Jones: Auckland people have minds of their own

Warkworth and Transport Minister Steven Joyce needs to accept that Aucklanders have minds of their own, and that the solution to Auckland's transport problems won't come out of Wellington, says Labour's Transport spokesperson Shane Jones.

"Minister for Warkworth Steven Joyce arrogantly assumes he knows better than Aucklanders what's needed, and how to pay for it," Shane Jones said. "The truth is, he doesn't know, and any ideas he does have are firmly rooted in his ideology of more roads and more roads."

Shane Jones said Auckland Mayor Len Brown is right to hit back at Mr Joyce for his heavy-handed reaction last week to Mayor Brown's call for the city to investigate different ways of funding large transport projects.

"The truth is that Aucklanders might not want tolls. They might not want congestion charges. They might not want a regional petrol tax.

"But until Aucklanders have that debate, decide what their priorities are, and how they are going to get there, ministers like Mr Joyce should butt out," Shane Jones said.

"Aucklanders are certainly not going to 'get there' in terms of finding solutions by travelling on Mr Joyce's holiday highway from Puhoi to Warkworth.

Aucklanders face pressing problems far closer to their own doorstep. They need to deal with these as they believe best.

"They don't need Steven Joyce telling them what to do," Shane Jones said.

© Scoop Media