NZ InfraWatch
Open the live map →
TRANSPORT
Cambridge to Piarere Expressway (Waikato RoNS)
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi · Waikato
Budget 2026 committed $1.77B to build this 16km four-lane expressway linking Cambridge to Piarere, completing the connection between the Waikato Expressway (SH1) and the Tauranga Eastern Link (SH29). Critical freight corridor linking Auckland, Hamilton, and Tauranga. Construction underway.
88
Breakdown▾
Strongest delivery signals Data: High
Delivery Confidence Score, 0 to 100, higher is better: a ranking of how strong this project's delivery signals are, not a probability. It blends eight factors, including the election risk and policy alignment shown below.
Each axis is a scoring factor (0 to 100)
Data current as at 13 Jun 2026, when the pipeline was last checked against its source.
Key facts
- Region
- Waikato
- Sector
- Transport
- Status
- Under Construction
- Estimated value
- $1.8b
- Indicative completion
- 2031
- Funding status
- Fully Funded
- Lead organisation
- NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
- Election risk
- Low
Election risk assessment
Fully funded in Budget 2026 with $1.77B committed. Construction underway. Bipartisan support as critical freight link completing the Hamilton–Tauranga expressway corridor.
Government priority alignment
HIGH: RoNS, fully funded in Budget 2026, a core government transport-policy priority.
Chronology
- 2010Waikato Expressway planning identifies Cambridge–Piarere as critical missing link for Tauranga freight
- 2016Route designation confirmed. Alignment through Cambridge and Piarere finalised
- 2022Business case advanced. Environmental assessment complete
- 2023NLTP 2024–27 includes project as Roads of National Significance
- 2026Budget 2026 commits $1.77B: project fully funded. Construction begins on 16km Cambridge–Piarere section
- 2031Target completion: completing Hamilton to Tauranga expressway connection