It comes as scheduled roadworks at the site were this week postponed until 2026 after road closures brought the city to a standstill on Monday, which sparked a backlash from residents and politicians.
NZTA had closed all four lanes of SH30A between Te Ngae Rd and Fenton St on Monday; however, after extreme levels of congestion on the city’s east side, the road was partially reopened that afternoon.
Traffic built up in Rotorua’s eastern suburbs on Monday morning after NZTA closed all four lanes of SH30A between Te Ngae Rd and Fenton St.
The agency apologised for the disruption and confirmed it would rethink its approach.
NZTA received a dressing down from Rotorua MP Todd McClay and Mayor Tania Tapsell over the impact SH30A’s closure had on businesses, schools, medical providers and general road users.
McClay wrote a scathing letter to chief executive Brett Gliddon on Monday, saying his office was “inundated” with complaints.
He said the full closure was “clearly unsustainable and unacceptable”.
Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting, McClay said NZTA had “let Rotorua and themselves down”.
Traffic built up in Rotorua’s eastern suburbs on Monday morning.
“I have requested an immediate review of the traffic management plan and the urgent implementation of measures to restore acceptable levels of access – whether through staged works, extended working hours, or partial reopening during peak periods,” McClay said.
“The road does need an upgrade but it is a very poor decision to close both sides of the road fully at the same time.”
Sandra King, NZTA system manager for the Bay of Plenty, said it had decided to postpone the SH30A work until 2026.
While a full closure was set to speed up the process, NZTA now needed time to reconsider its approach, King said.
“This, along with the wet, long-range weather forecast for the remainder of November, means there isn’t enough time to complete the work ahead of the Christmas shutdown period,” King said.
She said the work remained a “priority” for 2026 to prevent pavement failures, but the method may change to allow traffic flow through the site.
“Using a different construction methodology will mean the overall timeframe will take longer but will minimise overall delays to people’s daily travel.”
– Additional reporting by Mathew Nash at Local Democracy Reporting