TRANSPORT

SH1 Belfast to Pegasus Motorway & Woodend Bypass

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi · Canterbury

Two works north of Christchurch: about 11km of SH1 widened to four lanes from Belfast to Pineacres, and a 6km bypass around Woodend. One of two South Island RoNS. NZTA's endorsed investment case sets an envelope of $800m to $1b, with $68.1m approved for detailed design and early works. Early works began in 2026. NZTA publishes the project status as Design with project dates of July 2024 to December 2030, so it stays in Planning here.

Mixed 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.

Breakdown▾

Data current as at 16 Sept 2026, when the pipeline was last checked against its source.

Key facts

Region: Canterbury
Sector: Transport
Status: Planning
Estimated value: $800m
Indicative completion: 2030
Funding status: Part Funded
Lead organisation: NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
Election risk: High

Election risk assessment

South Island Road of National Significance north of Christchurch, a National priority Labour/Green would likely deprioritise. Being consented under the Fast-track Approvals Act.

Government priority alignment

HIGH: South Island RoNS four-laning of SH1, a core a government economic-growth priority.

Recent changes

2026-W37Major New project added: SH1 Belfast to Pegasus Motorway & Woodend Bypass (Planning, $800m).

Chronology

2023Included in the GPS 2024 Roads of National Significance programme
2025NZTA Board approves ~$68.1m for detailed design and early works, plus ~$37m for property
2026Fast-track consent applications lodged; early works begin ahead of main construction
2026Fast-track approval granted (29 July): the 27th project and 2nd roading project approved under the Fast-track Approvals Act
2026National promises $800m in Budget 2027 to fully fund construction if re-elected (5 October), with construction to start in 2027; the funding is an election commitment, not an appropriation, so the status stays Part Funded
2030expectedTarget completion (~4 years from main construction)

Source

NZTA ↗ · NZTA / Beehive (Belfast to Pegasus investment case) ↗ · RNZ (National promises to fund $800m Christchurch Northern Motorway extension, 5 Oct 2026) ↗

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