Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has received an apology today from Auckland Transport over changes to Karangahape Rd. Photos / Dean Purcell, Michael Craig
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has received an apology today from Auckland Transport over changes to Karangahape Rd. Photos / Dean Purcell, Michael Craig
Auckland Transport has issued four apologies this week over changes to Karangahape Rd - the latest one to the mayor’s office today.
Last night, AT raised concerns about the Herald’scoverage of the issue and took exception to a statement by Brown in a Herald story about theremoval of car parking.
Brown said he had been led to believe by AT that pauses to the project involved pausing the removal of car parks.
In an email to Herald editor Murray Kirkness, AT asked him to amend the story “to show that AT did provide the mayor’s office with information yesterday that did not leave any room for interpretation about what was planned for parking”.
Auckland Transport's changes to Karangahape Rd have led to four apologies in the past week. Photo / Michael Craig
To back this up, AT released an email chain between its staff and the mayor’s office with a reference that said: “The removal of general parking will take effect from 12 November 2023.”
When the Herald today asked the mayoral office if Brown was wrong, a response came back highlighted in red print: “No. AT can provide further clarification on this. The email chain does not provide a clear communication picture.”
A short time later, AT’s head of corporate communication Jo Glasswell issued a statement attributed to a “spokesperson”.
“There were a number of communications throughout the day, including on the phone and in-person discussions directly with the mayor, as we worked to understand and resolve the matter,” she said.
“We accept that these communications led to a misunderstanding. We have apologised to the mayor’s office for this and have worked urgently to ensure that a number of car parks can be retained on a temporary basis.”
AT boss Dean Kimpton has kept a low profile throughout the week. Photo / Michael Craig
The apology caps a turbulent week for the council-controlled organisation and relatively new chief executive Dean Kimpton, who has set out to improve AT’s standing with Aucklanders.
Kimpton has declined a request to speak with the Herald, has not put his name to any media statements on the issue, and left other staff to apologise for what is probably AT’s most controversial consultation process since the 2019-2020 fiasco at St Heliers when it tried to remove car parks and install pedestrian crossings.
On that occasion, former Mayor Phil Goff told AT it was not a “dictatorship”, one resident said AT had turned the village “into a seething mass of anger” and the current deputy mayor Desley Simpson said poor communication and engagement is at the heart of why so few people have a good word to say for AT.
Auckland Transport got itself into big strife when it tried to remove car parks and pedestrian crossing in St Heliers.
AT’s apologies
November 3 - “I would like to offer my sincere apologies for the poor communication” - Stacey van der Putten, executive general manager - public transport service.
November 8 - “We haven’t closed the loop well with businesses impacted on Karangahape Road on the final outcome and we apologise for this” - Edward Wright, metro specification manager.
November 9 - “We recognise that our engagement with Karangahape Rd businesses should have been better and we apologise for the uncertainty and confusion we have caused” - Stacey van der Putten.
November 10 - “We have apologised to the mayor’s office” - head of corporate communication Jo Glasswell.
Bernard Orsman is an Auckland-based reporter who has been covering local government and transport since 1998. He joined the Herald in 1990 and worked in the parliamentary press gallery for six years.
