Outgoing PM John Key is remaining tight-lipped on who he is backing for the deputy PM role as he spends the day with aspiring candidate Simon Bridges.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges has declared his bid for Deputy Prime Minister.

The contest for New Zealand's next PM is shaping up as a race between an veteran politician, a lower-profile minister, and a wild card.

Motorists travelling the alternative route between Christchurch and Picton have been caught up in heavy congestion today, as traffic pressure mounts on the post-quake thoroughfare.

Bay of Plenty drivers dubious about self-driving cars may be inclined to stay off the roads today.

New aerial photos show there is much work to be done after Monday's 7.8 quake.

Restoring highway access to Kaikoura will take months, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges is one of the few people working in Wellington's central business district following a large 7.5 earthquake

The Government says the speed limit may rise but only a few roads in the country would qualify.

Protest boats will be banned from parts of Auckland's harbour during a historic visit by a United States warship.

The NZTA would not expand this week on its legal advice about including Uber as a second party in prosecutions of unlawful drivers.

Watch NZH Focus: Government website crashes as process to contact Kiwi car owners under way in "largest recall in history".

NZTA has banned its staff from using Uber during work time or claiming Uber rides on expenses.

Fleeing drivers could face more jail time and have their vehicles automatically confiscated if politicians support advice for harsher penalties.

Aucklanders may have to stump up extra $300 million for City Rail Link after confirmation the cost has blown out to between $2.8 billion and $3.4 billion.

In a major milestone for Auckland City, the Government will today officially stump up half the cost of the long-awaited city rail link.

Tauranga motorcyclist Rhys Middleton was killed by an overseas driver. Now his mother is campaigning for a change in the law allowing visitors to drive in NZ.

A police crackdown on taxi and Uber drivers last weekend saw 129 people given infringement notices and 18 drivers forbidden to operate.

Exclusive: The Government looks set to introduce a new testing regime to catch drug-impaired drivers and prevent more carnage on our roads.

Police have covertly monitored some of the country's most dangerous level rail crossings this week as the number of near misses continues to rise.

Joanne Harrison, accused of stealing more than $700,000 entered no plea because her lawyer wasn't present.

Alcohol-activated locks which prevent drink-drivers from starting their car will soon be mandatory for repeat offenders.

A former Ministry of Transport manager is back in New Zealand and has appeared in court on dishonesty charges.

Safety on State Highway 2 will dominate a meeting tonight after a horrific crash that killed five people.

Thousands of dollars of public money has gone missing - and Labour wants to know why the Transport Minister tried to keep the matter quiet.

Trucks are involved in nearly a quarter of all fatal crashes but, most of the time, they are not at fault. The Ministry of Transport's

Transport Minister Simon Bridges ignored official advice to consult with councils before announcing he would allow electric cars to use bus lanes.

COMMENT: There's much that Government could do that would be useful. Taxing us more is not one of them.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges says road tolling could be done by GPS satellite, as opposed to toll gantries or cameras.

WATCH: The grieving mother, the lucky survivor, the road safety chief.