Wayne Brown tells Ryan Bridge what he makes of National's leadership saga | Ryan Bridge TODAY

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has just signed an Auckland City deal with the government setting out a plan for greater cooperation, but what does that mean when it comes to disagreements on major projects like a second harbor crossing for example. Wayne Brown has told us this before once the crossing at Muriwai Reef, but this is what Chris Bishop had to say about that idea. Have a listen.

[00:00:22]The advice I've had from the experts is that it's not a it's not a goer and I'm just being honest with you about that. That the advice I've had is basically the options are as they've always sort of been which is a bridge next to the existing one or a tunnel but a bit further to the north.

[00:00:41]Wayne Brown joins me live in the studio this morning for reaction to this.

[00:00:45]Remember he's with us every month for a week catch up little chinwag.

[00:00:49]Good morning mayor.

[00:00:51]Good morning Ryan. Nice to see you.

[00:00:53]Thank you. What's your reaction to that?

[00:00:55]The minister saying Muriwai Reef the official advice is this is not a goer.

[00:01:00]Well, time to sack your advisors, mate. I mean they seriously think that that building a tunnel under an existing bridge is a good idea. They're the same ones that built the um uh highway from Puhoi to Warkworth at only twice as much as anyone else could do it for.

[00:01:18]So, you're saying >> The the experts that handle that are useless.

[00:01:23]>> They're crap. Okay, so in the deal is there any way that cuz you're supposed to be in agreement on all of these sorts of things?

[00:01:29]>> supposed to discuss things.

[00:01:30]>> Discuss things.

[00:01:31]>> Yeah, both sides.

[00:01:32]>> Right.

[00:01:32]>> moment we only hear that side. They just say, oh well, we we know better. They don't know better. I mean He said >> Those are the same experts that have got Wellington's spurting water and having lavatory paper along the coast. Time to change. He said to be fair to him, I don't want to start World War III with Wayne Brown.

[00:01:48]>> [laughter] >> I know well, he won't and I like the guy, you know, and I think he's quite good and I don't worry about that.

[00:01:54]Um Do you think he should have been leader?

[00:01:57]It's not to me to decide that.

[00:01:59]I I possibly think it would be a better idea if the public chose the leader rather than some unknown backbenchers in one party or another.

[00:02:06]Okay, now I've confused the issues.

[00:02:08]Let's come back to the bridge for a second. So, you'll have a with them about it, but from his perspective it's pretty dead set. I mean even if Wayne >> 1965 back when we could build things cheaply.

[00:02:23]That was the recommended next step.

[00:02:25]Yeah, but that's when things were cheap.

[00:02:26]Now, it's all everything costs you an arm and a leg.

[00:02:29]>> Well, let's go back to when it was cheap cuz you've got a new next thing and we're poor now. So, um time to stop doing what if if you're doing something that's not working out, do something differently. Okay.

[00:02:41]All right. Um back to the leadership thing for a second.

[00:02:44]So, so you you reckon that that shouldn't be the party MPs that decide.

[00:02:50]Well, it'll be I mean I'm the mayor because people voted for me to be the mayor. It doesn't matter what squabbles go on in the council. I'm going to be the mayor until I stop being the mayor.

[00:02:59]Yeah.

[00:02:59]>> The next time. And so and so I can get on with being the mayor. I don't have to worry about in the endless squabbles in councils because we've got both parties and they've got a they're lucky enough they've got a a coalition of three parties that are a little bit like each other.

[00:03:16]I've got 21 people who are quite different.

[00:03:20]>> Radically different some of them.

[00:03:22]Uh but we get on with it because the public elected me and they didn't.

[00:03:26]Cuz I've always thought that the if anyone's job especially in big cities like Auckland and they do this in you know, where you've got a mayor um where you've got more control from a mayor do you need more of sort of a dictatorship in in a city like Auckland?

[00:03:41]No, I don't think so. I think To get stuff done.

[00:03:45]>> leadership people follow, but if you're not able to provide leadership I mean Mr. Goff for instance ran it like the parliament with the reds hating the blues and the blues hating the reds and nothing got done.

[00:03:57]But you've you've got to get past it and just talk about um talk to them.

