He also responded to questions about the upcoming election, saying the education system and RMA reform were his top priorities if they were re-elected, and also said they would be looking at changing to a four year term.

Many of his comments focused on cutting bureaucracy and red tape, and RMA reform was “genuinely is the single biggest transformative thing that we can get done”, he said.

Earlier, at a media stand-up, he addressed the impact of 8000 seats being cut from regional flights to and from Nelson in May and June in response to the rising fuel costs.

He acknowledged the impact on regional tourism, but said it was a commercial decision Air New Zealand would have to front to.

“My expectation would be this is a very much a short-term adjustment because this is a fantastic part of the country.”

Smith said he was seeking reassurances that services would be restored once fuel prices stabilised.

“We’ll be advocating for the return of those flights and its passenger capacity as quickly as possible.”