Nelson-Tasman roading and radiology get boosts in Budget
The road connecting Golden Bay to the rest of the Tasman region is in line for a resilience boost following Thursday’s Budget announcement.
The Budget also outlines initial funding to help bring radiation treatment services to the region.
Among the spending announcements made in the release of the Government’s Budget 2026, was a new $400 million funding pool set aside for state highway resilience projects, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Chris Bishop announced.
“We know where many of the weak points on the network are. This investment allows us to strengthen them before roads fail, rather than repeatedly paying to rebuild them afterwards.”
Among the roads to receive funding is State Highway 60 over Tākaka Hill to Golden Bay.
The key route is vulnerable to slips in major weather events, with emergency repair costs over the past decade totalling $41.6m.
Other projects being funded include SH2 through the Waioweka Gorge, SH3 through the Awakino Gorge, SH25 around the Coromandel, SH6 between Cromwell and Kingston and between Haast and Hāwea, and SH94 between Milford and Te Anau.
Bishop said they were roads communities, freight operators and tourists relied on every day.
“When they close, the impacts are felt far beyond the immediate area.”
The Government was also investing in better hazard information across the country, including the development of the first New Zealand Flood Map, he said.
“Over time, this will provide property-level flood risk information to help councils, communities, infrastructure providers and property owners better understand flood risk and make smarter long-term decisions.”
South Island and Associate Transport Minister James Meager said Tākaka hill would receive about $20m.
“This Tasman corridor is one of New Zealand’s highest resilience risks. It is a key lifeline route for communities and tourism businesses. If it closes, there are no detours.”
The news was welcomed by Tasman mayor Tim King, who said it was a vital road.
“It is the only link in and out of Golden Bay.”
The road had been an almost constant work-in-progress, and he was interested to see the detail of what was planned.
“It has had a lot of work done on it, which has significantly improved the resilience of the road.
“There’s not a great deal of detail about what this particular package entails, so, obviously, we’ll wait and see exactly where the focus is and what areas it’s targeting.”
Meanwhile, Health Minister Simeon Brown announced $930m over the coming year in new clinical equipment, technology upgrades, and hospital facility improvements nationwide.
That includes planning and design work to expand the network of linear accelerator machines in Christchurch, South Auckland, and Nelson, to increase radiation treatment capacity.
Nelson mayor Nick Smith said it would eventually mean patients would be able to receive radiotherapy in Nelson Hospital, rather than travelling to Christchurch.
The commitment is for $5 million alongside other new accelerators in Christchurch and South Auckland only for the planning and design – the facility will cost tens of millions and is not yet committed,“ he said on Facebook.
The announcement meant the region had “our foot in the door”, he said.
“It is a step forward that enables a proper business case to be put together but the bigger challenge will be getting the many millions required for it to be built and staffed.”
By Katie Townshend, Nelson Mail
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