11. Question No. 11—TransportNICOLA WILLIS (National) to the Associate Minister of TransportQuestion No. 11—TransportNICOLA WILLIS (National): My question is to the Associate Minister of Transport. When she wrote to the Minister of Transport stating her view that work on rapid transit should be prioritised ahead of a second Mount Victoria tunnel had she sought any analysis or advice from transport officials about the impact that would have on access to the east for Wellingtonians; if so on what date did she receive that advice? SPEAKER: Now I am going to ask the member to read the question again. 11. NICOLA WILLIS (National) to the Associate Minister of Transport: When she wrote to the Minister of Transport stating her view that work on rapid transit should be prioritised ahead of a second Mount Victoria tunnel had she sought any advice from transport officials about the impact that would have on congestion travel times and bus services for Wellingtonians; if so on what date did she receive that advice? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Associate Minister of Transport): To answer the first part of this question yes I'm advised that Minister Twyford and I received advice applicable to the sequencing of the projects from the Ministry of Transport on 26 March 2019 and on 5 April 2019. I'm advised we also received nine briefings from the New Zealand Transport Agency relating to this matter between 21 February 2018 and 23 September 2019. I'm confident that both my position and the Government's final position on Let's Get Wellington Moving is well supported by the available evidence. Nicola Willis: Well does she agree with the advice that she's just quoted provided to Minister Twyford from the Ministry of Transport that delaying the second Mount Victoria tunnel would increase congestion and result in unreliable general traffic times for Wellingtonians travelling to the east? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: I also agree that if we don't have good public transport and rapid transit there would be subsequent congestion from the construction of a Mount Vic tunnel. But the advice also says from a mode-shift perspective it is important for rapid transit other public transport walking and cycling investments to be built ahead of extra road capacity. Nicola Willis: So is it the case that she received no written advice prior to sending her letter that supported delay and construction of the Mount Victoria tunnel? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: I received a number of briefings from the New Zealand Transport Agency on this matter on all the relative costs and benefits of different projects and the sequencing of the projects. For example in this briefing from 3 October 2018 we received information that the benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) are likely to be highest for the early improvements—walking and cycling; public transport improvements north and central; mass transit especially the section from the station to Newtown—and all of those BCRs are higher than the highway projects. Nicola Willis: Does she agree with advice provided to Minister Twyford from the Ministry of Transport that delaying the second Mount Vic tunnel would increase congestion and result in unreliable general traffic times or does she think her opinion is more important than that of the advice from her officials? Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: My opinion is based on advice from officials and the officials provided a range of assessments of benefits and costs of different sequencing and different projects. We have agreed to the sequencing that is going to deliver the greatest benefits to Wellingtonians in terms of improving the ability of people to get around through walking cycling and public transport and that will deliver the greatest benefits to motorists.