#BHN It's not about saving money, it's about VALUE for money

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:00]There's a fantastic quote in the sneak sweep but about spending of money and it's very Those of us who are who are well well versed in politics and and and rhetoric and and propaganda and sayings and slogans will very much like into what he's about to say to what we're hearing from definitely the greens but also from labor.

[00:00:24]And that might shock you but it's also very much opposing what we hear from the current government about spending money, debt, what we spend money on, saving money. So the question gets put to him after being asked about bringing Auckland transport under the council as opposed to I don't think it was under the government or it was its own thing.

[00:00:46]So they brought Auckland transport under the council to help run it.

[00:00:50]Jack then asks, in doing so are you going to save money because Auckland is of course like many of other cities around the country facing a bit of a deficit because of rising costs, rising infrastructure costs, chronic underfunding.

[00:01:08]And they've also been lumped with the cost of the new city rail link.

[00:01:14]Which is not great. It's going to leave them with a pretty big big hole to fill but he then gets asked the question so if bringing Auckland transport underneath the council's control is that going to save money and I really like transport.

[00:01:31]How much will you save from bringing Auckland transport in house?

[00:01:35]It's not so much saving money, it's about stopping annoying Aucklanders.

[00:01:38]>> [snorts] >> Like all through the CBD everyday they come up with dumb decisions about what they have been told council. Speed up the east-west flow through the city.

[00:01:49]>> Mhm. And they've done everything they can to prevent that happening. And they can't even understand why they do it. We we they they they've had 12 years of not listening to anybody >> and that's coming to a very sharp >> be totally clear that it's totally clear though you don't anticipate this will necessarily save meaningful amounts of money. It's about democratic control in your view. It's about the spending the money more wisely. We're not short of money. We're short of good results from the money. But will it save any money bringing it in house? Um operationally it'll save a bit but we're not going to try and to save money. I'm just going to get better value from the money. If we're going to spend a certain amount of money instead of producing things that don't work, we'll produce things that make things better for Aucklanders. And um uh look at and also the other What do you think of that answer there Julie?

[00:02:39]Yeah, it's a sensible It's not a bad answer.

[00:02:43]It's not a bad answer.

[00:02:45]Yeah, I I >> about saving money. It's about value for money really.

[00:02:50]>> Yeah.

[00:02:51]And look, I I know that Wayne Brown has had a hate hard-on for Auckland Transport since before he was elected.

[00:03:00]Um I guess the proof will be in the pudding. Like I I I look at I look at Auckland and look, I obviously I don't live in Auckland. I don't have to deal with it but the amount of change in public transport in Auckland over the last 15 years has been phenomenal.

[00:03:24]Like it's it's it's now it's so much easier to move around the city via public transport than it ever ever was.

[00:03:31]Now, I don't honestly don't know how much put that down to strategic planning from Auckland Transport or whether it was central government or whether it was council, whatever but but that's that's the whole thing.

[00:03:45]Now, I don't know if whether Mayor Brown has come in as I said with with a target drawn on AT's forehead that he's just executing.

[00:03:58]But again, the proof will be in the pudding. But certainly when you're saying things like, well, it's just because it is annoying Aucklanders, this is what I've heard from my constituents.

[00:04:08]You know, if if that is if that is true and the benefit is better transport for Aucklanders, you know, it it it seems to be a more upfront and honest way to describe it than say we see at a central government that is just like, we're just going to start cutting things and saving money and it'll all will be right on the day.

[00:04:30]You know?

[00:04:35]I have in my notes, but I think I put the wrong number.

[00:04:39]So, there's a wee bit in here, which I That's a I've I've I've screwed up.

[00:04:43]I've stuffed up. Uh there's a wee bit in here. He puts an extra word somewhere and I don't know if he misspoke or if it's just I think I know the one that you mean.

[00:04:55]>> very smart uh from him. And I think I'm going to use it for now.

[00:05:01]The part about this the 30-year um transport plan will give me a lot of control that that we don't have at the moment because that includes things like these roads of national party significance, which are unfunded and unwise.

[00:05:14]Did you Did you pick that one? Did you pick that that one, guys?

[00:05:17]>> Did you Did you get it?

[00:05:19]>> is that is definitely a a a purposeful line that he's using and I love it.

[00:05:26]I love it.

[00:05:28]Not bad. It's not bad. See, sometimes sometimes they can have something good that we like. Sometimes.

[00:05:35]Just in case you missed it, carry on.

[00:05:37]will give me a lot of control that that we don't have at the moment because that includes things like these roads of national party significance, which are unfunded and unwise. And the the um uh infrastructure commission has looked like I wrote that. They're saying, "What are we doing? These things we can't afford them." Mhm. We've got daft things out there that that make no sense.

[00:05:56]They've spent a billion dollars on a national ticketing system, which we didn't need. They could have used the Auckland one. All right. So so under the new structure I just got two texts from Pat saying that's a Chloe line. So uh Ah, yeah.

[00:06:09]It's nice. There you go. So maybe so maybe he's uh he's a bit you know, he's not he's not >> hardest and after all, who knows?

[00:06:17]Well, I look at I think when it comes to Auckland like Auckland's got a lot of uh these roads of national party significance.

[00:06:24]Um and in every case they've caused chaos and there's been questions of of its uh return on investment and that sort of thing. And obviously this this absolute boondoggle Northland highway the one north of Auckland um which is going to take up I think a 14% of our transport budget for the next decade.

[00:06:49]Yeah.

[00:06:49]>> There's just no way that that's economical or needed. And I think that's not just an Auckland thing. That's that's a whole country sort of thing.

[00:07:00]And and I would say that current events has really just shone a harsh spotlight that putting all of our eggs in the in the roading basket is not a smart move.

[00:07:11]But yeah, when this there's so many main transport corridors in Auckland that the government would stomp in and go, "We think this road is really important. So we're going to dig up a big chunk of your city and just cause chaos." I can I can see why Mayor Brown isn't isn't exactly a fan.

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