𝕃𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕞𝕤 $𝟚.𝟠𝕓 '𝕡𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕖' 𝕚𝕟 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕤' 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕟

𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕕 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕖𝕣 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕞𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℕ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕪'𝕤 "𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖" 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕪 𝕚𝕤 "𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕓𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕕𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕥" 𝕚𝕟 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕔𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤.

N

ational leader Christopher Luxon has previously said he is "very comfortable" with the cost estimates.

Parker said the National Party was being "breathtakingly misleading" about how it would fund its roading plans.

The plan, revealed by 1News yesterday, would build four-lane highways between Whangārei and Tauranga, as well as other transport links around the country. It would also cancel Let's Get Wellington Moving.

It has been costed at $24 billion.

.

.

Today, David Parker said the shortfall for one part of the plan — the four-lane highway — was "at least $2.8b and as much as $4.8b".

"You can bet it's much higher when their other projects are included."

The national party acknowledges the long term climate result of its fruit-loop roading policy.

He said National had put up "poorly-costed roading promises" in "their desperation to get a headline".

"They say they will fund it all through the National Land Transport Programme, but that is laughable."

The National Party's policy document states funding would come from National Land Transport Fund allocation, New Zealand Upgrade Programme reallocation, private funding — such as equity finance, value capture and cost recovery — and Crown capital contribution.

Jacinda Ardern opening Transmission Gully.

"True to form, National would have to fill the potholes in their roading projects budget by slashing maintenance spending and hiking road user charges and fuel excise duties. But they are not telling the public that — they should come clean on where they money is going to come from.

"Many of National's estimates appear to be based on old data and fail to take account of real-world escalations in road construction costs. 

"Between March 2021 and September 2022, roading material costs rose as much as 45%, labour costs went up 7.5%, diesel was up 90% at peak, steel up 57% and bitumen prices rose by 104%."

"Private-public partnerships would not make any difference — they are subject to the same cost pressures. The taxpayer is still paying for Transmission Gully."

In response, National's transport spokesperson Simeon Brown said the Government "has utterly no credibility on transport project delivery, or sticking to a budget."

.

.

"It's rich for David Parker to today suggest there's a shortfall in National's costings," he said. 

"National used the upper figures of the Government's own range of costings that are publicly available, and we have set aside a significant contingency of $1.4b. 

"We will also invite private partners to contribute to some projects, as happens regularly overseas, so the total tab does not fall on taxpayers."

Brown pointed to one of National's proposed new highways, which he said used costings provided by the Government only weeks ago.

Earlier, Luxon said he would not take lectures from Parker and was "very comfortable with our costings".

.