Colin Ambler/cvnznews.com
A political shift that’s been building for years finally broke into the open this week: New Zealand’s appetite for massive four‑lane highways and billion‑dollar tunnels has evaporated. And for Save the Basin, that means one thing — Wellington’s proposed state highway expansion and its two mega‑tunnels should be cancelled immediately.
The catalyst was the Big Infrastructure Debate, hosted by Engineering New Zealand and Stuff, where Transport Minister Chris Bishop openly acknowledged that political parties have spent years announcing “fantasy projects.” For Save the Basin, this was the first honest admission that the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) era has failed to deliver on cost, benefit, or realism.
Ross Teppett, spokesperson for Save the Basin, didn’t mince words: “It is heartening to see political parties understand that we need to invest in what we have rather than proposing big and expensive roads that will never be built.”
The Wellington RoNS package — including the two‑tunnel proposal — has the lowest cost‑benefit ratio of any RoNS project. Teppett argues it was never affordable, never realistic, and never aligned with the city’s future.
Instead of pouring billions into a project he says “will never be built,” Teppett wants the Government to shift focus to modest congestion charging, safer walking and cycling routes, and better public transport. He warns that even lodging consent for the highway this month will prolong “planning blight,” freezing development and blocking smaller improvements that could help Wellington now.
But not everyone agrees that cancellation is simple.
Stephanie, commenting on Wellington Scoop, says the city is paying the price for 20 years of poor planning: “If planners had had a vision for the future, all road improvements since would have been carried out with an eye to improving transport in the city… The Mt Vic tunnel is nearly 100 years old and must be near the end of safe life.”
Neil raises another challenge: “We can’t have additional cycle or walking infrastructure if we’re constrained to a narrow path in the existing Mt Vic tunnel… Is doing nothing really a feasible option?”
Save the Basin’s answer is clear: cancel the project, sell the 250 NZTA‑owned properties back to iwi or on the open market, and invest in practical, affordable transport upgrades.
Whether Wellington agrees — or whether the city can afford to wait — is now the real debate.
