4. Transport Infrastructure—Auckland Funding Local Roads Spending on and State HighwaysJAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany) to the Minister of TransportTransport Infrastructure—Auckland Funding Local Roads Spending on and State Highways4. JAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany) to the Minister of Transport: Why is the Government proposing to cut the State highway improvement budget by two-thirds over the next 10 years from a mid-point of $1.375 billion next year to just $425 million in 2028?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Transport): Spending on new State highways will gradually be reallocated to deliver significantly greater investment in regional roads in local roads in the maintenance of State highways and local roads in public transport in road policing in safe walking and cycling infrastructure and in the rail network. Funding for regional and local roads and road maintenance increases by $1.2 billion over the next three years far outweighing any reduction in State highway improvements. Instead of spending billions of dollars on a few hand-picked stretches of motorway we are investing to improve transport right across New Zealand.Jami-Lee Ross: Why is he proposing to stall new State highway construction that delivers improved safety and new jobs and boosts regional economic development?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: This Government's not stalling anything but we are going to spend the $5 billion of transport expenditure every year more wisely for the good of all New Zealanders. For example for half the cost of the National Party's proposed solution for the East-West Link it would be possible to run a median barrier along every single kilometre of State highway in this country.Jami-Lee Ross: Is Bernard Hickey wrong when he described yesterday's announcement as a surprise tax hike that will make provincial drivers help pay for new rail tracks in Auckland."?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well Bernard Hickey's quite wrong in that regard. It's not a new tax. As the Prime Minister has pointed out we've been funding the transport system since 1927 using petrol taxes. Our proposal to increase the fuel excise duty (FED) and the road-user charges (RUC) is at the lower end of what the National Government did for nine years—six increases in FED and RUC and 17c on the litre. That party's in no position to complain about rising fuel taxes.Jami-Lee Ross: Will he rule out regional fuel taxes outside of Auckland or will they too be paying 25c a litre more for their petrol soon?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: I am willing to rule out regional fuel taxes anywhere outside of Auckland in this term of Government. I will say this: Aucklanders understand why this Government is willing to allow Auckland Council to levy a regional fuel tax in Auckland because after nine years of neglect that city is a transport basket case. We're losing $1.3 billion a year in lost productivity because of congestion after a decade of drift and neglect.Jami-Lee Ross: Why does he expect New Zealanders to pay up to an additional 25c a litre at the petrol pump yet get fewer new roads?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: New Zealanders are being asked to consider and give the Government feedback on between 9c and 12c per litre over the next three years. That's the proposal that we're consulting on. People around New Zealand will know that in every other aspect of the transport system other than the so-called "roads of National Party significance" they are going to be getting a better deal—local road maintenance local roads regional roads State highway maintenance public transport road safety and rail.Todd Muller: Will he commit to funding for the Tauranga Northern Link which the New Zealand Transport Agency say can and I quote "reduce death and serious injuries by 50 percent" or will he continue with his plan to remove $5 billion from regional roading priorities like this?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well frankly I'm surprised that that member is willing to be so critical of the former transport Minister who for nine years did nothing about the number of people being killed on that road. After nine years they did nothing while they poured hundreds of millions of dollars into a nearby motorway project that nobody drives on. [Interruption]SPEAKER: Order! Order! Order! Order! I'd just like the temperature to come down a little bit on both sides please.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Perhaps then Mr Twyford should simply answer the question rather than making his street corner - type political statement.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can the Minister recall a massive meeting at the Karekare hall on that very highway where the member for Tauranga and transport Minister didn't turn up?SPEAKER: Order!Hon Gerry Brownlee: Point of order.SPEAKER: No. I'm going to deal with this first. I think all members know that this Minister of Transport has no responsibility for the former Minister of Transport turning up to meetings or not.Hon Louise Upston: Can he confirm that the Cambridge to Piarere State Highway 1 project is one of the seven roads of national significance already under way that will be completed?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: The New Zealand Transport Agency decides which transport projects proceed after an independent analysis of their costs and benefits. The purpose of this system is to ensure that decisions like this are free from political interference and pork barrelling. Instead of scaremongering I urge that member to lobby her council to ensure that that project gets to the top of the list of the regional land transport programme. That would be a good use of her time instead of scaremongering.Hon James Shaw: Thank you Mr Speaker. Is congestion in Auckland better or worse now than when the roads of national significance programme was initiated?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: On almost every count congestion in Auckland is worse. It's been getting worse year on year for the last five years and a report done by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research commissioned last year shows that the city is losing $1.3 billion every year in lost productivity because of congestion after nine years of drift and neglect.Andrew Falloon: Will extending State Highway 1 between Ashburton and Christchurch to four lanes proceed under the funding parameters contained in the draft Government policy statement (GPS) released yesterday?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: My recommendation to that member is that he lobbies his regional council to ensure that that project gets to the top of the list of project rankings because under this Government we don't engage in the kind of—Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption] SPEAKER: Order! The member Phil Twyford should know that I shouldn't have to get to my feet to sit him down when there is a point of order.Hon Gerry Brownlee: We're operating under a heavy penalty that you put on us today for various behaviours that you consider to be unacceptable but that question was not even slightly answered. We've sat quietly listening to the Minister taking pretty hard shots at the previous Government none of which can be sustained quite frankly but we can't get the chance to debate that and here he has a simple straightforward question. It's his policy statement that was released yesterday as Minister on behalf of the Government and he's saying that the member should go and lobby his local roading authority. It's completely—SPEAKER: Well—[Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. No I'm not interested in hearing from the member. I am never going to be responsible for the quality of the answers or the content of the answers as long as the member is addressing the question and I rule that he was—maybe overenthusiastically and maybe a bit indirectly but he was certainly addressing the question.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The question was: is the Christchurch to Ashburton four-laning going ahead inside the parameters of the GPS announced yesterday? The Minister said his advice to the member would be to go and lobby his local roading committee. That's not an answer.SPEAKER: Again we're going to get into a debate on the quality of an answer but if the Minister's saying that whether or not it's in the parameters depends on the priority it's given by the local regional council well that is an answer.Hon James Shaw: Is the $1.3 billion in lost productivity that the Minister refers to better or worse today than when the roads of national significance programme was initiated?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: The level of productivity loss in Auckland because of congestion now is far worse than it was nine years ago. Just the other week I met a trucking contractor in Kūmeu in the Helensville electorate. He told me that he can only do two deliveries of concrete across Auckland per day—five years ago he was able to do four deliveries across the city—because the congestion is far worse. The cost of delivering concrete is twice as expensive now for that contractor."