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Cambridge to Piarere Expressway (Waikato RoNS)
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi · Waikato
A 16km four-lane expressway linking Cambridge to Piarere, completing the connection between the Waikato Expressway and the Tauranga Eastern Link at SH29, with a new interchange at Karāpiro Road and four further bridges. Budget 2026 committed $1.773b and consents were granted in September 2025. Early works began in January 2026 and NZTA lists the project status as Construction, which is what this register follows. Built in two sections, with the Section 1 tender closing in December 2026 and the first phase of main construction expected in early 2027. NZTA publishes the project dates as January 2027 to December 2032 and the build as roughly five to six years.
Data current as at 16 Sept 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
- 2032
- 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.
Recent changes
- 2026-W37Major Completion slipped 1 year: 2031 → 2032.
- 2026-W37Notable Status: Under Construction → Planning.
- 2026-W37Info Owner: Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency → NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.
Chronology
- 2010Waikato Expressway planning identifies Cambridge to Piarere as the missing link for Tauranga freight
- 2016Route designation confirmed and the alignment through Cambridge and Piarere finalised
- 2022Business case advanced and environmental assessment completed
- 2023NLTP 2024-27 includes the project as a Road of National Significance
- 2025Resource consents granted (September). The NZTA Board approves early works in December
- 2026Budget 2026 commits $1.773b, fully funding the project. Section 1 procurement runs to a December 2026 tender close, with the Section 2 process starting alongside it
- 2026Early works began in January.
- 2026Tender process for the expressway began on 6 July, with a second tender underway from 2 September (NZTA media releases).
- 2027expectedMain construction due to start on Section 1 in early 2027, with the Section 2 contract expected early to mid 2027
- 2032expectedEarliest completion. NZTA puts construction at five to six years from the early 2027 start, so the year shown is the front of that range rather than a published completion date
Source
NZTA ↗ · SunLive: Tender out for Cambridge to Piarere expressway ↗ · Beehive: Extending the Waikato Expressway ↗