Transit New Zealand

Infobox Government agency
agency_name = Transit New Zealand

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formed = 1 October 1989
dissolved = 31 July 2008
preceding1 = National Roads Board
preceding2 = Main Highways Board
superseding = NZ Transport Agency
jurisdiction = New Zealand government
headquarters = Formerly: Level 2 Victoria Arcade
42-44 Victoria Street
Wellington
New Zealand
employees = 450 (2008)
budget = over $1 billion NZD (2008)
minister1_name = Annette King
minister1_pfo = Minister of Transport
minister2_name = Judith Tizard
minister2_pfo = Associate Minister of Transport
chief1_name = Bryan Jackson, JP
chief1_position = Acting Chairperson
chief2_name = Rick van Barneveld
chief2_position = Chief Executive
parent_agency = Ministry of Transport
child1_agency =
website = [http://www.transit.govt.nz/ www.transit.govt.nz]
footnotes =

Transit New Zealand (Māori: Ararau Aotearoa) was 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). It also concerned itself with developments close to State Highways, as it considered the potential additional traffic that these would create, and it was responsible for State Highway landscaping.

Transit New Zealand was merged with Land Transport New Zealand to form the NZ Transport Agency on 1 August 2008.

tructure

Transit had 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 was 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, the government proposed that Land Transport New Zealand and Transit New Zealand be merged again, with some functions devolved to the Ministry of Transport. [" [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/organisation/story.cfm?o_id=223&objectid=10441767 Transport bodies set to merge] " - "The New Zealand Herald", Friday 25 May 2007]

History

Transit New Zealand was the successor to similar previous entities. The "Main Highways Board", created on 1 April 1924, to facilitate the overall planning and control of roads on a national basis, especially arterial routes, 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. [http://www.transit.govt.nz/about/vision.jsp#History More about Transit - History] (from the official Transit New Zealand website. Accessed 2008-02-07.)]

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 and the National Roads Board's operational arm, the Roading Division, was incorporated into the Ministry of Transport. On 1 October 1989 it became Transit New Zealand.

It came under some criticism for being 'anti-development'. It often lodged objections to (or requires substantial consultation and mitigating measures for) resource consent applications which in its opinion created safety or capacity problems on close-by motorways (such as large retail developments like Sylvia Park). [" [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/story.cfm?a_id=176&ObjectID=10386009 Kerre Woodham: Why I'm avoiding the maul] " - "The New Zealand Herald", Sunday 11 June 2006]

References

External links

* [http://www.transit.govt.nz/ Transit New Zealand] (Official website)