Boyack Rachel; Brown Simeon; Simpson ScottRACHEL BOYACK (Labour—Nelson): Thank you Madam Chair. Thank you I will take a short call and I have some specific questions to ask the Minister about transport projects in the South Island because I think I might be the first member to speak tonight from the South Island.Shanan Halbert: Not many if any.RACHEL BOYACK: Yeah exactly. If you look at the new Government policy statement you'll see there are not many if any projects in the South Island.Grant McCallum: Ashburton Bridge.Hon Matt Doocey: Can't you read? RACHEL BOYACK: I can read—very well actually. And there are two—there are two. One of which is in my electorate the Hope bypass. The question is—Grant McCallum: Oh there you go. What are you complaining about? What's your problem? Congratulate the mayor.RACHEL BOYACK: It's really interesting when people think they know about my electorate; you're welcome to come and have a look and I'll show you around.My comment is around the fact that we had two projects in the previous Government policy statement because our regional transport committee had identified two priority projects one of which is the Hope bypass and I've just referenced that the reason the Hope bypass was needed in the first place was that there was a significant amount of housing expansion put in place by the Tasman District Council in the previous National Government as a housing area and no transport plan. I was shocked when I became the member to discover there was literally no plan. So we worked quite hard over the last three years to get the plan and to get it into the GPS. Very concerned on that project to see that it's actually going to be consented three years later than was originally planned—so not being consented until around 2026 not being built until around 2029 which is a lot later than what we had planned. So I'd like to know Minister why is this project being delayed? Hon Matt Doocey: Because you cancelled all the roads for six years.RACHEL BOYACK: And the second question—Mr Doocey—is the Rocks Road project which has been—[Interruption]CHAIRPERSON (Barbara Kuriger): Ms Genter! Ms Genter! Please resume your seat. OK we're just going to have some order here. Sorry Rachel Boyack we're just going to have some order. We know that transport is one of those touchy subjects. But if we want to get the best out of the Minister interjections are fine but it would be good if we could actually just ask the questions and let the Minister answer them and have fewer interjections rather than shouting matches and it's not appropriate to get out of one's seat to go and have an argument with somebody on the other side.RACHEL BOYACK: So I'd like to be able to just tell the story. I'll tell the story about Rocks Road. One of the things that we did it had always been connected to another transport project in Nelson which meant we'd only get it if the Southern Link was built. We separated it out for a reason: so that we could actually look specifically at that project.One of the issues we have—my question to the Minister—is we have cyclones we have floods in Nelson and that road closes. The residents of Nelson who came to a public meeting of mine that I held last week said to me what if they were told when their houses were flooding to travel to inner city Nelson using that road to get to safety and it was closed. What is the Minister going to do about the resilience of Rocks Road which is over 100 years old and constantly closes? Why is it not in the GPS or in any of the documents from Waka Kotahi? And what is he going to assure the people of Nelson that he will do to improve the safety and resilience of that road?Hon SIMEON BROWN (Minister of Transport): Oh look Madam Chair I thank the member for her questions and I note there are a number of projects in the South Island which are a priority: the Hope bypass the Ashburton Bridge and the Woodend-Belfast—the Pegasus motorway and Woodend bypass. I'd also make the point that actually there is proposed investment around improvements around bridges which is a critically important issue in the South Island and also the increased maintenance which is not only critically important to our roading network across New Zealand but for our State highway network and the resilience that is that is needed particularly in the South Island.In terms of the issue in regards to Rocks Road I mean ultimately the New Zealand Transport Agency Board is responsible for the prioritisation of projects which are put forward.Rachel Boyack: Based on your GPS?Hon SIMEON BROWN: Yeah and we have outlined the roads of national significance as being a priority within the GPS. But ultimately the board of the New Zealand Transport Agency needs to make decisions looking at what all the priorities are and what has been put forward by the regional land transport plans and from the councils and ultimately that is the board's decision to weigh those issues up. Hon SCOTT SIMPSON (Senior Whip—National): Point of order Madam Chairperson. A few minutes ago there was an incident that occurred in this Chamber in this committee that I have never seen before; it was unprecedented in my experience in this Chamber. I invite you to report back to the Speaker about the actions that took place. To have a member rise from her seat stride across the House and then confront in a most intimidating manner a member of this Chamber I think is utterly unparliamentary and warrants further investigation and sanction.CHAIRPERSON (Barbara Kuriger): Thank you Mr Simpson. I will undertake to take that course of action. Thank you.