Latest News
South Auckland will be ‘hit hard’ by congestion charging
South Auckland residents will be hit hard by proposed congestion charging due to a lack of reliable and affordable public transport, local board representatives say.
Auckland Council’s draft long-term plan (LTP) proposes to introduce road charges during peak times.
Ōtara-Papatoetoe local board chair Apulu Reece Autagavaia said the proposal doesn’t consider the needs of South Auckland households.
Photo:
“A lot of families find it more economical to travel by car than through public transport.
“The [Auckland Transport (AT)] hop card might be worthwhile for an individual, but when you add in a family of five, it does become more costly,” he said.
Private vehicles are a need for a lot of the community, who don’t have a reliable alternative, he said.
“If public transport is not consistent, reliable and affordable, then we’re going to have to stay in our cars,” he said.
“Public transport is a worry and not of quality to make me confident that congestion charging should be introduced, because it will force people to either pay or rely on an unreliable public transport system.”
Autagavaia said they are worried how it will affect communities reliant on cars.
“We’re going to be the ones paying that congestion charge, not out of choice but because we’re forced to do it.”
Ōtara-Papatoetoe local board chair Apulu Reece Autagavaia. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Council
Public transport is in a period of transition, he said.
“When it works it works really well, but when it doesn’t we’re really stuck out there.
“When the trains don’t work, it’s our people that are commuting from afar, who are late for school and don’t make it to work on time,” Autagavaia said.
Māngere-Ōtāhuhu local board chair Tauanu’u Nanai Nick Bakulich agreed congestion charges would worsen transport issues in South Auckland.
“We are being hit hard, which is really unfortunate.
“Under the current political climate, it’s the people at the bottom that are getting hit the hardest,” Bakulich tells Local Democracy Reporting.
Public transport subsidies also ended this month, meaning the community has been hit twice as hard, he said.
“It’s disheartening when we see investment taken away in key areas that will affect services in high deprivation areas.”
“Our local board has been advocating for free public transport [for South Auckland], if not for all of Auckland,” Bakulich said.
On top of affordability, he said there should be more investment in specialised routes in Māngere to connect residents to vital, local services like the town centre, supermarkets, medical clinics and Auckland Airport.
Auckland trains (file image). Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro
Autagavaia agreed free public transport is the best option, but is hopeful that the LTP’s proposed $50-weekly public transport cap for adults will help curb costs.
“It’s not the full answer because again, the reliability of public transport will take a long time to fix,” he said.
AT executive programme director Mark Lambert said no decisions have been made around the specifics of the congestion charging scheme, but that the council-controlled organisation will start planning it in the coming weeks.
“A lot of design work still needs to be done … including impact assessments,” Lambert said.
“We will absolutely be considering the impact on Aucklanders depending on where any scheme could be located.”
“As part of that process, we will be looking at the costs and benefits across all different parts of the commute [network] and considering the impact on communities using the transport network,” Lambert said.
When asked about the reliability of public transport in South Auckland, Lambert said: “We recognise there is transport deprivation in parts of the city, including South Auckland.”
“We will be considering what alternative transport options are available to people in the areas we’re looking at,” he said.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
VIA RNZ
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
rnz
Police say person who fired gun at officers still at large
New Zealand sides named for RLWC finals
Parliamentary Service working on extra chairs and offices for increased number of MPs
-
Latest News2 months ago‘Chilling’: Business groups speak out against National’s supermarket break-up plan
-
NZ News2 months agoTom Phillips report: The missed opportunities to find the children
-
Politics2 months agoNational vows to try to split Pak’nSave and New World
-
Latest News2 months agoCars bearing Chinese police markings stir unease in Auckland
-
Fiji News2 months agoPlans to have new Constitution by Dec 24th 2026
-
NZ News2 months agoCop who stole $68,000 can now be named as champion Muay Thai fighter Haimona Tamati-Te Paki
-
Politics2 months agoMBIE confirms botched biometric projects costs blown out to $50.7 million
-
Latest News2 months agoFive Karangahape Road venues lose their liquor licences after police intervention