This page provides a brief overview on how to incorporate benefits and measures from the Land Transport Benefits Framework into different transport planning documents and continuous programmes. These include:
The guidance on each of these documents should be read in conjunction with the high-level step-by-step guidance on how to select benefits and measures.
Read general guidance on how to select benefits and measures
For planning documents and when developing continuous programmes the level of detail required around benefits and measures required is less than for a full improvement business cases. This is because they are intended to provide a broader indication of impact.
As noted in the ‘Benefits cascade’ principle, the benefits and measures selected at the planning stages are intended to flow through the cascade of following processes and documents, where they will be further refined and greater detail will be developed, particularly in relation to the forecasts.
Read Principles for selecting benefits and measures
Regional land transport plans (RLTPs) set out a region’s land transport objectives, policies and measures for at least 10 financial years, and its land transport programme for the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) period.
Benefits feature most significantly in the strategic context of an RLTP. The activities that make up the RLTP programme will have their own benefit identification processes. Guidance and templates for developing RLTPs are available on InvestHub.
Benefits information should be in the following sections:
Read general guidance on how to select benefits and measures
Find out more about RLTPs on InvestHub(external link)
Regional public transport plans (RPTPs) set out a region’s public transport continuous programme and, if developed using the Business Case Approach, can fulfil the role of the programme business case for the transport services and infrastructure programmes.
There is no legislative requirement to include measures, but using benefits and measures from the benefits framework enables consistency and means that centralised data can be used for identifying transport problems and for ongoing reporting.
Find out more about centralised benefits data
Because there is no set template, there is no set way of incorporating benefits and measures into RPTPs, but many regions include benefit measures in the programme section.
Focus on the benefits and measures that have greater relevance to public transport (as primary or secondary benefits of public transport), such as:
Read general guidance on how to select benefits and measures
Activity management plans (AMPs) set out an approved organisation’s mix of continuous programmes of activity and capital improvements for land transport for the NLTP period.
The benefits framework and associated measures can be applied at several points in the development of an AMP, and centralised data can help with your evidence base.
Find out more about centralised benefits data
There is also the option of choosing measures from the One Network Framework (ONF). It may also be appropriate to include a relevant community outcome to provide a link to other council strategies.
All of the benefits and measures selected in AMPs will feed into maintenance, renewals and operations (MOR) documents and low cost, low risk programme (LCLR) Transport Investment Online (TIO) processes.
Read general guidance on how to select benefits and measures
Activity management plan example tool
Maintenance, operations, renewals (MORs) documents will include a council’s road maintenance continuous programme associated with the AMP for the NLTP period (except for emergency works).
You should decide which benefits and measures from the related AMP should be taken through to the MOR. You may also add additional benefits and measures. As with the AMP, there is the option of choosing measures from the ONF (2024–27 NLTP onwards).
Read general guidance on how to select benefits and measures
Low cost, low risk (LCLR) programmes set out an approved organisation’s improvement activities below $2,000,000 for the NLTP period. The AMP provides the overall business case for the LCLR programme.
The benefits for the LCLR programme are submitted into TIO and approved in two parts:
There is also the option of choosing benefits and measures from the ONF.
Read general guidance on how to select benefits and measures
Investment logic mapping (ILM) is a workshopped approach to identifying problems and benefits relating to potential investment. It is an important part of the Business Case Approach (BCA) for developing business cases for transport investment.
Identifying problems, and the benefits that will result from solving the problems, is at the heart of the ILM process. Benefits, measures, a baseline and a target are required in an investment logic map.
A key difference between the application of benefits measures in the ILM compared to other documents and business cases is that an ILM requires a ‘target’ associated with measures in the ILM, rather than a forecast. A target is appropriate in the ILM as the focus of the ILM is understanding the intended impact of the investment (the target), rather than the predicted impact of the investment (the forecast).
Using the benefits framework makes it easier and more consistent to identify benefits that are relevant to transport, and is a requirement for all proposals for funding through the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP). Alternative benefits and measures can only be used if they are materially different from those in the framework. Alternatives may be finalised after the workshop in consultation with Waka Kotahi investment advisors.
Note that other benefits linked to non-transport outcomes can be reflected alongside transport benefits in the ILM and benefits map.
Read general guidance on how to select benefits and measures
Read more about ILM on the Waka Kotahi website
