Fix our roads if you want votes, say Aucklanders

Labour and National are neck in neck in the critical vote for Auckland as intensive campaigning begins to win the hearts and minds of the country's largest city.

A Herald on Sunday-Digipoll shows Auckland support for Labour at 43.9 per cent compared with 42.2 per cent for National - a difference of just 1.7 per cent. The poll of 500 voters had a margin of error of +/-4.4 per cent.

Smaller comparative polls in Northland and Hawke's Bay still show National in the lead. And with the election date announced, the mayor and people of Auckland are also demanding action to fix their transport system.

Today's poll shows 58.2 per cent of Aucklanders believe transport and infrastructure are the main concerns for the region.

Mayor Dick Hubbard called on Parliament for a "significant long-term commitment to getting Auckland's infrastructure up to scratch".

Land Transport NZ is expected to announce on Thursday that the bulk of last month's $500m transport funding boost will be spent on Auckland and Waikato roading and public transport projects.

Transport Minister Pete Hodgson said last night that the Western Ring Route and the double-tracking of parts of Auckland's commuter rail system would be advanced.

However, Mr Hubbard called for public funding to:

* complete the $1.2 billion SH20 motorway project from Mt Roskill to the Northwestern Motorway; and

* electrify the commuter rail network, costing about $200m.

He also called for a commitment from all parties to a second harbour crossing.

The poll examined the concerns of Aucklanders, and compared them with two other sample regions: Hawke's Bay and Northland. The most important issue for individuals in each region was tax cuts - 19.9 per cent rated tax as likely to influence their vote.

But Aucklanders overwhelmingly assessed transport and infrastructure as the key issue for their region; in Northland the issue was employment; in Hawke's Bay it was health.

In all three regions, respondents believed the Government was taking the country in the wrong direction with its social reforms. But Aucklanders supported the economic reforms: 46.1 per cent said the Government was heading in the right direction with its economic changes; 37.4 per cent disagreed.

National leader Don Brash said he had an enormous affection for Auckland. "It is a vibrant, growing and dynamic city, with a great diversity of interesting people. But the inadequacy of Auckland's infrastructure is clearly a serious issue.

"We need to deal with those issues, since Auckland is clearly our largest city and a key part of the economy."

Dr Brash expressed confidence that over a 10-year period, a National-led government could complete the Auckland Corridor Network, extend the Southern Motorway south to Cambridge, and build a four-lane road on a "treacherous" section of the Maramarua highway.

Land Transport NZ announced on Friday that it would spend $45.9 million on four-laning a 7.2km stretch of the highway.

Mr Hodgson's spokesman said the Government had already committed $1.195 billion extra transport funding from Crown accounts over the term of the next government, much of which was going to Auckland. Prime Minister Helen Clark declined to comment on the poll.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY