Officials fly off despite belt-tightening

Paris, Amsterdam, Dubai and London are on the whirlwind itinerary of five Auckland and national transport officials - as the region faces cuts to services such as free public transport for pensioners.

The Transport Agency yesterday confirmed that two of its officers and a board member, Alick Shaw, had been visiting those cities at a cost of $49,161 to investigate integrated transport ticketing systems like those planned for Auckland and ultimately the rest of New Zealand.

With them are two Auckland Regional Transport Authority officials, including chief executive Fergus Gammie, for whom costs of the 12-day trip were unavailable last night.

The bill for the agency chiefs could have bought 3901 return rail trips between Britomart and Papakura, or 2858 return bus rides.

Transport Agency chief executive Geoff Dangerfield, who stayed in Wellington as the group flew to Dubai on Tuesday last week, defended the cost yesterday as "money well spent".

He said the agency and the Auckland authority were about to implement a very important ticketing system and needed to talk to overseas organisations such as Transport for London and officials of a national Dutch scheme to learn from their experience.

"I support it 100 per cent because we are about to embark on something that's not easy to do, and we wantto learn and not make mistakes."

The tour has included an inspection of an integrated ticketing scheme newly installed in Dubai by French electronics giant Thales, preferred tenderer for Auckland, and a visit to Thales' Paris development facility.

Spokespeople for the Transport Agency and the Auckland authority said the All Blacks v England and France v Samoa rugby matches this weekend were not on the itinerary and the officials would be leaving for New Zealand before kickoff.

But Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee last night called the timing of the expedition unfortunate, given that the regional transport authority had just proposed a list of service cuts prompted by a funding shortfall from the national agency.

"We are trying to set an example of restraint and it's not helpful when people are off overseas on the ratepayer when services are being put on the chopping block. The first things that should be cut back are administration costs [including] overseas trips."

Other regional council members yesterday bemoaned the transport authority's cancellation of the Helensville passenger rail trial and its consideration of ending free travel by SuperGold card holders during afternoon and evening travel peaks on buses, trains and ferries.

That would see Auckland card holders falling in with pensioners in other cities by making do with free trips during off-peak periods only.

Councillor Joel Cayford read an email to a finance committee meeting from Grey Power North Shore representative Bill Rayner describing the free travel as a wonderful benefit for older people with significant social impact.

Mr Rayner wrote: "Older people have a rough enough deal with the rates structure now without having the one real benefit they receive from local government chopped back."