Whanganui public transport investment of $1m in doubt after change in government funding

Whanganui’s Te Ngaru The Tide service started in February 2023. Photo / NZME

A $1 million public transport boost for Whanganui hangs in the balance after the plan was overlooked for government funding.

Horizons Regional Council voted to invest the money in the district’s network over the next three years but that was contingent on receiving matched funding from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

Instead, the agency’s National Land Transport Programme has focused resources on larger centres and the council will vote on whether its share will still be invested in Whanganui.

Whanganui District Council representative on Horizons’ passenger transport committee, Anthonie Tonnon, advocated strongly for the investment in the lead-up to Horizons confirming its long-term plan, saying the money would be enough to bring a high-frequency, high-ridership service to the city.

He told the Chronicle half the budget could still be used very effectively.

“We could get a second Tide service that would cover Springvale and Whanganui East, and that’s really important.”

Tonnon said public transport use in Whanganui had risen more than 120% since Te Ngaru The Tide - a high-frequency service between Castlecliff and Aramoho - was introduced in February 2023.

Whanganui-based regional councillor Alan Taylor said he thought the council should still invest the money.

“Some people fear that if we fund this without co-funding, the message to Waka Kotahi will be that we do not need funding at all to do this stuff and we won’t get any in the future.

“Governments change and so too do transport policies.

“I don’t think we want to put anything on hold because we will lose time in trying to move to more and better public transport.”

Councillor Alan Taylor will vote in favour of the funding. Photo / NZME

Tonnon said the Palmerston North network had a budget of more than $11 million a year, which was five times Whanganui’s budget with less than twice the population.

“What we were asking for in Whanganui was actually quite minor but around the country, NZTA has generally not funded low-cost, low-risk projects.

“The Horizons council does have the power to keep this going.

“If we don’t invest modestly now, there is a chance we will be stuck with the budget we have for the next 10 years.”

Whanganui’s public transport budget is about $2.2 million a year, with 51% paid by NZTA

That government funding is not under threat.

Whanganui-based councillor David Cotton said he supported public transport in Whanganui but would vote against the additional funding.

“My understanding is the capacity for the Tide is more than 500,000 passengers per year and we only use 20% of that.

“The issue I get the most phone calls about from ratepayers is empty buses going around Whanganui.

“Our numbers are increasing, which is absolutely fantastic, but it’s nowhere near capacity.”

Tonnon said the Tide moved 350 people a day who were not taking the bus two years ago, and did it with five drivers.

“Were we to move those people with private cars, there would be 100 cars and 100 drivers on the road,” he said.

“The Tide takes more than 8000 people a month consistently and the entire Whanganui network took around 5000 before the Tide started.”

Horizons chairwoman Rachel Keedwell said getting more people on to buses meant less wear and tear on the roads and less congestion.

“The thing that bugs me is the Government hasn’t withdrawn funding for roads but they have for additional passenger transport,” she said.

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe says the funding would mean an extra Tide-like service in Whanganui. Photo / NZME

Keedwell had not decided which way she would vote but said underinvestment meant the service might not be good enough and patronage could suffer.

“Then, you get piled on about how passenger transport and buses don’t work.

“I’m leaning towards having a really good plan in place so when the funding environment changes, we can launch straight into a really great service.”

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said Palmerston North had seven Tide-like services and its per-person spend on public transport was $135.

In Whanganui it was about $50 per person, he said.

“Given the success of the Tide, it’s really important for us to maintain and increase the services we’ve got.

“Horizons already has provision for this [$1m investment] in its long-term plan and it means we can get an additional service even without government funding.

“I’m looking forward to a favourable vote from Horizons.”

Tonnon said Horizons would consult with the public as part of a public transport network review this summer.

“It will be a shock to people if we go out and say ‘Sorry, there are no new funds so we can’t offer you anything new’.

“This is our last chance, really.

“If we don’t invest now we will continue to be stuck behind Palmerston North for another decade.”

Horizons will vote on whether to go ahead with the funding at a meeting in Palmerston North on October 30.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.