District leaders have welcomed tens of millions of dollars of investment in Budget 2026 to beef up roads on the Coromandel Peninsula.

Some $65 million will go to a replacement for the Kirikiri Stream bridge near Kōpū, while $20m is going to State Highway 25 to strengthen up to 11 high-risk sites.

Coromandel MP Scott Simpson said the work on the Kirikiri bridge will improve flood protection from a one-in-five-year event to a one-in-100-year event.

“We can’t stop severe weather from happening, but we can be much better prepared for it,” Simpson said.

Thames-Coromandel District Council Mayor Peter Revell said he was “absolutely delighted” at the announcement, saying it was the result of a number of visits from representatives visiting the region and how the extent of the damage “obviously hit a chord”.

He added while he’d be “very comfortable” receiving $700million down the track to boost resilience in multiple hotspot areas, such as a “robust second option other than 25A”, he said there is no doubt the $85 million will go far.

“[It’s] a fantastic starting point and particularly for in the summer season and long weekends ... visitors, tourists, holidaymakers will notice the difference.”

In her Budget announcement on Thursday afternoon, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the resilience building is “part of fixing the basics and building the future” for New Zealand’s roads while lowering costs in the long term.

It’s a sentiment that’s been a long time coming, according to Revell, who said “building back better” was paramount to the community having confidence in their road.

“The resilience of the network is a concern to everybody on the peninsula, partly because communities get cut off ... but also economically for tourists to have the confidence when they come to the peninsula, they can get on and off and they’re not going to be killed.”

Simpson said the investment will provide “reliability for the people and businesses that rely on the road every day”.

He added that investing in Coromandel’s roads and bridges will “keep communities connected, supporting local businesses and underpinning the region’s tourism economy”.

The tourism outreach rang true for tourism outfit Destination Hauraki Coromandel, with general manager Kylie Hawker‑Green labelling SH25 as the “lifeline” for the Coromandel region.

“Reliable roads get people here. Well‑planned tourism infrastructure ensures their visit is positive, safe and sustainable," she said.

“We experience high visitor pressure on local infrastructure, particularly during peak seasons, and our councils and communities carry much of that cost.”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.