National promises pothole repair fund

National is promising to roll out a pothole fund in an effort to speed up road repairs.

It wants to direct Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to double the rate of roading repairs, halve the pothole response rate from two days to 24 hours and give a $500 million boost over three years for state highway and local road repairs.

National transport spokesperson Simeon Brown said potholes cause “significant damage and disruption to freight and motorists all over the country”.

To pay for the Pothole Repair Fund, National promised to move around spending within the National Land Transport Programme, stopping the speed reductions and “excessive speed bump installations, or the failed Road to Zero advertising campaign”.

“In 2022, over 54,000 potholes needed repair on state highways around New Zealand, the highest number in ten years. In Auckland alone, there is a backlog of 1000 kilometres of needed road repairs, with Auckland Transport estimating it will take up to 10 years to clear,” Brown said. “National will also introduce new rules for pothole repair on state highways, including halving the standard response time for pothole repair from 48 to 24 hours, and introducing a requirement for NZTA to undertake renewal and rehabilitation work on at least 2% of the roading network each year, more than double the current rate.”

Waka Kotahi takes care of the state highway network, which covers about 11,000 kilometres of fully sealed roads.

On average, Waka Kotahi contractors fixed 2750 state highway potholes a month over the year to June 2022.

Waka Kotahi’s maintenance contracts specify potholes on state highways need to be fixed (at least temporarily) within two to four days, depending on size and location. The data of actually how long it takes to fix potholes is not recorded.

Permanent maintenance needs to be done when it’s warm and dry, making it very difficult with only a small window over the summer months. Permanent repairs are also not done over Christmas and New Year, to prevent added congestion during the peak travel season. The remaining 83,000km of the country’s network are local roads, which are the responsibility of local councils.