Pāpāmoa East residents have told a public meeting they worry new tolls will prevent the area from growing and developing.

The Pāpāmoa East Interchange opened at Easter, connecting the suburb to the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road/State Highway 2 (TEL).

NZTA will introduce a second toll on the highway later this year.

Motorists in light vehicles travelling the full length of the TEL, or the leg between Pāpāmoa East and Paengaroa, would pay the full toll of $2.30. Using the shorter Domain Rd to Pāpāmoa East section would cost $1.10.

But motorists who stop off at Pāpāmoa East, then later rejoin the TEL will pay both tolls – $3.40 – rather than the full-length toll of $2.30.

This was a key criticism of the new tolling structure by locals at a public meeting at Golden Sands Baptist Church on Wednesday night.

Pāpāmoa ward councillor Steve Morris, Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford, Labour list MP Jan Tinetti and Labour electorate candidate Rhieve Grey all attended the meeting.

Santa Cruz Drive resident Norma Howieson said the toll would hinder people from visiting the new Golden Sands shopping centre.

Santa Cruz Drive resident Norma Howieson speaks about the Pāpāmoa East Interchange toll. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

“It’s not going to help the development here. I’m the kind of person that’ll go out of my way to not use it.”

Beachwater Drive resident Daryl Aim said the toll would solely affect the eastern community.

“It’s simply not good enough.”

Domain Rd resident Frith Walker said she was worried about the businesses.

She said the toll would add up for families going down to support local businesses and visit the supermarket.

“I love going down the expressway, but I’m trying to train myself not to. I can probably afford the $1.10, but it’s the principle.”

Union Dr resident Rei Boshoff said he recently moved to the area to start a family.

Union Drive resident Rei Boshoff. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

He said he worried the toll would prevent the area from growing and developing.

Maketū resident Jane Thomas said she wanted to shop in Pāpāmoa as “it’s 10 minutes down the road from me”.

She said people from Maketū, Paengaroa and Pongakawa often went to Pāpāmoa to shop, but the toll would discourage them, taking away a lot of business.

Pāpāmoa resident Caroline McNicol and Pāpāmoa East Mitre 10 Mega owners Loretta and Brian Johnstone each created petitions with a collective 6500 signatures.

Morris said NZTA consulted about the tolling before the Pāpāmoa East Interchange was complete.

Pāpāmoa ward Tauranga city councillor Steve Morris and Labour MP Jan Tinetti. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

“Surprise, surprise, 86% of us opposed that toll.”

He said residents were already paying for the interchange through a targeted rate.

Morris criticised the 80-cent administration fee included in each toll charge.

He said it was unfair that Tauranga would have two toll gantries on the Tauranga Eastern Link, soon to be another on the Tauranga Northern Link and one on Takitimu Drive.

“We are being treated unfairly.”

Mount Maunganui Labour electorate candidate Rhieve Grey. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

Grey said the decision to create the second toll was made at Cabinet level and those with the power to do something about it were those in the current government.

Rutherford said he supported tolls but believed the double charge for those exiting and returning to the toll road was unfair.

“If you were to pop off and shop ... or visit family and friends in the area, then rejoin the toll ... you get charged nearly double.”

Rutherford said the system would detect when a driver leaves the road and would treat any return as a new journey.

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

He said he also felt it was unfair Tauranga had two of the country’s three toll roads, while major expressways in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch remained free.

“There is inequity at play here. We grew extremely quickly and with that growth, we needed more new roads.”

Rutherford noted other new roads of national significance would also be tolled.

Rutherford said the interchange was already reducing congestion and supporting growth in Golden Sands, Te Tumu and Wairakei.

Meeting attendees unanimously voted for Rutherford and Tinetti to take the two petitions to Parliament to request a select committee review.

The unanimous vote for Tauranga MP Tom Rutherford and Tauranga-based Labour-listed MP Jan Tinetti to take the two petitions to Parliament to request a select committee review. Photo / Ayla Yeoman

Since the $455 million TEL opened in 2015, about $79m in toll revenue has been collected, with $53m going towards the debt and interest, and the rest to operational costs, according to NZTA data to mid-2025.

Ayla Yeoman is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based in Tauranga. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in communications, politics and international relations from the University of Auckland, and has been a journalist since 2022.