Brown Simeon; Court Simon; Salesa JennySIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga): The Minister of Transport hasn't answered a couple of my questions. One of the ones around the cycle bridge was why is the New Zealand Transport Agency reconsidering the reallocation of lanes on the existing bridge as part of a Northern Pathway programme? At the select committee—and it's mentioned in the report—this was expressly ruled out so can the Minister please tell the committee why that is now being reconsidered? I'd like the Minister to actually answer that question because it's actually a question that many Aucklanders on one of New Zealand's most critical pieces of infrastructure—the Auckland Harbour Bridge critical for moving people around Auckland and freight in and out of Auckland—why is the Government reconsidering reallocating lanes for a cycle bridge after cancelling that cycle bridge? Why are they considering reallocating lanes? I think that's a question that Aucklanders and New Zealanders need to know. How many more millions of dollars is the Government going to sink into that particular programme?The other question the Minister hasn't answered is regarding the Auckland light rail. The Auckland light rail is something which is well $14.6 billion and up to $29.2 billion dollars according to Treasury estimates. And the question that Aucklanders and New Zealanders have is: when is that final business case actually going to be delivered? I asked the question before and I ask it again. Will that be completed before the next election? We've had lots of announcements from this Government about light rail and the Minister stands up and says Oh we've just got to bite the bullet." Bite the bullet! Well it's a very slow-moving bullet because they announced that in 2017 that it'd be completed by 2021; it's now 2022 if the Minister hadn't quite noticed and well I'm not sure if the bullet's gone right past us or it's still on its way. But—Hon David Bennett: It's in a time warp.SIMEON BROWN: —or in a time warp—not 1 metre of construction has actually been done. Hon Members: It's The Matrix!SIMEON BROWN: Yes it's The Matrix—it's The Matrix. We don't know where their bullet is but they're going to bite us. That's all we know from this Government. But will they even deliver a business case? I'm not even asking for a metre of light rail by 2023. I mean I don't think it should be built then because I think it's going to be an incredibly expensive waste of money. But will we even get a business case before the next election? Guess what! This country doesn't believe this Government when it comes to light rail because they have promised promised promised and issued issued issued press releases but we've seen absolutely nothing which gives us any confidence. Will we get that business case before the next election?SIMON COURT (ACT): Madam Chair thank you. Minister Wood one final question for this evening. In November last year I asked you a written question: what is the forecast final cost to complete the City Rail Link? And you said that we needed to wait the Government needed to wait until significant milestones had been reached. Yesterday after Cabinet you said that you were aware that there was a significant cost blowout coming. The Auditor-General has said they're aware of a significant cost blowout. Yet in response to my written question of a few weeks ago you've said that you refer back to last year's response. You don't know what the final cost will be. So Minister could you give the committee and the people of New Zealand some confidence that the Government can actually deliver a project like City Rail Link with some confidence around the budget and timing? Or are we to expect that this level of performance would continue with light rail?Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport): I do thank the member for his question which is a serious and reasonable question and increasingly from the Opposition benches he is taking on the role as the member who does ask serious questions about the transport sector. In respect of that particular question I have noted for a period of time that the City Rail Link (CRL) does face cost pressures particularly relating to the very real impacts that COVID has had on that project. There have been points over the course of COVID where that project has had to be closed down or has been significantly impacted for periods of time. There have been points where it has been difficult to secure supplies. And of course there are significant cost pressures that come on because of supply. All of that sits alongside the general nature of a project of that scale where often the final allocation of costs will not be known until more towards the back end of the project. Broadly speaking CRL advised Ministers that a much firmer picture as to the final allocation of costs is likely to be clear by approximately the end of this year. But in the meantime we are working closely with them to examine the particular COVID impacts and we hope to have a greater handle on that sooner.The other member who asked questions really does demonstrate why increasingly the National Party is just not seen as a serious commentator on transport issues by anyone credible in the transport sector.Hon Members: Ha ha!Hon MICHAEL WOOD: And they can mock and guffaw and make jokes about significant infrastructure projects because they take some time but the reality is that in the major metropolitan centres of New Zealand we have for 50 years failed to make the investment in mass rapid transit system. That's why our cities are congested. That is why we have poor air quality. That is why we have high carbon emissions. And this Government is setting about those tasks. It does of course take time at the beginning of very significant infrastructure projects through built-up city areas to do your planning right to do your consultation right to make sure that you have a detailed design that stacks up. These kind of projects internationally take some time to get under way. None the less in the space of one year since this Government has come into office we have an indicative business case on the table—Hon Members: Ha ha!Hon MICHAEL WOOD: And the members again refuse to engage in a serious debate. They know and everyone knows that in the previous term of Government there was not agreement amongst the governing parties about proceeding with that project and so it couldn't. That's the reality. Everyone knows that. From the beginning of this Government we have set about that task. We have an indicative business case under way detailed planning that is now under way a firm political commitment to move forward with the project. I think that New Zealanders of all of our major metro centres want a Government that is ready to actually make these investments to make these cities better after many years of neglect and that is what we will continue to do.I do expect the detailed business case to be finished by approximately the end of 2023 which I have informed the member of several times previously.CHAIRPERSON (Hon Jenny Salesa): Before I call Simeon Brown a reminder that we have about two minutes left on this issue. Simeon Brown."