The minister responsible for Auckland issues and transport says he’ll slash “red tape and green tape” and flatten speed bumps.
Simeon Brown told the Project Auckland event he and his colleagues had five issues to focus on.
He said these were the cost of living, transport, crime, housing and water.
His speech came barely an hour after Stats NZ data revealed New Zealand entered recession in the December quarter.
It also followed a hot summer where many of Auckland’s beaches were off-limits due to sewage overflows.
“Interest rates have risen for families and businesses,” Brown said.
“And today’s stats around the recession show that times are tough.”
A feeble gross domestic product (GDP) performance in the December quarter followed a sluggish September quarter.
Brown said Finance Minister Nicola Willis was already trying to fix some economic problems.
“We’ve reduced the regulatory burden on business through removing fair pay agreements . . . we’re restoring fiscal discipline to government spending.”
Much of Brown’s lunchtime speech today reiterated policies the current crop of National Party politicians have campaigned on.
He is the Energy Minister, Transport Minister, Minister for Auckland, and Local Government Minister.
Brown voiced much antipathy for Auckland’s speed bumps and for some lower speed limits.
The previous Labour-led Government and Auckland Transport had proposed lower speeds around 358 schools.
But the slowdown would have given hundreds of urban roads 30km/h speed limits and rural roads 60km/h limits.
Brown said blanket speed limit reductions on state highways suppressed economic growth.
Regulation Minister and Act leader David Seymour backed the speed limit change.
In a press release from the Beehive, Seymour said the new rule would require variable speed limits around schools during pick-up and drop-off times.
But it would also enable 110km/h speed limits on new and existing Roads of National Significance.
The speed limit overhaul was part of National and Act’s coalition agreement.
Meanwhile, Brown claimed numerous speed bumps cost “hundreds of thousands of dollars each”.
In the 2021-22 financial year, Auckland Transport spent $6 million on 12 signalised crossings at an average cost of $500,000.
And in 2021, the Herald revealed 700 speed bumps were installed or planned for Auckland streets in the preceding four years at a total cost of up to $97m, or up to $138,571.43 each.
Brown told the Project Auckland crowd the question people on the street asked him most often was: “When are you going to reverse those stupid speed limit reductions?”
He said a targeted approach to speed limits was required, which would take safety into consideration.
He said Auckland was the only place where local councillors could not approve the Regional Land Transport Plan, and that should change.
Brown also said National had a vision to connect Whangārei and Tauranga with a road at least four lanes wide.
He said the proposed Warkworth to Wellsford expressway would fit into that long-term vision.
“The Government also needs to get the red tape and green tape out the way,” he added.
Those terms referred to rules perceived as onerous or over-complicated, and to environmental regulation.
But he said traditional funding models for road and infrastructure construction were limited.
More tolling, public-private partnerships and other models should all be considered, he said.
Brown said crime was a growing problem.
“The rising level of crime, particularly in Auckland, has been a significant concern.”
He voiced commitment to National’s controversial proposed ban on gang insignia in public.
“Gangs have peddled misery in our streets for too long and that ends under this Government.”
Despite National’s frequent “tough on crime” rhetoric, it has already angered some police by imposing a hiring freeze on non-sworn staff in a bid to cut costs.
Meanwhile, the minister said Aucklanders were sick of hearing “big lofty visions” for infrastructure, housing and public projects.
He may have been referring to the $15 billion Auckland Light Rail project, which National cancelled in January.
“We need to ensure we have long-term funding and financing tools . . . we need to ensure that councils have incentives to go for growth.”
He added: “Water infrastructure is one of the best enablers to unlock housing growth.”
Brown blasted what he termed “co-governed, mega-entity, bureaucratic” approaches to water delivery and said the National-led coalition would give councils more control over water again.
National has taken several swipes at the Three Waters project launched and then rebranded under the previous Government.