Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Government Spending Priorities

The Government has set aside $150 million for an Auckland harbour crossing for cyclists.

In October, the Government scrapped a proposed $785m cycling and walking bridge in Auckland, just three months after unveiling it.

After a huge public outcry the Government came to the conclusion that the proposal was unjustifiable and therefore scrapped it, but it was already so far down the track with designs, consultants, engineers and contracts that taxpayers are now footing a huge bill for the one of the dumbest ideas this Labour government has ever had.

As of late September, Waka Kotahi had spent $51m on designs, consultants and engineering plan fees.

But that is only for money spent up to the end of September 2021, and the agency has not put a figure on any further costs that may come, especially those associated with unwinding a private sector contracting team.

Now, the Government has agreed to direct $150m of the project’s original $785m budget to cover sunk costs and conduct further work to get a ferry or bus shuttle service up and running.

Alternative options for cyclists to cross the Waitematā Harbour that could be implemented in the short term were a dedicated ferry service or bike bus, Cabinet papers released on Christmas Eve said.

Waka Kotahi has previously investigated a dedicated ferry service operating 6am to 12am daily on a 15-minute frequency from Northcote to Wynyard or a dedicated bus operating from 6am to 12am daily on a 10-minute frequency from Stafford to Westhaven.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

A ministerial briefing note from May last year said the ferry option would cost $58m to deliver and cost $6m a year to operate.

New Zealanders worked hard to pay taxes, and they expected the Government to be careful with taxpayers’ money. New Zealanders deserve better than this sort of wasteful and irresponsible spending.

Particularly at this present point in time where we are in the middle of a pandemic that has caused an economic crisis, where government spending has raised public indebtedness to unprecedented levels. In 2019 our indebtedness was 18.6% of GDP and in 2021 it was at 51.97% of GDP.

In the middle of this economic crisis and pandemic we have the government encouraging the population to get vaccinated against Covid as there will not be enough ICU health care facilities available to handle a major outbreak of the disease yet they are prioritising spending approximately 150 million on a dedicated transport system for cyclists to cross the Auckland harbour, when in fact there are already buses, ferries and a road crossing available.

This has to be just another example of a government that has no connection to reality.

Surely in the current health climate taxpayers funds should be prioritised towards either ICU beds, ICU staffing or a combination of both rather than some feel good project that will benefit a very small section of the total population and score the government some brownie points with that same section of the population.

Or is this proposed spending announcement just a way of covering up another government blowout in costs for a project that has already been admitted as unjustifiable and was scrapped because of that?

Given the timing of the release of the cabinet papers (on Christmas Eve 2021) which set out this proposed funding for a cyclists harbour crossing, I question the current Labour government’s motives behind this proposal.

Any way that it is viewed this proposed spending can, in my opinion, only be seen as coming from a government that has no connection to reality and very little actual experience of the economic realities of government.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.