SpeechHon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport): I'll address a number of questions that members have raised. Mr Brown firstly asked about the Mill Road corridor and I'll just quickly repeat the response that I provided earlier on in the debate. The Government is of the view that it is important to invest in that corridor—we have confirmed that through the New Zealand Upgrade Programme repeatedly—but what we do not believe is appropriate and responsible is simply to turn that road effectively into a gold-plated mini motorway. We do not think that will serve the community well. We do not think it will be a safer option. We do not think that it will reduce carbon emissions—in fact it will do very much the opposite. So we've asked officials to engage in further work to make sure that we develop a more sustainable solution for that corridor that is focused on community safety and focused on providing better transport choices.I'm very pleased to in response to Mr Brown—but also I acknowledge the local MP Terisa Ngobi's question around the future of the Ōtaki to north of Levin project. I'm really pleased that it's a part of our New Zealand Upgrade Programme. I acknowledge the local member's advocacy in respect of this issue and it's something that we have been really clear and consistent is a project that we will be moving forward with as a part of the New Zealand Upgrade Programme. It is a very significant project that involves a great deal of planning significant land acquisitions and it's in that phase now. The expectation remains that it will likely move towards the start of construction in 2025 with an opening date of approximately 2029 in answer to the member's question. In respect of State Highway 25A the question from Mr Brown we said it in March that this would effectively be a three-stage process to work towards a decision in terms of the best way to rebuild that connection. Firstly solid geotechnical work to understand the conditions around the road—that took a long time to do because actually even up until now the ground is very soft and is still moving so it's been important to do that work very carefully which Waka Kotahi has been working through. Secondly based on that good data is the assessment as to what the best engineering solution is—not just to do the reconnection but to make sure that the reconnection is a durable and resilient one because we do know how important it is for the community. We are acutely aware of the difficulties it creates for the communities on the eastern side of the peninsula to not have that road in place. I don't think we would be thanked for doing a cheap quick and easy option that wasn't resilient and experienced further damage. So we're doing that work now. We see that the third stage then would be in May where we would be in a position to confirm the way in which we are taking that solution forward—that remains the case. I expect there to be an announcement later this month around the way that that project is taken forward and we will move forward with all reasonable speed in order to ensure that that connection is completed.In respect to the member's question around Auckland light rail stages this is the common way that large infrastructure projects are taken forward. You take a big project and you look at how you break it down and deliver it. A good way of thinking about it which members opposite might feel a little more comfortable about is the Waikato Expressway. That was a project that in effect started in about 1997—Hon David Bennett: No it didn't.Hon MICHAEL WOOD: —yes it did—and it was done in 10 different stages between 1997 and 2022. [Interruption] The member makes an unusual comment—Hon David Bennett: Point of order. The member is misleading the House in saying that it started in 1997. It's a common approach taken by the Labour Party—CHAIRPERSON (Greg O'Connor): That is not a point of order. The member can stand and make a speech later on if he wants to have another version of events.Hon MICHAEL WOOD: And the final stage of course was opened by our Government late last year. So that was a way of breaking down a large project and delivering it in an efficient and effective way over a period of time. It's the same with building a mass rapid transit network in our largest city something our Government is committed to.Terisa Ngobi also asked about the lower North Island rail announcements that we have recently made. This will be a game-changer for the people of the Wellington region. It will enable peak-hour services to at least double which means that for those communities north of Waikanae—it was the previous Labour Government that brought electrified commuter services up to Waikanae. Now for the communities between Waikanae and Palmerston North at least doubling the peak-hour services—the same on the Wairarapa Line. Also time savings for those communities enabling people to connect to work education and other social or economic communities. So hugely positive and again I thank the member for her advocacy on behalf of our communities for that one.Finally Mr Court asked about Auckland light rail funding. We've been consistent about this that we know that there will need to be a significant funding share from the Crown and we continue to engage with our other partners as we refine costs and assess what the best way of paying for the project is over the long run.