New Zealand Transport Authority project director Jason Harrison, left, with WSP Consultancy’s major projects director Fariz Rahman and farmer Trent Paterson.
Road tolling is likely to help fund the long‑awaited 16‑kilometre Cambridge to Piarere expressway.
The public pored over the 16km Cambridge to Piarere expressway plans laid out inside the Cambridge Town Hall. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Cambridge News 27 November 2025
The project is fast‑tracked as a Road of National Significance and property acquisition and design work is underway.
The community had its first look at plans during a well-attended four-hour information session at Cambridge Town Hall last week.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) project director Jason Harrison, who has led the project for nearly two years, said his job is to bring a team together and keep the public informed.
“My role is maintaining relationships.”
He confirmed a toll between Piarere and a new Karāpiro interchange had been factored in – but not on and off ramps at Newcombe Road, the Tīrau Road interchange.
Building trust and working together will be a key to the project’s success, he said.
NZTA’s Simon Brandon, left, chats with Cambridge photographer Michael Jeans about the project. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
The project has had a long history. In 2018 the then Labour-led government paused the project, which was to have been built as an extension to the Waikato Expressway. A total of $4.23 million had been spent on business cases and plans.
National revived the project as part of its election promises and granted fast‑track approval in September.
Construction is scheduled to begin late next year and the project is expected to take six years.
Some features remain outside the current scope. On/off ramps at Newcombe Road are not included though NZTA is monitoring the area and working with Cambridge Connections given the likelihood of increased truck traffic through Cambridge from quarry operations.
The Tīrau Road interchange was designed for southbound movements only to prevent short local trips between Hautapu and Tīrau.
Piarere Roundabout September 2025
NZTA is also preparing a Strategic Transport Plan for the Hamilton–Tauranga corridor. It would assess long‑term road and rail improvements over the next 30 years.
Alongside this, the agency is working with Waikato Future Proof — a collaboration of local councils, iwi, and government agencies — on a spatial study to guide growth, land use, and economic development.
All necessary consents for Cambridge to Piarere have been secured, thanks to early engagements with local councils, said Harrison.
He said despite frustrations over delays, landowners, who had known about the project for years, had been “really constructive to work with”.
“By mid to late next year we’ll be reading contracts, and by late next year we’ll be starting physical works,” Harrison said.
The first work will focus on the new interchange at Karāpiro and three bridges over ecological areas.
Plans are being developed to ensure landowners retain property access and to keep traffic delays to a minimum during construction.
Once complete, the expressway will deliver faster and safer journeys between Cambridge and Piarere, cutting travel times and easing congestion on local roads.
It is expected to improve freight efficiency, support economic growth across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, and provide a more reliable link in the Hamilton-Tauranga corridor.
New Zealand Transport Authority project director Jason Harrison, left, with WSP Consultancy’s major projects director Fariz Rahman and farmer Trent Paterson. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
