4. Question No. 4—TransportHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of TransportQuestion No. 4—Transport4. Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of Transport: Does he stand by all of the Government's policies on State highways?Hon PHIL TWYFORD (Minister of Transport): Yes.Todd Muller: Why didn't construction of the Tauranga Northern Link which would have seen four lanes of safe and modern highway stretch from Tauranga to Ōmokoroa commence as scheduled last month?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Because the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has re-evaluated that project to make sure that we save lives prevent serious injuries on that road and deliver transport improvements that were neglected for nine years on that stretch of road and are still desperately needed and we're going to deliver them.Hon Louise Upston: What do you say to the principal of Karapiro School—SPEAKER: Order! Order! Please start your question properly. The member is a very experienced member and Minister. She knows how to ask a question.Hon Louise Upston: What does the Minister say to the principal of Karapiro School who is concerned about the safety of students families and teachers if the Cambridge to Piarere section of the Hamilton to Tauranga expressway is cancelled?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: I would say to that school principal that he should have confidence that this coalition Government is committed—Hon Louise Upston: She. She wrote to you.Hon PHIL TWYFORD: —to her—to a transport policy that doesn't hand pick gold-plated expressways that consume billions of dollars of taxpayers' money providing safety improvements to a small section of the State highway network instead of investing in safety improvements across the entire State highway network to save hundreds of lives.Dr Shane Reti: How many more deaths need to occur before he reinstates the four lanes from Whangarei to Marsden a section of highway which he identifies in written question No. 22400 as being the deadliest hotspot road in New Zealand?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well I think that the member understands that NZTA's re-evaluation of the State highway along that section includes the addition of two extra lanes built to modern standards with passing lanes shoulder widening intersection upgrades median barriers and side barriers. That is a vital safety improvement that will save lives on that stretch of State highway that should have been done years ago but instead the former Government offered a cargo-cult promise of four-laning the entire State highway from Warkworth to Whangarei that would have cost $5 billion and carries only 13000 cars a day.Hon James Shaw: Are median barriers better or worse for public safety than multiple lanes of traffic?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well you have to answer that question in the context of how we invest precious taxpayer dollars right across the entire transport network. Our Government understands that we can invest hundreds of millions of dollars across thousands of kilometres of the State highway network and save more lives than the old roads of National Party significance that spent 40 percent of the transport budget.SPEAKER: Order! Order! The member will resume his seat.Andrew Falloon: Why has the Government proposed to only install a median barrier on the existing narrow two-lane Ashburton to Christchurch highway when traffic volumes have doubled since 1997 resulting in 56 fatal and serious crashes in the last five years making the highway the second-most dangerous in the country?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well I can assure that member that the New Zealand Transport Agency will be making the most economically rational and best safety decisions investing in our transport system but not handpicking expressway projects and politicking and pork-barrelling $4 billion of transport spending every year like that party did when it was in Government.Matt Doocey: Is he concerned that by blocking me as a local electorate MP from visiting the northern corridor motorway project under construction in Waimakariri or from even discussing the safety improvement programme with NZTA that replaces the cancelled Woodend bypass he will be seen as politicising the NZTA?Hon PHIL TWYFORD: Well I urge the member to use the normal provisions that are available for Opposition members to get information about what's going on because his colleagues are pretty good at it. If he invests a bit of energy I'm sure he can be too.Matt Doocey: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: I'm going to warn the member that disagreeing with an answer is not a point of order. If the member has a point of order he's going to point to the Standing Order and he's going to tell me what it's about.Matt Doocey: I seek leave to table an email from the Minister's office instructing me not to meet with NZTA representatives to discuss the safety improvement programme dated 20 June 2018.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that being tabled? There appears to be none.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Matt Doocey: I seek leave to table an email from the Minister's office declining my request to visit the northern corridor motorway currently under construction dated 7 May 2018.SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that? There appears to be none.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.Matt Doocey: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.SPEAKER: Have we many more?Matt Doocey: One more.SPEAKER: One more—OK.Matt Doocey: I seek leave to table an email from the Minister's office under the Official Information Act instructing the NZTA to meet with six Labour MPs for an update on a motorway currently under construction dated 20 April 2018.SPEAKER: Right all members who interjected during that point of order will stand up. All right take your seats. Is there any objection to that process? There appears to be none.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.