John MacDonald: The Government's roading spend-up is a no-brainer

Let’s get this clear from the start: Transport Minister Simeon Brown is no knight in shining armour coming to the rescue of motorists up and down the country. 

He’s not doing anything special or spectacular with this announcement that the Government wants to spend a record amount of money on our roads and transport. 

$32.9 billion over the next three years. And, to be fair, it’s mostly roads. $5.5 billion on pothole repairs 

Funding for walkways and cycleways has been halved and there’s going to be no taxpayer money going into speed bumps. Not that that will stop local councils from pouring money into speed bumps, but there’ll be no government money available for speed bumps. 

But, like I say, before you go falling at Simeon’s feet or getting on the blower to the Vatican wanting him canonised, let’s see this announcement for what it is: it’s a no-brainer. 

Because, despite the hefty price tag, if the Government hadn’t decided to spend this kind of money all its talk about committing big-time to infrastructure would have started to sound pretty hollow, pretty quickly. 

The other reason why it needed to allocate a record amount of money to roading and transport —aside from it being a government that’s big on roads and big on infrastructure, in general— is that, when it comes down to it, it had no option. 

It could have decided not to make such a big commitment, but that would have been nuts because our roading network is in desperate need of investment. 

Tell that to the Opposition, though. Labour’s transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere is saying that the focus on big new roads is hypocritical for a government promising to cut costs. If that’s the best criticism you can offer, mate, you might need to think a bit harder.  

The Greens aren’t impressed, either. They want more money for —you guessed it— cycleways and public transport. 

I see that NZTA’s chief executive Nicole Rosie is saying that it will be "challenging to deliver everything within the confines of our budgeted funding". But she says they are "up for the challenge".  

But her group general manager of transport services, Brett Gliddon, is sounding a bit more upbeat. Here’s what he’s saying:  

“Not having sustainable funding over recent years has really impacted our ability to do things in an efficient way and design a pipeline so that construction companies can invest in plant and people to get efficiency.  

“So what we're hoping with this new amount of money is contractors will get a pipeline of work into the future, they'll invest in people and better ways of doing things. So that's the hope.”  

Well hey Brett, you better have been listening to the Transport Minister because it’s not going to be enough for you to just hope the roading contractors do things differently.  

Because, even though Simeon Brown is confident that NZTA can deliver all these projects on time and within budget, it’s going to depend on them putting the screws on the outfits that actually do the work, as well. 

Nevertheless, this is a plan the Government had no options other than going with. 

Yes, it’s big money, but it’s also back-to-basics. Because, when it comes to roading, we’ve become pretty average at the basics. And the basics are what we have to get much better at. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Let's get this clear right from the start, shall we
Let's get it clear. Transport Minister Simeon Brown is no
Knight in Shining Armor coming to the rescue of motorists
up and down the country. He's not doing anything special
or spectacular with his announcement that the government wants to
spend a record amount of money on our roads and
transport thirty two point nine billion dollars over the next

(00:38):
three years. And to be fair, it's mostly roads. Funding
for walkways and cycleways has been halved. There's going to
be no tax payer money going into speed bumps. Rather
that will stop local councils from pouring money into them,
but there will be no government money available for speed bumps.
This thirty two point nine billion includes a few things

(00:58):
here in Canterbury. There's the new wood End bypass, second
ash Burton Bridge and part funding for a new bridge
on Pages in christ Church. There's also going to be
some work on rural intersections, which personally I think are
an absolute menace. There's going to be some work at
Rodiston and Hallswell, and of course more pothole repairs, much more,

(01:21):
many more. In fact, the government saying it's going to
spend five point five billion dollars on pothole repairs. But
like I say, before you go falling at Simeon's feet
or getting on the blower to the Vatican, Waddingham canonized,
let's see this announcement for what it is. It is
a no brainer because despite the hefty price tag, if

(01:43):
the government hadn't decided to spend this kind of money
all let's talk about committing big time to infrastructure, what
it would have started to sound pretty hollow pretty quickly,
wouldn't it. The other reason why it needed to allocate
a record amount of money to roading and transport, aside
from it being a government that's big on roads and
big on infrastructure in general, is that when it comes

(02:05):
down to it, it had no way option. Well, I
could have decided, I suppose not to make such a
big commitment, but that would have been nuts. Why would
it have been nuts? Because our roading network is in
desperate need of investment. Tell that to the opposition, Though,
Labour's transport spokesperson tunguey Uta Kedy is saying the focus

(02:26):
on big new roads. Get this is hypocritical for a
government promising to cut costs. I mean, what a ridiculous
What a ridiculous thing to say. If that's the best
criticism you can come up with, mate, you need to
think a bit harder. And the Greens aren't pressed either.
They want more money for what do you reckon? Cycle

(02:46):
ways and public transport. I see that NCTA's chiev executive
Nicole Rosy, she's saying, quote is going to be challenging
to deliver everything within the confines of our budgeted funding.
But she says they are quote up for the challenge.
But I see her Group General Manager of Transport Services,
Brett Glidden the sounding a bit more upbeat. Here's what

(03:07):
he's saying. Quote, not having sustainable funding over recent years
has really impacted our ability to do things in an
efficient way and design a pipeline so that construction companies
can invest in plant and people to get efficiency. You say,
it's quite so. What we're hoping with this new amount
of money as contractors will get a pipeline and work
into the future that I'll invest in people and better

(03:29):
way of doing things. Note this, But so that's the
hope that's what the guy at ENZTA says. Well, Brett,
you'd better have been listening to the Transport Minister when
he was on with Mike earlier. There is not going
to be enough for you to just hope that the
riding tractors do things differently, because even though Simeon Brown
is confident that NZTA can deliver all these projects on

(03:50):
time and within budget, he says it's going to depend
on them putting the screws on the outfits that actually
do the work as well. Here's a bit of what
he said about that a couple of hours ago.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
The message to the construction sector is, and I made
this for when I spoke at Building Nations last week,
we need your assistance to ensure we're not gold plating
infrastructure and you're taking a no frul's approach so that
we can have affordable infrastructure here in New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
And that's not going to be easiers though, because a
lot of people seem to think that roading contractors have
been creaming it in recent news, absolutely creaming it. Nevertheless,
this is a plan the government had no option but
to go with. Yep, it's big money. But despite the
big money, it's also back to basics, and if the

(04:36):
government had tried to do anything else, I would have
been telling it that it was dreaming, because when it
comes to roading, we've become pretty average at the basics,
and the basics are what we have to get much
better at.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to news talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.