It has been another month of wins for Auckland.
On the sporting front, we hosted Sail GP on the beautiful Waitematā harbour, Super Rugby kicked off (yes, I’m still a Blues man) and the Prime Minister joined me to announce the State of Origin was finally coming to Auckland in 2027.
Sail GP and State of Origin would not have happened without the hard work by the Council’s Tātaki Auckland Unlimited team, working with Government so kudos to those involved in bringing these great events to Auckland. Now all that’s missing is a bed night visitor levy to help bring more major events to the city!
There’s no doubt that State of Origin will be massive for Auckland, not just because of the benefits to the city it will bring, but because it will be such a fantastic opportunity for Aucklanders to get a close up look at one of the greatest sporting events in the world. In case you’re wondering, I'll be cheering on Queensland!
On the agenda front, agreement on a city deal is not far away, there are more signs the CRL is coming with the opening of the Karanga-a-hape precinct in Ponsonby this month and we’re getting some wins in the infrastructure and RMA reforms space.
Some of you will have heard about the release of the National Infrastructure Plan this month, which sets out how planning, funding and delivery of infrastructure can be improved over the next 30 years.
As I said the other day, I wouldn’t be surprised if they took some of the ideas out of my Manifesto. The Plan highlights what I’ve been pushing for to fix Auckland’s infrastructure woes, and I feel vindicated the policy programme I’m driving is focused and can deliver tangible results.
It’s a reality check for our infrastructure sector and Government for that matter.
There’s a lot to unpick from the Plan but I honed in on transport as it’s an area I’m working to finish the fix on, through the transport reforms returning control of strategic planning back to elected representatives.
The concerns the report raises in the approach to transport infrastructure and in particular, mega projects, is right on the button.
Auckland’s in a transport funding crisis, the cost of transport projects the government has promised exceeds available funding by tens of billions. Inflation’s too high, design standards are too high, we have over-zealous futureproofing, consent requirements add ridiculous restrictions, and there’s far too much costly bespoke design. We need to focus more on cost and less on world class. We just want good usable standards.
The Plan calls out the Government’s own agency, NZTA, on the ridiculous Harbour Crossing proposal, warning that, despite investigations, it hasn’t found an affordable solution – yet. It even highlighted that a $9 toll for every vehicle trip across the new and old crossings would still not raise enough money to fund the project. A $9 toll, charged 24 hours a day, would not be acceptable to Aucklanders. We need a much cheaper option for a new harbour crossing.
In saying that, big decisions about a second harbour crossing or tolling should be made together with Auckland, and not by government agencies working in secret. I’m staying focused on delivering cheaper, better and faster for Auckland ratepayers.
Transport infrastructure is critical to the success of our city and the future of all Aucklanders, and we must make sure investment decisions are the right ones. I expect the new 30-year integrated transport plan the council and government will be working on together, is the right forum for tackling these challenges for Auckland.
The Government’s announcement last week on changes to PC120 aligns clearly with my agenda. I've always said we need to intensify in the right places: along transport routes, where we've invested in infrastructure, not on flood plains.
I've also said the capacity would change – it is just a theoretical number that was widely misunderstood to begin with. Getting planning right is one of the biggest opportunities we have to improve productivity.
It’s now up to Auckland to determine where and how our city grows, not to be decided by a Cabinet of people who don't live here.
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