17981 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport

17981 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport: Has the Government applied the fourth-power law relationship between axle load and pavement damage, as used in NZ Transport Agency Research Report 603, to model the accelerated deterioration that would result from the proposed weight limit increases; if so, what increase in equivalent standard axle loadings is projected across the network?

Hon Chris Bishop: The Government is considering a range of options and final decisions have not yet been made. I am advised that officials have used the fourth-power law in their analysis to support decision-making