A plan for the transport system that will serve the fast-growing town over the coming 30 years.
The transport system is everything that helps people and goods move around Cambridge and beyond. It includes roads, footpaths, cycleways, public transport, parking, and the connections between them.
The draft Cambridge Connections Transport Plan is scheduled to be completed in late 2026. It will make recommendations for council decisions about the use of existing bridges and the general area where a new bridge and connecting roads could be built in the future.
The draft Transport Plan will include short, medium and long-term projects needed for Cambridge’s transport system. It will also meet NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi business case requirements, so funding can be sought for future infrastructure, services and further planning.
Funding has been included in the draft 2025-2034 Long Term Plan to complete the Transport Plan to inform the 2027 LTP. The project will include greater community engagement throughout the project and clarity on how transport decisions are made.
The Cambridge Connections Community Reference Group will be a diverse group of up to 15 local people who represent different perspectives across our community.
Working closely with the Cambridge Community Board and Waipā District Council, the Community Reference Group will play a vital role in ensuring community concerns, values, and ideas help guide this important project.
An open space where anyone can share ideas, feedback, or questions to help shape the project alongside the Community Reference Group and project team.
An effective transport system is vital for our communities, businesses and the economy. Waipā residents move around and through the district each day for work and education, to shop, socialise and access community services, and for trips to other centres.
Daily freight movements support the strong rural economy in the delivery of goods and services.
The Cambridge Connections Transport Plan will meet New Zealand Transport Agency business case requirements to enable funding to be sought for future activities including infrastructure, services and further planning. The methodology will follow that of strategic transport planning, similar to a Programme Business Case.
Cambridge is set to reach 30,300 people by 2050—adding around 13,000 new homes across our vibrant towns and villages.
We're committed to making engagement meaningful, not just a tick box. That's why we’ve adopted the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) framework to guide our approach from this point forward. Note, the organisation is called the Engagement Institute.
This next phase is a fresh start for Cambridge Connections. There are no predetermined outcomes, no fixed decisions on transport routes or solutions – and we are inviting our community to help us shape the direction of the project.
Throughout this project, we will engage at different levels depending on the stage and topic. Here's how the IAP2 spectrum will guide our approach:
| Level | Goal | Our promise to you |
| Inform | Provide clear, balanced, and timely information | We will keep you informed |
| Consult | Gather feedback on ideas, options, or decisions | We will listen, consider your views, and report back on how your input influenced the outcome |
| Involve | Work with you throughout the process | We will reflect your input in the project and show how it shaped decisions |
| Collaborate | Partner with you to develop alternatives and identify preferred solutions | We will incorporate your input into decisions to the maximum extent possible |
The engagement level ‘empower’ and will not be part of this project as Council is the statutory decision maker. We are committed to transparency and genuine community influence throughout.
IAP2 level: Inform and consult
Provide clear, balanced, and timely information and gather feedback ideas, options, or decisions.
IAP2 level: Inform and consult
Provide clear, balanced, and timely information and gather feedback ideas, options, or decisions.
IAP2 level: Inform and involve
Provide clear, balanced, and timely information and work with you throughout the process.
'Short list' and recommended programme of transport activities
IAP2 level: Inform and involve
Provide clear, balanced, and timely information and work with you throughout the process.
IAP2 level: Inform and involve
Provide clear, balanced, and timely information and work with you throughout the process.
IAP2 level: Inform
Provide clear, balanced, and timely information.
The Cambridge Connections Community Reference Group will be a diverse group of up to 15 local people who represent different perspectives across our community.
Working closely with the Cambridge Community Board and Waipā District Council, the Community Reference Group will play a vital role in ensuring community concerns, values, and ideas help guide this important project.
An open space where anyone can share ideas, feedback, or questions to help shape the project alongside the Reference Group and project team.
