2. Transport Auckland—Rail to Airport and Government PrioritiesJULIE ANNE GENTER (Green) to the Minister of TransportTransport Auckland—Rail to Airport and Government PrioritiesJULIE ANNE GENTER (Green): My question is to the Minister of Transport—[Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can I just have a little less interjection. I have called question No. 2.2. JULIE ANNE GENTER (Green) to the Minister of Transport: Does he agree that light rail to Auckland Airport should be fast-tracked for completion in 2021; if not why not?Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Transport): Well the Government is fast-tracking protection of this sole-purpose route so that we can get on with construction of the corridor. It is difficult to say a time frame because it is an involved process. It does involve design and consenting. It involves property procurement and then that is before you get on to building. But I am absolutely open to suggestions and I am intrigued to understand how the Greens think it could be done especially given that they have opposed the Resource Management Act (RMA) reform that is required for these sorts of projects oppose and hate the board of inquiry process and in fact want consultation and process up the wazoo which makes these sorts of projects much harder to do in that kind of time frame.Julie Anne Genter: Why is he not more ambitious and committed about fast-tracking our airport rail when Vancouver was able to deliver rail to its airport across a similar distance at similar cost in less than 4 years?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: The Government is incredibly ambitious for Auckland and has a series of probably the biggest projects going on at the moment whether it is the East-West Link or whether it is the City Rail Link (CRL). What we do not want to do though is slow things down. It is interesting to know that what the Greens are proposing will take 43 minutes when thanks to the Waterview tunnel already you can do it significantly faster than that.Julie Anne Genter: With all the upheaval in central Auckland from the City Rail Link does it not make sense to start building light rail on Queen Street at the same time rather than create the same disruption several years later?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I am not entirely sure what she is saying. We are doing the projects that make a difference. We have got an ambitious pipeline of projects that I have already been through whether it is CRL whether it is the recently completed Waterview tunnel which means things are much faster than the Greens seem to want for Auckland whether it is the East-West Link—we have got an ambitious pipeline of projects that are making a difference.Julie Anne Genter: Speaking of the CRL does the Minister remember that it took his National Government 6 years to commit to that project and is it really going to take National another 6 years to realise airport rail should have started in 2017?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: It is because we have got a very strong economy and we have got our books in order that actually we are able to do these sorts of projects. We have put in—what is it—somewhere between $1.7 billion and $1.8 billion from the Government into this unprecedented public transport project. It is going to make things much faster in Auckland—unlike the sorts of plans the Green Party have where they actually want a slow train to the airport which would be slower on her projections than actually what we can do right now through the Waterview tunnel.Julie Anne Genter: Can he confirm that back in 2015—yes 2 years ago—both the New Zealand Transport Agency and Auckland Transport committed to airport rail but progress has been delayed for 2 years because he instructed them to go back and look at bus alternatives?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: No I do not accept the way that has been said. What they did was they got together they collaborated on this and they came up with a plan that involves the route protection and that then involves mass transit public transport on that route. One of the issues is when the demand is required but as I say we are absolutely open to suggestions. What we do need to do if we do something in the time frame that the Green Party is talking about is RMA reform and having better consultation that does not take the sort of time that the Green Party would want so that we can get on and do some of these things.Julie Anne Genter: Can he confirm that Auckland Transport officials say that his airport bus solution the one that he brought out to delay progress on airport rail has inherent risks including potentially avoidable costs and disruption from implementing solutions that do not have sufficient long-term capacity."Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I am not responsible for Auckland Transport but what I do know is that we have got an incredibly ambitious programme—we are doing the CRL we are doing many other projects. What we do not want to do is slow things down from where they are now when people can get through the Waterview tunnel some—what—20 minutes faster than they could just a couple of weeks ago with the sorts of things that the Green Party is talking about.Julie Anne Genter: I seek leave to table this confidential Auckland Transport briefing that raises serious concerns about the viability of the Minister's airport bus idea.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that particular briefing. Is there any objection to it being tabled? [Interruption] Order! I am putting the leave; it is over to the House to decide. Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is objection.Julie Anne Genter: Can he confirm that there is no technical or engineering barrier to delivering airport rail by 2021—there is just a lack of political will from his National Government?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I am not a technical expert; I cannot confirm those sorts of things. But what I can confirm is that we are already fast-tracking these things. We are open to suggestions about how to go faster. But let me say that all the things the Green Party has opposed whether it is RMA reform whether it is board of inquiry processes whether it is trying to put more and more consultation processes on—it just slows things down. They want to slow things down. We are the ones trying to speed things up for Auckland."