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Connecting Mount Maunganui

Projects/Connecting Mount Maunganui – moving forward with local roads

Connecting Mount Maunganui – moving forward with local roads

We’re progressing the Connecting Mount Maunganui (CMM) project to address long‑standing congestion, safety, and access issues along Hewletts Road, Tōtara Street, and Maunganui Road. 

Mount Maunganui is growing quickly, and our roads are feeling the pressure. More people, more cars, more freight, and limited alternative travel choices mean these key routes are getting busier than ever, putting added strain on a corridor that’s essential for both the local community and the wider region. 

The Connecting Mount Maunganui project was established in 2022 as an NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi led partnership with mana whenua, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Tauranga City Council to address these issues, so people and freight can move safely and more reliably.  

After progressing investigations, targeted engagement with key stakeholders, and an Indicative Business Case (IBC) where we tested a wide range of options, the wider project was paused due to a lack of national funding. 

Where are we now? 

Tauranga City Council is now developing a Detailed Business Case (DBC) so we’re ready to move quickly with design ready solutions if funding comes through in the 2027–30 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), the three year programme that sets out which transport projects receive investment from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. The DBC provides a more detailed investigation than the IBC, looking at the best options, designs, costs and benefits so we can give NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi the information it needs to decide what gets built and when. 

Later this year, we will share early concept designs for walking, cycling, public transport, and local road improvements with stakeholders, residents, businesses, and users of the area.

Western Bay of Plenty Regional Deal

Connecting Mount Maunganui was announced in May 2026 as part of the Western Bay of Plenty Regional Deal, which focuses on investing in infrastructure to support growth and improve regional connections. Connecting Mount Maunganui supports the Regional Deal by improving how people move around the area and helping ensure Mount Maunganui is well-equipped to meet future demand.

What did we hear from previous engagement?

CyclistCyclists

  • Long distance for commuters who live far away
  • Difficult for people with bags/luggage
  • Lack of safe paths and intersection
  • Weather dependent

WalkWalk

  • Feels unsafe at night
  • Air pollution/sound of unpleasant truck
  • Lack of safe crossings
  • Weather dependent

BusBus

  • Limited priority outside Hewletts means bus journey time is long and unreliable
  • Limited direct services mean some Tauranga South commuters will have to transfer
  • Service span doesn't meet the needs of shiftworkers
  • Infrequent services
  • Lmited access to timely and reliable travel time information

TaxiTaxi

  • Expensive for leisure groups

Car/vanCar/Van

  • Unreliable travel time due to congestion
  • Parking at a cost for commuters and sport event attendees
  • Fuel cost if high

TruckTruck

  • Long journey is unreliable and unpredictable
  • Difficult to see cyclists

FAQs

Connecting Mount Maunganui (CMM) is a transport project focused on improving safety and access to, from, and through Mount Maunganui, including better options for people to travel by bus, bike, or on foot. It targets key routes such as Hewletts Road, Tōtara Street, and Maunganui Road, which form the crucial ‘last mile’ link for both everyday travel and freight moving to and from the Port of Tauranga.  

 CMM is delivered in partnership by Tauranga City Council, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and mana whenua, who helped shape the early options through the Indicative Business Case (IBC) process. Engagement during the IBC – including input from stakeholders, businesses, and representative community surveys – informed the approach now being refined through the current Detailed Business Case, which focuses on the local road upgrades that can progress while state highway components await future national funding decisions

This project won’t remove congestion entirely, but it will help manage it better. Improvements such as safer walking and cycling paths, upgraded bus facilities, and more efficient intersections and lanes give people more travel choices and help traffic flow more smoothly. A more reliable and resilient network also supports freight moving to and from the Port. 

Some parts of the wider CMM programme are related to State Highway 2 or other national level transport improvements. These are led by and depend on future national funding decisions. While they are still important, they’re not included in this Detailed Business Case because they sit outside local road responsibilities of Tauranga City Council and available funding.   

Other nearby projects, like the T3 lanes and Te Maire to Newton Link, are progressing separately. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is leading the implementation of T3 lanes in 2026, and TCC is leading the Te Maire to Newton Link with stakeholder engagement starting in 2026 and construction expect to start in early 2027. 

In late 2022, we held a workshop with stakeholders to provide an update on our business case process and key findings to date. Workshop participants were given an overview of each option to provide feedback on key interventions, as well as overall what further to consider for the project and other projects in the area. Key themes from the workshop included:

  • Big picture thinking: Long-term solutions are needed for the whole Tauranga and western Bay of Plenty network
  • Quick wins: Implement quick wins, identified as part of the long-term planning, as soon as possible 
  • Maintain flow: Keep people and goods on our roads moving 
  • Cycling: safer infrastructure is needed to promote alternative modes to move around
  • Freight movements: There are more freight movements than just to and from the port that are equally important
  • Different uses: different needs for freight movements, commuters, businesses and recreational purposes
  • Growth and land use: Balancing the challenges a growing city is facing for residential and commercial purposes
  • Construction impacts: Managing construction disruption is important to the community   

If approved through the 2027–2030 National Land Transport Programme, the project can move into the next stage – detailed design, consenting, and securing final construction funding. Construction timing would depend on funding availability, staging, and prioritisation at the national and local level. 

Key dates

  • Stakeholder engagement

    Late 2026

  • Concept designs shared  

    Late 2026

  • Detailed Business Case presented to NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi   

    2027

Who's listening

Major Projects Infrastructure Team  
Tauranga City Council

Connectingmountmaunganui@tauranga.govt.nz
07 577 7000

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