Wayne Brown’s frustration: Fuel tax gone, Auckland Transport repeating mistakes - The Front Page

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has warned getting rid of the city's regional fuel tax will leave a shortfall in transport funding for Auckland of $1.2 billion. Photo / Michael Craig

There’s more trouble for Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown on the horizon as the Government moves to scrap the city’s regional fuel tax, while Auckland Transport (AT) faces criticism for wasteful and overzealous spending.

Last week, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Transport Minister Simeon Brown confirmed the Government will end the city’s tax of 11.5 cents per litre of fuel on June 30.

Brown said this will leave a shortfall in transport funding for Auckland of $1.2 billion over the next four years and warned projects will be canned as he has ruled out increasing rates to plug the gap.

New Zealand Herald Auckland SuperCity reporter Bernard Orsman told The Front Page, the Herald’s daily news podcast, Brown has troubles on several fronts.

“He’s got an issue with the Government in terms of axing the regional fuel tax and he’s got issues with Auckland Transport [regarding] the way they go about spending money.

“He’s been trying to sort of rein in Auckland Transport. He wants them to do things - I think the words he uses are ‘better, faster, quicker’ - but Auckland Transport just seems to have this habit of stuffing things up big time with residents and communities... they just keep on repeating the same mistakes.”

As Brown looks to the Government to help fund the city’s infrastructure, AT is ripping up a new raised pedestrian crossing designed to last 40 years that was only installed last year which has so far cost $600,000.

Meanwhile, a busy road linking the suburbs of Westmere and Point Chevalier will now remain closed until the end of April.

AT closed Meola Road on December 15 to coincide with the lowest traffic volumes and assured residents it would be re-opened no later than today, when school and city-bound traffic is back in full swing.

The continued closure has caused huge issues on side streets, with one resident describing it as a “s**t show”.

Orsman said AT had a habit of gold-plating many of its projects.

“Particularly in the inner-city suburbs, where the push to install cycleways has grown into full-blown road upgrades costing tens of millions of dollars.

“It’s the same with crossings. Wellington City Council can build a perfectly good crossing for $30,000 all up in Berhampore. Auckland Transport spends $500,000 without blinking an eye.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more from Bernard Orsman about Auckland’s transport funding conundrum.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. This episode was presented by Georgina Campbell, a Wellington-based reporter who has a particular interest in local government, transport, and seismic issues. She joined the Herald in 2019 after working as a broadcast journalist.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.