The cycleway plan announced by the Government is a gimmick from a jobs point of view, says Labour Party leader Phil Goff.
Prime Minister John Key told a conference of Local Government New Zealand in Christchurch on Monday that the Government has set aside $9 million for the seven projects from a $50 million fund.
Construction of the first seven cycleway projects is likely to begin this summer.
Mr Key says that if all seven tracks go ahead, the construction work will create about 300 jobs. That will rise to more than 500 a year as supporting businesses are developed, he says.
But Mr Goff says it is not enough to create only 300 jobs during the construction phase. Mr Goff says there may be other benefits from the cycleway project, but job creation will not be one of them.
He says Mr Key told the job summit in February that the cycleway would create more than 3,000 jobs - not 300, which is about the same as the number of New Zealanders being laid off every day.
Bike group's hopes
Cycling organisation Bike NZ hopes the national cycleway will encourage more New Zealanders to get out on their bikes.
Bike NZ chief executive Kieran Turner says the tracks are intended to be suitable for all levels of ability.
Mr Turner says cycling holidays are a booming market overseas, and New Zealand will be well placed to tap into that market.
Southland District Mayor Frana Cardno says regions such as hers will benefit from funding for the cycleways.
The selected projects are: the Waikato River trail, Central North Island rail trail, Mount Ruapehu to Wanganui, St James trail, Hokianga to Russell, Hauraki Plains trail and Southland "around the mountain" rail trail.