Building our future. Cameron Road Stage 2

Tauranga is growing fast. Over the next 30 years, it is anticipated that more than 35,000 people will be living on the Te Papa peninsula. We also know that the wider Western Bay of Plenty is planning for an extra 200,000 people over the next 30-50 years.

That means we need to start work now to transform the area into a place where more people can live, work and play.

Existing congestion, ageing infrastructure and a city built on peninsulas means we need to do things differently to prepare for change. If we do nothing, road congestion is set to stay – and worsen.

Cameron Road is one of our city’s main arteries, connecting people in Tauranga’s southern suburbs to the city centre. It is an important through route and a destination for many with schools, businesses and the hospital located along it. As our city continues to grow, this key route will become even more important. This is why we need to make changes now.

The Cameron Road Stage 2 project will also open the opportunity for extensive development in the western area of the city, linking people from the west to the city centre and beyond, contributing to Tauranga’s economic growth and prosperity.

We’re working with our regional and central Government partners, local residential and business communities and tangata whenua to ensure we get it right. The future starts now, but it’s going to take time.

We started in 2022 by investigating a wide range of different solutions that aimed to provide more travel options to the places people want to go, however they choose to get there - on foot, bike, scooter, catching a bus or driving.

We worked with local hapū and talked to community organisations, residents, schools and businesses to get an understanding of the things that were important to them. We took the things people told us they loved, wished, and wondered for the future of Cameron Road to develop a preferred option with a focus on specific outcomes that could improve Cameron Road for those that live, study, work and travel through here.

A business case was developed for the project, for which the recommended option was not endorsed for New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) co-funding in mid-2024. Anticipated NZTA co-funding for the project was not prioritised in the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP).

In February 2025, Council’s City Future Committee resolved to seek further options to continue the project with budgeted funding from the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF) central government grant, Infrastructure Finance and Funding (IFF) and Development Contributions.

Council wanted value for money options which prioritise enabling housing intensity and support transport network efficiency.

A unanimous decision was made by Council at a meeting on 26 August 2025 to commit to the delivery of a revised value for money option.

Community engagement on the concept design will get underway following a central government decision later this year on whether current Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF) contributions remain available, likely to be in early 2026. We will then report back to the City Future Committee to confirm the design before it moves into detailed design planning.

The upgrade to the section of Cameron Road between Harington Street and 17th Avenue (Stage 1), had a different focus from the section between 17th Avenue and Maleme Street (Stage 2).

As Stages 1 and 2 are within the same road corridor, there will naturally be some consistency and connectivity between the two stages. However, there are different communities, and land use within Stage 2 that need to be recognised through the proposed upgrade For example, Greerton Village is different from the area around Tauranga Hospital. While there may be some similarities in parts, Stage 2 will not be a replica of the style of upgrades constructed for Stage 1.

In some areas parking will be reduced or available at specific times only to fit all the ways that people travel along Cameron Road into the available space.

It is a balance and the team look to avoid taking away parking where possible or minimise the impact of taking parking out. A Parking Management Plan is an important part of the planning for Stage 2, which looks at a range of ways to better manage the parking available for all users.

Once the upgrade is completed, the changes should bring benefits to local businesses. There will be more people in the area bringing more opportunities, more customers, and more business.

We acknowledge that construction is disruptive for businesses and customers. We will work closely with businesses to understand their concerns and minimise impacts as much as possible.

The project is still subject to funding approval, but we would be looking to have construction complete by 2030 as part of funding agreements.