Family’s pot of gold at end of expressway

Thursday, 4 June 2026

Ross and Liane Cresswell were pleased with their final offer from NZTA when they sold their farm on Tirau Rd in Karapiro to make way for the new Waikato Expressway. They are now at their new property near Otorohanga.

A Waikato farming family who struck gold over the sale of their property for the Cambridge to Piarere expressway have nothing but praise for the way road bosses handled their case.

The case is a stark contrast to others who claimed NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) rushed them or had poor communication while buying land for the state highway build.

Ross and Liane Cresswell said the agency often gets a hard time from the public and the media, and wanted to tell their side of the story after selling their home and property at 525 Tirau Rd for the long-planned project.

The Cresswells had lived on the property for about a decade, and expected to spend the rest of their lives there.

Ross Cresswell said they had a completely different story to tell about the process than their former neighbours Serena and Geoff Fletcher, who had to give up their family home of more than 40 years to make way for the expressway.

“Our opinion of everything is almost the complete opposite of what they portrayed as happening,” he said.

Cresswell said the possibility of their 31-hectare property being affected by the expressway was not a surprise after becoming aware of the proposal about eight years ago when NZTA began consulting with affected residents and outlining potential routes for the new road.

The Fletcher family home on Tirau Rd is being demolished to make way for a new section of the Waikato Expressway.

Last week, the Government announced it had approved a $1.77 billion budget for the expressway extension.

'There were no surprises at all,' he said.

“And to be fair, that road is desperate to be done.

'Even in the 10 years we'd been there, we'd noticed an increase in traffic.

“The old Mobil intersection is terrible for trucks, it’s even worse on long weekends and school holidays, it’s a real shambles.'

The Cresswells have since moved to a new property in Tihiroa, and said the agency had come to the party in terms of paying for their relocation, as well as covering costs for moving their stock and farm machinery.

'I would rate their communication as excellent,' Cresswell said.

'And I would rate their empathy towards our situation as excellent as well.'

When it came to land compensation, he said both sides had received independent valuations before negotiating a final purchase price.

Cresswell declined to reveal the amount they were paid, but said he was satisfied with the settlement after buying the property for just under $2 million 10 years ago.

'We got a good price, yes, we made some money,' he said.

Ross and Liane Cresswell are happy on their new property Otorohanga.

'We believe we got more money than anyone else was going to pay us.

'If we had to sell it at auction, I think we probably would have got a lot less for it.'

While losing their property was disappointing, Cresswell said NZTA staff communicated clearly throughout the process and showed genuine understanding of the impact the move would have on them.

“It can’t be a nice job for them to go along to people and say, ‘this is what has to happen, the Government has the right to take your land if they need it for roads, and you’re going to have to move’.”

Cresswell said when the family realised they would struggle to meet the original deadline for vacating their farm, the agency also granted extra time and provided skip bins to help clear the site.

But while the move had been difficult, he believed NZTA had dealt with his family honestly and respectfully.

'We thought the whole negotiation process was above board, and totally transparent,' he said.

'Obviously we didn’t want to go because it was a great place to live.

“We had a gate into the Cambridge sale yards so every Tuesday we could wander over there, talk shit, tell some lies, buy some cattle, and walk them home.

“If we had something to sell, we'd walk it over. If it didn't make enough money, we'd walk it back.

“We had our youngest son, his wife, and two grandkids living in the front house. They were happy days.”

NZTA’s board had allocated $250 million dollars in funding to allow the expressway project to progress property acquisition, route protection, and consenting activities.

“We have been lucky. We've managed to buy another farm a little bit out in the sticks because Cambridge is an expensive place to buy.

“It is a bit further afield but you get more bang for your buck if you move a little bit out of town.

Cresswell said getting a good lawyer experienced in land compensation claims was also a big help.

“If you want a job done well, you get someone who knows how to do the job.

“He knew all the ins and outs … and it all went pretty smooth.”