Source: Radio New Zealand
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says the budget and overdue City Rail Link (CRL) is the prime factor behind a proposed 7.9 percent residential rates increase.
He said his proposal for the 2026/2027 Annual Plan would “stay the course” of settings outlined in the 2024-2034 Long-term Plan with a focus on savings and financial efficiency.
“We are going to stick to the plan that’s working, this is our contract with the community, and it is important that we keep our side of the agreement.
“The rates increase primarily pays for the additional costs of CRL. While that cost has been enormous, once it’s open we will see huge economic benefits – it will transform Auckland.”
Work began on the $5.5 billion CRL in 2017 and was expected to nearly double the city’s rail transportation capacity when it opened in the latter half of 2026.
Deputy Mayor and Value for Money Committee Chair Desley Simpson said an “unwavering focus on savings and financial efficiency” would continue as the city braced for the costs of operating the massive transport infrastructure upgrade.
“Having worked to achieve over $1b in financial benefits in the last six years, my commitment to Aucklanders is to continue strongly with that focus on financial efficiencies. Given the costs of operating CRL that we are expecting, it is vitally important we keep our focus on opportunities for revenue growth and continued savings,” Simpson said.
Deputy Mayor and Value for Money Committee Chair Desley Simpson. RNZ / Nick Monro
The plan upped the city’s savings target by an additional $20 million on 2025/2026 bringing the total goal to $106 million.
Brown said his proposal was focused on delivering smarter services and faster progress to strengthen communities and businesses – promising better use of public spaces, particularly the waterfront.
“We must also make sure Auckland is a vibrant, clean, safe and welcoming city centre that is open for business.
“The government has started working more closely with me on this, but we must remember where responsibility lies here: we do places, they do people,” Brown said.
He said he would prioritise transport reform with a focus on the new Public Transport council controlled organisation (CCO).
“The intention of CCO reform was to bring decision-makers closer to these decisions so they make sense alongside each other.
“We’re looking at transport investment that is cheaper and less annoying than currently under Auckland Transport. Land-use planning must sit alongside transport planning if we’re going to transform Auckland.
“We are now setting out the nuts and bolts of how Auckland Transport will become the public transport service provider alone, which they’re actually pretty good at, and all the other parts must be done better and will be within the council. I’m asking councillors to think regionally here, not just about their own patch,” Brown said.
A workshop to discuss the draft Mayoral Proposal for the Annual Plan 2026/2027 will be held this week and, if approved, public consultation is scheduled to take place early next year.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
