Transit New Zealand

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Agency overview
Transit New Zealand

Formed	1 October 1989
Preceding Agencies	National Roads Board Main Highways Board
Jurisdiction	New Zealand government
Headquarters	Level 2 Victoria Arcade 42-44 Victoria Street Wellington New Zealand
Employees	450 (2008)
Annual Budget	over $1 billion NZD (2008)
Ministers Responsible	Annette King, Minister of Transport Judith Tizard, Associate Minister of Transport
Agency Executives	Bryan Jackson, JP, Acting Chairperson Rick van Barneveld, Chief Executive
Parent agency	Ministry of Transport
Website
www.transit.govt.nz

Transit New Zealand (Māori: Ararau Aotearoa) is the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for operating and planning the New Zealand State Highway network (10,894 km, about 12% of New Zealand's roads). In this function, it also concerns itself with local developments close to the State Highways, as it considers the potential additional traffic these would create. In its function it is also responsible for highway landscaping.

Transit NZ has come under some criticism for being 'anti-development'. It often lodges objections to (or requires substantial consultation and mitigating measures for) resource consent applications which in its opinion create safety or capacity problems on close-by motorways (such as large retail developments like Sylvia Park).^[1]

1 Structure
2 History
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Structure

Transit has an annual operating budget of over NZ$1 billion and about 450 staff, with much of its actual planning and design work contracted out to construction companies and consultancies. Almost all of its funding is approved by the government's land transport funding agency Land Transport New Zealand through the National Land Transport Programme. Until 1996 Transit approved subsidies for passenger transport services contracted by regional councils, before this was devolved to Transfund (now Land Transport New Zealand).

However, government has now (2007) proposed that Land Transport New Zealand and Transit New Zealand be merged again, with some functions devolved to the Ministry of Transport.^[2]

[edit] History

Transit New Zealand is the successor of two similar previous entities. The Main Highways Board was created on 1 April 1924, to facilitate the overall planning and control of roads on a national basis, especially arterial routes. It came under the control of the Public Works Department. After World War II, the National Roads Board was formed. During this time, deferred maintenance and a great need for bridge works were complicated by a lack of manpower, plant and materials at a time when traffic volumes rose steeply and rural areas were opened up to road traffic.^[3]

During the economic reforms of the 1980s direct Government control of service provision was reduced, and new methods of providing for roads were developed. On 1 April 1988, the Ministry of Works and Development was corporatised while National Roads Board's operational arm - Roading Division - was incorporated into the Ministry of Transport. After 1 October 1989 it became Transit New Zealand.^[3]