Overlooked Wellington megatunnel could have cost $7.6 billion

The Government is moving forward with plans for a second Mt Victoria tunnel. (Image: NZME)

Tue, 10 Dec 2024

Building a long tunnel under Wellington could have cost between $4.87 billion and $7.65b, newly released documents show.The Government is progressing improvements to State Highway 1 in the capital as part of its roads of national significance (Rons) programme.In early November, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) board had endorsed a different option for the corridor: a second Mt Victoria tunnel running parallel to the existing tunnel, upgrades to the Basin Reserve and a duplicate Terrace Tunnel.Ear...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

Markets Market Close

NZ sharemarket ends flat after rate‑cut rally fades

The S&P/NZX 50 Index closed up 0.02% or 2.38 points.

Tom Raynel 09 Oct 2025

The Quiz Free

QuiznessDesk, Thursday, Oct 09

Think you're clever enough?

The Quizmaster 09 Oct 2025

Primary Sector

Why NZ's US tariff rates could rise on a whim

NZ's trade surplus with the US is likely to go up. Donald Trump won't like that.

Greg Hurrell 09 Oct 2025

Why NZ's US tariff rates could rise on a whim

Sponsored

Why New Zealand organisations need to rethink their cloud strategy

New Zealand organisations have embraced cloud computing over the past decade, but many are now confronting a sobering reality: adoption alone isn’t enough. According to Datacom’s 2025 Cloud & Infrastructure Report, only half of New Zealand businesses say they’ve realised the benefits they expected from cloud – despite significant investment.

Datacom

Sponsored