Motorway spending spree reckless

A $200 million government pay out to consultants to investigate plans for motorways that won’t be built for some time is both reckless and irresponsible, Labour’s Transport spokesperson Phil Twyford says.

“The Government has front-loaded massive spending on motorway design in a mad dash to get its seven ‘roads of national significance’ built.

“In a country the size of New Zealand you cannot build all of those motorways at once. Even if they were all to go ahead – and there’s no certainty they will – the builds would have to be staged over a period of time.

“Instead of proceeding in a staged way, the Government has gone on a spending binge, throwing cash at design consultants for these projects all at once,” Phil Twyford said.

“Projects like the Puhoi-Wellsford holiday highway will not be built for a long time. Just last week the Government removed the Otaki-Levin leg of the Wellington road of national significance in order to save $300 million and, given the pressures on the transport budget, more cuts are likely.

“Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee is unconcerned by the fact that so much has been spent on consultants. Yet in a review of NZTA last year the Treasury, State Services and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet recommended it could save money by delivering these services in-house. It is inevitable some of the $200 million will have been wasted.

“Where is the care with taxpayers’ money?

“The transport budget seems to be the Bermuda Triangle of Government spending. Vast amounts of money disappear and the normal rules don’t apply.

“We have seen it with the way some of the roads of national significance have been given the green light with no regard for their low economic value and we’re seeing it again with the front-loading of payouts to these consultants,” said Phil Twyford.