12. Question No. 12—TransportSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga) to the Minister of TransportQuestion No. 12—Transport12. SIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga) to the Minister of Transport: Does he stand by his proposal which could divert road maintenance funding to building cycleways; if not why not?Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport): The Government has not and does not intend to divert road maintenance funding. As I've already said in the House this afternoon our Government has in fact increased road maintenance funding by 50 percent after it was frozen for 8 years under the previous National-Act Government. I'll note again that we've increased State highway maintenance funding by 90 percent in Gisborne 62 percent in Hawke's Bay and 117 percent in Northland and I expect us to continue to increase levels of investment in State highway maintenance over the coming years. Simeon Brown: What happened yesterday between 7.05 a.m. when he was defending the Government's plan to use road maintenance funds to build cycleways and 4 p.m. when he was forced to publicly abandon his plans?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: I reject the multiple assertions in the member's question. What the member is referring to are longstanding requests from local government and from communities in fact but the Government tries to get better bang for its buck out of its transport investment. For example if a piece of maintenance work is being done on a piece of State highway but we know that at the same time that piece of State highway should have additional safety infrastructure such as side or median barriers it makes sense to use that maintenance programme to also invest in the safety infrastructure—something that hasn't happened to date. The same can apply to for example investing in public transport infrastructure in growing areas at the same time as we are doing maintenance work. Most people will just call that common sense". Simeon Brown: Did he receive a memo from the Prime Minister stating that his proposal to divert road maintenance funding to build cycleways and bus lanes was no longer compatible with the Prime Minister's intention and if so when did he receive it or is it still in the bike bridge?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: No but I have seen a memo from Waka Kotahi warning that the eight years of frozen maintenance funding under the previous National Government was leading to a significant deprivation of the State highway network. Simeon Brown: Is it correct that the price that the Minister had to pay to get Chris Hipkins to support his $30 billion Auckland Light Rail Project was that he would be kept out of the loop on transport funding in other areas?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: At a time when the country expects us to make long-sighted decisions to build a resilient low-carbon transport network I would implore all members to engage in that discussion with seriousness. There are opportunities for debates about relative priorities within the system but the member's consistent approach of just playing cheap politics with our transport system does him and his party no favours and does not advance the debate. I also note that that member when it suits him supports Government investment in public transport such as the Eastern Busway we're building to his electorate but seems to want to stop it from happening in any other part of the country.Hon Michael Woodhouse: Point of order. Mr Speaker it appeared—in answer to the second supplementary question—that the Minister was quoting from an official document; if so under Standing Orders it would be appropriate to have that document tabled.SPEAKER: Can the Minister confirm whether or not he was? Hon MICHAEL WOOD: Just to seek clarity is that in the previous supplementary question where I referred to a memo from Waka Kotahi? Yes I'm happy to table that in accordance with the usual procedures.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House."