I met Infrastructure, Transport and Housing Minister Chris Bishop at the Beehive immediately after the local elections last week to push Nelson’s case for investment. Our problem is that in areas such as highways and social housing, the government has not kept up over the past decade with the region’s strong population growth.
We are overdue for investment in our state highways. QEII Drive was done in the 1980s, the Richmond Deviation in the 1990s, the Stoke Bypass in the 2000s and the Ruby Bay Bypass in the 2010s but nothing since.
Tasman’s population growth between the 2018 and 2023 censuses was faster than anywhere else in New Zealand at 10.3%. This growth has been concentrated around Richmond resulting in severe congestion on Nelson’s southern entrance. The delays add huge costs and discourage people from coming into the city.
The Government designated the Hope Bypass one of 17 Roads of National Significance (RoNS) in 2024. On Monday, the Government announced $72.6 million to progress the next steps for the bypass, which include geotechnical investigations, design, consenting, property acquisition and procurement work. NZTA has posted a summary of the investment case for the project on its website.
It is proposed to build the bypass in two stages. The first stage includes upgrading the Richmond Deviation to four lanes along with a new grade-separated interchange where it meets Whakatu Drive. The second stage is the construction of a new, four-lane highway parallel and west of Gladstone Road with a grade-separated overpass over Queen Street to a new, two-lane roundabout with SH60.
The Government’s housing initiative for Nelson is a partnership with The Salvation Army and developers to build three new housing complexes on the fringe of the central city with 39, 27 and 15 units respectively, totalling 81 homes in total. The focus is on smaller units with 47 one-bedroom and 34 two-bedroom units. Council is assisting with these developments by waiving the development contributions. These projects, to be built over the next two years, are a game changer in addressing Nelson’s homelessness problem.
These positive announcements give the region a boost after a tough winter.
