New Zealand Fast-Tracks Highway Upgrade and Queenstown Housing Development
Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop announced fast-track approval for a 7.7km highway upgrade in the Western Bay of Plenty and a 2,800-home residential development in Queenstown. The Takitimu North Link Stage 2 highway project could generate $610 million in economic output, while the Queenstown housing project is estimated to contribute $720.3 million to GDP.
Two significant infrastructure projects have received fast-track approval in New Zealand, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop announced. A critical Western Bay of Plenty highway upgrade and a 2,800-home residential development in Queenstown were both approved through the Fast-track Approvals Act pathway.
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) lodged its application in August 2025 to build approximately 7.7km of new highway between Te Puna and Ōmokoroa, known as the Takitimu North Link – Stage 2. The project is designated a Road of National Significance and will deliver a four-lane, median-divided highway designed to improve safety, enhance travel reliability, and reduce congestion along one of the region's busiest corridors. Approval was confirmed five months after the expert panel began its assessment, making Stage 2 the 14th project approved under the fast-track process and the first road project.
NZTA said the approval gave the council, landowners, and the community certainty of the route and ensured the agency was best placed to move forward when construction funding became available. As part of the fast-track process, the panel received responses from Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, local hapū, and residents. While design work is underway, NZTA said it would continue to acquire property for the expressway, with the pre-implementation phase expected to finish in 2027. Specific construction timing for Stage 2 will not be confirmed until funding is approved.
NZTA estimated the Stage 2 project could generate about $610 million in economic output for the Bay of Plenty and create more than 4,800 jobs over its development period. Stage 1 of the Takitimu North Link, connecting Tauranga to Te Puna, is in its fourth year of construction, with major structures largely complete, bridge construction on track to finish in 2026, and the full project expected to be delivered in 2028.
In Queenstown, RCL Homestead Bay Ltd lodged its application in June 2025 to construct 2,800 residential homes and a commercial retail precinct, which has now been approved by an independent panel. Bishop said approval took around six months from the panel's appointment and described the construction of new homes as a major economic boost for Queenstown. The project is estimated to contribute $720.3 million to GDP and support around 4,420 jobs during construction. The development had been criticised by some submitters who raised issues around landscape, wastewater, and roading.