[00:04:01]Talk to them individually and and the majority that we get on most things isn't neither the same not not necessarily the same majority.

[00:04:08]You have to allow people to have different views.

[00:04:10]>> Yesterday the council approved a plan to shift control of Auckland Transport back towards the council which means AT can basically just focus on delivering the public transport.

[00:04:19]>> Yeah, it will become a public transport CCO.

[00:04:22]And um and they're not that bad at that to be honest. It's everything else I do wrong and so we're looking forward to taking it back. These are things I know about voting and stuff like that. Yeah.

[00:04:31]What about the city rail link cuz I'm worried about this. I'm worried because it's one of those projects you've got to get right from day one and they're talking about reduced timetables and they're talking about it might actually be slower to get to West Auckland than it does currently.

[00:04:47]I think you've got a you've got great things. You've got a cost of living or cost of fuel crisis which is which should encourage people to get on it and you've got enthusiasm for people to do it. So, you've got to get it right from the get-go. Do you think they're going to?

[00:05:01]Well, day one was several years ago when they signed a contract that I would never have signed. Um uh Projects don't go wrong, they start wrong.

[00:05:10]And then you have to fix them up for years and years to get them right, but and it's nearly finished now.

[00:05:14]Uh and it is a challenge. Um they've made some poor decisions on the way through there and >> Like what?

[00:05:22]Well, when you're getting into the railway stations, they're like cathedrals and they're way bigger than they need to be and they cost a hell of a lot more than they needed to be, but you're catching a train, you're not getting married. Um and so um >> [laughter] >> uh the um so the the They've overspent.

[00:05:38]>> They've they've overspent it. That was the trouble with the one up north. These these experts that the government seem to find do overspend everything.

[00:05:45]>> It's it's a train station for God's sakes. You're catching a train. Okay, so that But but um We can't do anything about that now. What what we can do about it is the schedule. What about the schedule?

[00:05:56]Well, KiwiRail didn't move as quickly as they should have. They've done it's coming for a long time and we shut down twice in the last year to do a whole lot of upgrade work which is necessary and has been done. There was no budget for instance for railway crossings. There was and so we're putting in several hundred million dollars to help with that.

[00:06:14]The and um It it it's a big thing to arrive at least the public the CCO is now concentrating on public transport alone. There are still a few things there that can be a bit annoying. They um KiwiRail which we have no control over at all and which I is a good thing to have may is basically a freight service.

[00:06:40]>> Yeah. And they still have big freight trains going through and you know, they don't want to shift the time to allow the from the port. Yeah, it is complicated.

[00:06:50]But in terms of the schedule of the trains, I don't think it'll work out fantastically on day one either, but then again I remember opening cinemas.

[00:06:56]You never open one day one. Well, I know, but I mean I think people will give it one shot in a lot of cases and they'll go if it's from day one, I won't go back.

[00:07:05]>> I want a low I like soft slow unannounced openings to things until you get things right.

[00:07:12]>> Okay. And then you then you get the prime minister along and cut ribbons and things.

[00:07:15]>> And is it September?

[00:07:17]>> [laughter] >> You ask me. And and how many every every how many minutes will a train run in peak time from the big stations? Well, I I would only be repeating what you've been told.

[00:07:27]>> Okay. And so I >> I think it's um they may well have overpromised.

[00:07:35]They will get better. Um >> I hope so. The things We spent enough on it.

[00:07:40]We spent No, we spent way too much.

[00:07:42]>> Yeah, I know exactly. Um no question about that and I I mean it went wrong right from the start. How's your hip?

[00:07:49]Annoying. Yeah.

[00:07:50]>> It's getting better. You've got your crutches here. Yeah. I'm surprised you didn't bring them in to hit me with. No, I quite like you.

[00:07:58]Um but it was the hip, wasn't it? It was done. And annoying because it's taking long to recover or what? Uh I'm not a particularly patient person I'd have to say. Um >> [laughter] >> Um Yes, I I can imagine. Thank you, Wayne.

[00:08:13]Good to see you. Okay, thanks a lot for that.

[00:08:15]>> Take care. Good luck with the hip. Wayne Brown, Auckland mayor.