Genter Julie Anne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeGenter Julie Anne: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 13 February 2014. Volume:696;Page:15920. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]3.JULIE ANNE GENTER (Green) to theMinister for Economic Development: Why is the Government holding up economic development in Auckland’s CBD according to Auckland City officials by delaying the opening of the City Rail Link until 2025?Hon Tau Henare: We had to be quiet for that?Mr SPEAKER: Yes yes that particular member certainly has to be quiet for that.Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development): The Government is not holding up economic development in the Auckland central business district and we are certainly not delaying the opening of the City Rail Link. In fact if anything we have accelerated it.Julie Anne Genter: Is the Minister disagreeing then with Prime Minister John Key when he said that Auckland Mayor Len Brown had a “fair point” that private investment is being held up by the delay to the City Rail Link?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The Prime Minister as I understand it said that it was fair to have a look at the matters that the mayor had raised but he also said that nothing had changed at this time.Julie Anne Genter: Is the Minister denying that there is at least $1 billion of private investment planned along the route of the City Rail Link that those investments will be held up until the final design of the City Rail Link is set and that investors know when it is going to be open?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: They do now know when it is going to be open. The second point is I have some doubt as to which projects the member is referring to. It would be helpful if she mentioned them. I have had it raised with me for example that the New Zealand International Convention Centre might be one of those projects—Hon Gerry Brownlee: Really?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Yes and I appreciate the member’s concern that it may not be built on time although I think that that demonstrates certain flexible principles on behalf of the Green Party if it is now asking to accelerate the convention centre rather than stop it.Julie Anne Genter: I seek leave to table for the benefit of the Minister a list of six major developments not including the convention centre—Mr SPEAKER: That is well enough described thank you. I will put the leave. Leave is sought to table that particular list of developments that are proposed. Is there any objection to that being tabled?Hon Steven Joyce: Where did it come from?Mr SPEAKER: I have neglected to ask the source of the document.Julie Anne Genter: The Auckland Council. They are developments that have—Mr SPEAKER: Order! It is an Auckland Council document. Is there any objection to it being tabled? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Julie Anne Genter: Has the Minister sought any advice on the impact on Auckland’s economic development of the later construction date of the City Rail Link; if so did that advice confirm Auckland Council’s finding that delaying the City Rail Link will inflate construction costs by half a billion dollars?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The member should address issues in relation to the actual construction of the City Rail Link to my colleague the eminent Mr Brownlee. In relation to private sector developments I think we do have to test that. One of the developments I understand—and I have not yet had the opportunity to read the member’s list—relates to a project where I met the representatives of the developer. At no time have they raised concerns about any timetabling of the City Rail Link. In fact they were quite comfortable that the constraints were in fact planning constraints not City Rail Link constraints.Julie Anne Genter: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I asked the question “Has he sought any advice on the impact on economic development”—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member did ask that and also added a second question about a potential cost increase of half a billion dollars. The Minister clearly answered that by saying it is not within his portfolio and it needs to be addressed to Mr Brownlee. The question has been addressed.Julie Anne Genter: Has the Government not set up a catch-22 situation where it has said that it will not fund the City Rail Link until arbitrary job and rail patronage targets have been met even though it is clear that the City Rail Link is the best way to increase jobs and rail use in Auckland?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well the member makes a very interesting point in which she says that the construction of certain transport projects might hasten development and economic growth in the country. Weirdly though that seems to be the only project that will do that. The Basin Reserve flyover Transmission Gully thePūhoi to Warkworth road the Tauranga bypass and so on are all very bad ideas but weirdly the central rail loop will accelerate development. I think the member is showing certain rose-tinted spectacles for just one project.Julie Anne Genter: Does the Minister really believe that there will be greater economic development benefits from saving a few minutes for tens of thousands of vehicles; or does he believe there will be greater economic benefit in allowing hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders to use rail to access the city centre and save money on petrol and vehicles and by allowing those Aucklanders to use the rail network he will actually free up the roads for those who need to use them? Is it not obvious that that is a better use of investment?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I might be weird but I actually think saving time for as the member puts it tens of thousands of people in vehicles may in fact be a good idea to do on an everyday basis. Look I think we have a very interesting and straightforward process for determining the relative merits of particular projects and they are called benefit-cost ratios. The member speaks a lot about benefit-cost ratios in terms of how they are relative to each other but I note that no matter which project you use unfortunately at this time the City Rail Link comes out at a lower benefit-cost ratio than all the road projects that the member criticises; therefore it needs to be considered for the right time that it is for. I am absolutely confident on the evidence that I have seen to date that the City Rail Link timetable which was brought forward by this Government is not holding up economic development in our biggest city.Julie Anne Genter: Does the Government actually have a commitment to build the City Rail Link; if so why has it not allocated a single cent to the project in any of its three long-term transport spending plans? Why did the transport Minister tell me in answer to written questions that the Government will not be updating these documents to reflect its supposed commitment to the City Rail Link?Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Steven Joyce—any of those questions.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well the member might note that to my left the transport Minister Mr Brownlee is available to answer any questions at any time in relation to timing—in fact I think he is slightly miffed that you did not ask him the question today! I think the reality of it is that this Government has committed to the project. The member is trying to seek to bring the project forward which she can do if she likes but to suggest that we are delaying it is simply incorrect.Julie Anne Genter: For the benefit of the Minister I would like to table the City Centre Future Access Study which shows that by 2021—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The document has been quite satisfactorily described. Now I just need the source of the document.Julie Anne Genter: It was a report written by Sinclair KnightMerz for Auckland Council and for—Mr SPEAKER: On the basis that that may not be readily available for members I will put the leave. It is then for members to decide. Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.