6. Transport Auckland—RailJAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister of TransportTransport Auckland—Rail6. JAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister of Transport: Does he stand by all his statements?Hon SIMON BRIDGES (Minister of Transport): Yes including my statements that Kennedy Graham and David Clendon are men of principle who do not accept dishonesty in public life. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member has a right to ask his supplementary question.James Shaw: Does he stand by his statement on rail to Auckland Airport that route protection will be progressed with urgency to future-proof options for both advanced bus and light rail."?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Absolutely. That is exactly what we are doing. We are getting on with the job and we will move progressively to rail as demand requires. James Shaw: Can he confirm that the urgent business case for protecting the light rail route to the airport was originally due to be completed this year?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: That sounds right and it shows what a great Government we are—making progress on a huge raft of projects and a range of projects in our biggest city.James Shaw: I seek leave to table a briefing obtained under the Official Information Act (OIA) that confirms that the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) was to urgently progress a business case for route protection in 2017.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that particular document. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.James Shaw: Can he confirm that the urgent business case to protect the route for Auckland Airport rail has now been delayed until the end of next year?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: No I cannot confirm that. Look as I say I think my expectation of the NZTA has been very clear. I expect it to get on with that route protection. What we know though is that light rail and mass transit on that route is not a silver bullet. We know that Waterview is doing a fantastic job of halving the travel across that corridor but actually it is really important that we get on with a range of projects—whether it is Waterview which is done now; the Northwestern busway; Mill Road—where there is real growth and where there are Aucklanders who need the assistance.James Shaw: I seek leave to table an Official Information Act response from the Transport Agency stating that "completion of business case work for route protection is now late 2018".Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that particular document. Is there any objection? There is not. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.James Shaw: What led his Government to delay work protecting the airport rail route which it had previously described as "urgent"?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: We have not. As I say my expectation is that we get on with it. I think as we have heard from the Prime Minister there are a huge number of orange cones all around Auckland. We understand that we have got to make progress on a range of projects in public transport roads rail and cycleways. We are not going to pick just one winner when we know that the north the west and the east all need the work because of the high growth and the strong economic opportunities that are happening in Auckland right now.James Shaw: If his response then is accurate—that his expectation is that they get on with it—how does he explain the discrepancy between those two OIA documents one of which says that they were to progress the business case for route protection in 2017 the next of which says that they have delayed it until late 2018? How does he explain that discrepancy?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: Well I think the member is trainspotting quite literally. I think if you go through it and you look at really big projects they do take a long time. There is a lot of legal practical planning and design issues to work through. That was true of Waterview it is true of the City Rail Link and it is true of the massive projects that we are progressing all around Auckland at the moment. What is also true is that when you oppose every kind of Resource Management Act reform that has ever come to this House you are not going to help us to do these projects quicker.James Shaw: Given that two separate business cases have already shown that airport rail has significant positive benefits how can it possibly take 2 years to do a third?Hon SIMON BRIDGES: The member is simply incorrect. What is true is that it takes time to do this kind of work. What is also true is that this Government has prioritised route protection and then it will get on with mass rapid transit such as buses I think and moving to light rail as the demand requires. But I think where the Labour-Green members in their close unity get things wrong is that they do not remember that actually you have got to keep working on a range of projects; it is not one silver bullet. Actually the people out in West Auckland need the Northwestern busway. The people out of the South where there is massive growth need Mill Road and that is why we are doing all of these projects."