Brown Peter: Land Transport Management Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Brown Peter: Land Transport Management Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:613;Page:9682] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 I have to respond to that member. He sat there yesterday with the mayors of the local district and other dignitaries and agreed with the member for Tauranga’s assertion that the first call for funding for roading should be on the petrol tax that goes into the Crown account. Now he is saying that the member for Tauranga is doing this for popularity reasons. I tell you that— 
The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (H V Ross Robertson) 
: Do not bring me into the debate. 
PETER BROWN 
: Well I tell the Chairman and the Committee that the member for Tauranga had a public meeting on Friday— 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: You’re supposed to tell him. 
PETER BROWN 
: That is what I thought. Members are keen to know what the member for Tauranga did. He called a public meeting. Every seat was taken. It was full and brimming at the sides. There were business people small-business people large-business people and members of the general public. They were not necessarily New Zealand First people. Many of them probably voted for United Future. I think they might change their mind now after hearing that member. They said unanimously that they do not want tolls. 
Tolling is not fair. If one wants to look at how tolling is being applied and how unfair it is from time to time look at Route K in Tauranga right now. It was estimated it was going to take between 6000 and 10000 vehicles a day. It is averaging 2000 vehicles a day. It is barely getting sufficient funds to man the toll bridge. It is not paying for the debt of building the road because people use the alternative route. That member Mr Baldock will support clause 53(2) which the Minister has put in. It was not in the bill as introduced. It will allow the Minister to toll an existing road. We know that is set up for Tauranga. We know that that is— 
Hon Paul Swain 
: Ha ha! 
PETER BROWN 
: The Minister is laughing. He knows that it is a set-up for Tauranga. He knows that we are so darn efficient in Tauranga we want to use our roads to the maximum and he thinks that the people of Tauranga are silly enough to pay a toll on a bridge that was tolled a year ago but the toll has been taken off. I tell the Minister that they are not that silly. Mr Baldock might think they are but I can tell members that they are not that silly. They do not want the bridge to be tolled again to pay for future developments in Tauranga. 
I might add that the harbour bridge project clarifies and fits all the criteria of a State highway. It should be declared a State highway and it should be funded by Transit/Transfund. This is nothing but a con trick to keep it as a local road and force the local people to deal with the problem. There is money in Transfund to pay for that project right now. It does not need any further income at all. Mr Baldock knows that. I say to Mr Baldock that if he puts his name and United Future puts its name to signing up to this bill as apparently they are going to they will be doing a disservice to the people of this country. New Zealanders do not want generic road tolling across the board at the whim of the Minister. I think the Minister will find that out in due course. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: They don’t want taxation for that matter. 
PETER BROWN 
: No they do not want taxation. I think the member behind me made some very good comments. The average person wants the cost load spread as far as possible in proportion to road usage. Mr Williamson would like swipe cards transponders and what have you. I do not think New Zealanders will go that far but they would be prepared to pay for roading through their fuel tax if it was across the board. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: What’s the difference between that and road tolls? 
PETER BROWN 
: I tried to illustrate— 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Why should my grandma pay for your roads in Tauranga? 
PETER BROWN 
: She does not have to pay for our roads in Tauranga. The member is quite confused. How long has he had the transport portfolio? I will have to talk to him privately. He has no idea how this system works. 
I make it quite clear that we should be sitting down working out the total cost to this country of bringing the roading up to par and then working out a formula that is fair to everybody.