Transport 2026: New Zealand’s Infrastructure Tracker

An independent, continuously updated reference of what New Zealand is actually building, what is funded and underway, and what is planned — ahead of the 2026 General Election.

Updated 1 Feb 2026

Why this page exists

Transport policy debates often focus on what should happen next. This page focuses on what is already happening — the projects that are funded, consented, or under construction, and therefore shape congestion, resilience, emissions, and travel reliability regardless of who wins the next election.

This tracker deliberately separates projects that are underway or funded from projects that are proposed. Proposed projects will be added in future updates and clearly labelled as such.

How to read this tracker

Projects are grouped by status:

  • Under Construction – physical works underway

  • Funded / Committed – budgeted and approved, but not yet built

  • Operational / Near Completion – opening within the current electoral cycle

Each listing is factual and non-partisan. Commentary and historical analysis live in our companion long-form research articles.

Under Construction / Near Completion (as at 2026)

City Rail Link (Auckland)

  • Mode: Heavy rail (underground)

  • Status: Construction substantially complete; testing and commissioning phase

  • Strategic purpose: CBD capacity, network transformation, rapid transit backbone

Eastern Busway (Auckland – staged)

  • Mode: Bus rapid transit

  • Status: Multiple stages delivered; further stages under construction

  • Strategic purpose: South-east Auckland growth corridor, reliability and mode shift

Pūhoi–Warkworth Motorway (Ara Tūhono)

  • Mode: State highway

  • Status: Operational

  • Strategic purpose: Auckland–Northland resilience, safety and freight reliability

Transmission Gully Motorway (Wellington)

  • Mode: State highway

  • Status: Operational; ongoing remediation works

  • Strategic purpose: SH1 resilience and redundancy

Funded / Committed Projects

Puhinui–Airport Rapid Transit Connection

  • Mode: Bus priority / interchange-led rapid transit

  • Status: Operational interchange; future enhancements funded

  • Strategic purpose: Airport access, rail–bus integration

Christchurch Northern Corridor

  • Mode: Motorway / arterial upgrades

  • Status: Operational with staged enhancements

  • Strategic purpose: Urban growth, freight reliability

Safety & Resilience Programmes (National)

  • Mode: Mixed (road safety, corridor upgrades)

  • Status: Ongoing multi-year investment programmes

  • Strategic purpose: Crash reduction, network resilience

What is not on this page (by design)

  • Cancelled or abandoned projects (covered in our historical analysis)

  • Election-only proposals without funding or delivery pathways

  • Projects still at early concept or advocacy stage

How this page will evolve

In the lead-up to the 2026 election, we will:

  • Add clearly labelled proposed projects from political parties

  • Track policy continuity vs change against what is already underway

  • Link each proposal to delivery risk, funding pathways, and historic precedent

This page will remain live beyond the election as a public reference.

Companion reading: The Transport 2026 Infrastructure Graveyard — a long-form analysis of major projects promised, reshaped, or abandoned over the last 20 years.