News Release
27 August 2015

Mayor hails historic agreement on transport

Mayor Len Brown has hailed the launch of the Auckland Transport Alignment Project as an historic milestone in the relationship between Auckland and the government.

The Mayor and Transport Minister Simon Bridges signed the terms of reference for the alignment project at a ceremony at the Auckland Town Hall this afternoon.

“The signing marks a new dawn in our relationship with the government ending decades of disagreement and time wasting,” says Len Brown. “It signals a new and improved way of working with central government on the planning and funding of Auckland transport infrastructure.”

Today’s signing begins a 12 month process in which Auckland and the Government will agree objectives and targets for transport in Auckland.

That work will include designing the best programme of investments in roads, traffic management, public transport and walking and cycling infrastructure to achieve those objectives and targets.

“Rather than having to simply respond to documents drafted in Wellington such as Government Policy Statements and National Land Transport Programmes, Auckland now has the opportunity to be involved at the start of these processes and their implementation from 2018,” says Len Brown.

“Having an agreed transport investment programme for Auckland, will also meet the Government’s prerequisite for discussions on alternative funding for transport in Auckland.

“It’s important to understand that the Government and Auckland Council already agree on the need for vast majority of major projects for Auckland, such as the City Rail Link, the East West Link, Northern Busway extensions and AMETI.”

The Mayor is pleased all parties have approached the project in an open minded way and have agreed broad objectives for transport in Auckland.

“It’s another example of how well we and the government are working together on key Auckland issues.”

ENDS

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