3. Transport Infrastructure Auckland—Rail Roading and Government InitiativesJACINDA ARDERN (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Prime MinisterTransport Infrastructure Auckland—Rail Roading and Government Initiatives3. JACINDA ARDERN (Deputy Leader—Labour) to the Prime Minister: Given the number of commitments his Government has made to achieve outcomes in 2040 or later does he think that his Government is addressing important issues with sufficient urgency?Mr SPEAKER: As I call the Prime Minister I have been informed this answer may be longer than normal.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Prime Minister): Yes including some issues that are by definition long-term issues. We have been for instance the first Government in over 40 years to increase benefits for families with children. We have focused strongly on getting better results for children in our schools and on more people receiving the correct healthcare including much higher immunisation rates. We have focused strongly on supporting families who are on welfare to get them into work with the result that we now have 50000 fewer children living in benefit-dependent households than we did in 2011. The Government is focusing strongly on investing to support the growth of the economy which means that we now have record levels of infrastructure investment and building of houses.Jacinda Ardern: Does he think the time it takes to travel from the CBD to Auckland Airport is acceptable; if not why is he proposing to wait 30 years to fix it?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: It does take a while and one of the reasons is the major project just outside of the airport designed to speed up exactly the travel time. But we will continue to work intensively with Auckland Council on the basis of the common transport plan we now have called the Auckland Transport Alignment Project. There will always be debate about what the priorities are. The Government is focused strongly on getting the Waterview Connection open on the East-West Link on the Northern Corridor Improvements—all multibillion-dollar projects—and on the City Rail Link (CRL) which the taxpayer is paying over a billion dollars for. These are all projects designed to improve transport in Auckland.Jacinda Ardern: Given the New Zealand Transport Agency says traffic volumes to Auckland Airport have risen by a third in the last 4 years how long does he expect the delays will get before he proposes delivering rail to the airport?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: The member could talk to the council and the Government officials who are working on it to get that level of technical detail. One of the next big steps of course will be the opening of Waterview and she may remember that this Government passed legislation that ensured that it was consented within 9 months so now it is completed. If we had stuck with the Labour Party's legislation the construction on Waterview would be just getting going now and in fact it is now almost finished.Tim Macindoe: What recent steps has the Government taken to address some of the important issues facing New Zealand?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: We have announced a $500 million package of 1100 more police staff—that is 1100 more police staff. We have extended ultra-fast broadband to 151 towns and also made an announcement about a transition to a higher age for national superannuation over the next 20 years a position that I think the member asking the question used to support until they recently changed their minds.Jacinda Ardern: Will he do the same thing he did with the City Rail Link and postpone the growth and prosperity of Auckland as long as possible before finally conceding defeat and funding the infrastructure we so desperately need?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: There is always a list of projects in Auckland and this Government has invested in all the major projects. The CRL of course is a taxpayer subsidy to a project that is fundamentally the responsibility of Auckland Council and 3 years ago this Government saw fit to pick up half the tab for that multibillion-dollar project and it is well under way. Over the next few years we hope that Auckland Council will have the same level of commitment of resource to transport projects in Auckland as the New Zealand Government does.Jacinda Ardern: Can he confirm that by the time Auckland gets rail to the airport under his plan he will be 86 I will be 66 and Todd Barclay will be into his teens? [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! We will now hear the answer.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: As I pointed out to the member—she may not have caught up with this but the plan in Auckland is one that has been generated by the central government Wellington and the Auckland Council. For the first time ever we have a common transport plan and consistent with that we are doing the Northern Corridor Improvements the East-West Link the CRL Kirkbride Road the Southern motorway the South-western motorway—it goes on and on. It is a multibillion-dollar series of projects and one of the reasons it is hard to get around Auckland is there is so much road construction going on but you cannot avoid that.Tim Macindoe: How is the Government's solid and stable management of the economy and public services directly benefiting New Zealanders?James Shaw: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The primary question is about the achievements in the year 2040 or later. I think that Mr Macindoe's question is about things that are happening now and actually it should relate to what is happening in 2040.Mr SPEAKER: No I do not need assistance when I consider where subsequent supplementary questions have gone and the answers that have been given that question is quite in order to be answered.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: Of course some of the results of the Government's support for the economy are quite immediate: 130000 new jobs last year; lifting the minimum wage to $15.75 an hour which was a campaign I think a few years ago for it to get to $15 and it is higher than that. But some of the impacts of policy are long-term. We just launched the new Ministry for Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki which is designed to have an impact that is multigenerational and it is the first time a Government has taken that view of changing the life course of our most vulnerable children just as our system for measuring the quality of fresh water has to be adapted to fit with what actually happens in ecosystems and how long it takes water bodies to change.Jacinda Ardern: When his Government does not want to deliver rail investment or lower carbon emissions or cleaner water for decades why is he so fond of kicking every kind of infrastructure deficit down the road for Labour to address?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: If the member had focused on Budgets she would know that I think about $3 billion has been invested in KiwiRail and that is before you get to the very significant Metro Rail investment. I could go through the list of roading and rail projects again for the member if she would like the CRL which is an over $2 billion project; the East-West Link which is currently being consented; the Northern Corridor Improvements which are currently being consented; Waterview which will be open soon; Kirkbride Road which is holding the member up when she is trying to get home from the airport; the electrification of rail in Auckland; the upgrade of the Wellington rail system—Mr SPEAKER: Bring the answer to a conclusion.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: —very large infrastructure investment.