Peters pledges toll-free link for Tauranga

Winston Peters

Winston Peters has promised Tauranga it will not have to pay tolls for a $244 million roading project.

A crowd of 650 turned out to see the New Zealand First leader launch his campaign yesterday.

During a 1 1/2-hour speech, Mr Peters identified the Harbour Link project as one of the most pressing issues in his electorate.

Transport Minister Pete Hodgson said last week that the Government had approved tolling for the project, which includes a duplicate harbour bridge and a four-lane expressway linking Tauranga and Mt Maunganui.

Mr Hodgson's announcement coincided with the Government's provision of $150 million for Bay of Plenty transport projects.

With the funding and tolling, the Harbour Link was expected to be completed by 2009.

But Mr Peters said the Government's partial funding of the project did not go far enough.

"While this is progress in the appropriate direction, it only goes part way towards what can actually be done."

Mr Peters said Mr Hodgson had claimed that a survey had found people supported building the Harbour Link with tolls if it was completed more quickly.

"Here is what he did not say. He forgot to ask the people if they wanted the Harbour Link sooner - without tolls," Mr Peters said.

He said National had said it would cap transport funding at $600 million nationwide and could not be relied upon to do the project soon. That party's talk of public-private partnerships was "shorthand for tolls".

Mr Peters said NZ First was the only political party to oppose tolls in the 2002 election.

"It [Harbour Link] will be completed without tolls by New Zealand First," he said.

Among other policies he outlined on health, finance, education, and law and order, Mr Peters promised NZ First would double the number of sworn police officers in five years.

Applause greeted his declaration that the party would separate police and traffic officers to improve the country's "sad reputation" for fighting crime.

Tauranga would get its own police drug unit because the city was "a port of entry for drugs".