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The framework is recognised globally as the gold standard for public participation. It ensures people are involved in decisions that affect them and helps build trust and transparency through:
We follow the IAP2 Core Values because they help ensure good decisions that reflect the community’s diverse perspectives. These values include:
The project began in 2022 following the adoption of the Waipā Transport Strategy. The strategy looks at how an integrated, safe and sustainable transport network can be built across the Waipā District over the next 30 years, taking into account existing infrastructure, the changing needs of its growing population, and climate change.
Planning for growth in Cambridge was seen as a priority, with a focus on all components of the current network, including the river crossings, and ways to encourage and enable more use of public transport.
In 2022, a Project Steering Group was tasked to look at the complex transport issues and options for Cambridge. The group included Councillors and Cambridge Community Board members, iwi partners, and representatives from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, the heavy freight industry, and regional transport planning experts. Detailed traffic modelling was undertaken, and extensive stakeholder information sessions were held over 2022-23.
Community feedback from the Ahu Ake – Waipā Community Spatial Plan consultations and stakeholder input helped inform the Council to develop a range of options, which were presented in 2024. These included a potential third bridge and enhanced walking and cycling routes, and were a step towards preparing a business case to submit to the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to seek funding.
When a potential location for a bridge crossing was made public in March 2024, there was huge community angst. Following an emotional public meeting, Mayor Susan O'Regan took any future bridge location off the table, commissioned a review of the project, and requested the project be reset with a much stronger focus on engaging the community.
In November 2024, Chief Executive Steph O’Sullivan announced the next step would be to appoint a programme lead whose first priority would be community engagement.
On April 11, 2025, Katie Mayes was announced as Executive Director for the programme. A Cambridge resident and strong strategic leader, Mayes' previous role was as National Manager System Planning and Investment for NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. She began with Waipā District Council on Monday, May 5.
From March to May 2024, we sought feedback from the community on the Cambridge Connections project. Over that period, we received more than 500 individual pieces of feedback.
It became clear through this process that more time and deeper engagement were needed to reflect the full range of community views. In August 2024, the Council made the decision to reset the project, placing community involvement at the centre of the process moving forward.
Timeline item 1 - complete
Cambridge Connections - Moving forward together workshop
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Timeline item 3 - complete
Recruitment of programme director
December 2024-March 2025
Timeline item 4 - complete
Project reset
November 2024: Council reconfirmed a total reset for the project.
Timeline item 5 - complete
Project on pause
August 2024: More time needed to consider the next steps for the project.
Timeline item 6 - complete
Elected members decision
August 2024: Elected members consider community feedback and key themes.
Timeline item 7 - complete
Independent process review
April 2024: An independent review into the development of the Cambridge Connections business case was undertaken.
Timeline item 8 - complete
Engagement seeking stakeholder and community feedback
March-May 2024: Stakeholder and community feedback on the transport options.
Timeline item 9 - complete
Decision to remove a bridge location from engagement
April 2024: Bridge location removed from engagement and the project business case.
Timeline item 10 - complete
Detailed traffic modelling undertaken and strategic case first draft approved.
2023
Timeline item 11 - complete
Initial engagement and steering group appointed
2022
Timeline item 12 - complete
Elected members allocated project budget from 2021/31 Long Term Plan
2021
Want to dive deeper into the ideas, processes, and tools? These resources provide background, context, and examples from across the project.
A bridge corridor is the general area where a new bridge and connecting roads could be built in the future. It’s not a final design or exact location. It’s a broad zone that helps planners focus their investigations and community conversations.
The bridge corridor helps identify where a crossing could work best, while balancing transport needs, growth, environmental effects, and what’s important to the community.
The corridor would be refined through further technical work, engagement, and feedback through future stages
The transport system is everything that helps people and goods move around Cambridge and beyond.
It includes roads, footpaths, cycleways, public transport, parking, and the connections between them
Have questions or want to learn more about a project, contact us below:
| Phone | 0800 WAIPADC (0800 924 723) |
|---|---|
| info@waipadc.govt.nz | |
| Website | www.waipadc.govt.nz/ |
