Small steps toward a second harbour crossing for Auckland
We still don't know what it will look like or when it will be built, but any progress is welcome.
Mōrena, and welcome to The Bulletin for Monday, November 4.
In today’s edition: Christopher Luxon denies being out of touch, it’s Travel Week on The Spinoff, and the dental system is costing us billions of dollars a year in lost productivity and social impacts. Should dental care be free? But first: a small but important update on Auckland’s long-awaited second harbour crossing.
One small step for Auckland
Welcome back, I hope you had a relaxing and sunny weekend.
This morning, we’re going to talk about a small but important update on a project many Aucklanders have been waiting decades to see realised. Initial work is set to get under way on plans for a second harbour crossing on Auckland’s Waitematā, reported the Herald’s Jamie Ensor yesterday. But don’t get too excited – we’re still a long way off any actual progress. As Ensor explained, the government has tasked the transport agency with looking at two “potential options” for the additional crossing and technical work is expected to begin in the coming months. Those two options are either a tunnel option (likely to be different to that put forward by Labour) or a second bridge. “I have directed NZTA to refine the scope of the crossing and develop a more detailed understanding of the costs, risks, trade-offs and assumptions for the tunnel and an equivalent bridge option, prior to seeking a decision from ministers on which option to progress,” said transport minister Simeon Brown.
However, any actual investment for the long-awaited crossing isn’t expected to be considered until mid-2026 – which will mean it comes just before the next election. It risks seeing the transport project become another political football, as it has in the past. But, since this is the first proper update we’ve received on the bridge in some months, let’s take a look at the seemingly never-ending debate over how we get more people from Auckland city to the North Shore.
Here we go again
In a typically droll ranking for The Spinoff last month, Hayden Donnell took a look at a range of proposed harbour crossings – from the more outlandish to the slightly more reasonable. Among the offerings (and ranked at the bottom) was Labour’s 2023 campaign pledge for a double road tunnel and light rail tunnel which would have cost at least $35bn and probably a lot more. The change of government pretty much killed that idea immediately, and it was already unpopular with both Auckland Council and transport officials.
The preferred option of Auckland mayor Wayne Brown is a new bridge that would run from Meola Reef to Kauri Point, reported Stuff. Donnell, again writing for The Spinoff, explained that the bridge “would cross a lava reef before disembarking at a swampy shoreline in the middle of an ammo dump, after which travellers would somehow ascend 100m and disgorge en masse onto an already busy arterial road”. It too faced a fair amount of backlash, including from within the council. The government hasn’t completely ruled out this option, though as The Post’s Thomas Manch reported in September, it also hasn’t endorsed it.
In the background, the transport agency has been working on the business case for a second crossing. As BusinessDesk’s Oliver Lewis (paywalled) reported in June, that has racked up a $36m bill – under both the former and current government – without any real progress being made. In short: there have been a lot of calls for an additional Waitematā crossing, and preliminary work is under way slowly behind the scenes, and yet we still have no real idea what the current government will put forward or when we might see some spades in the ground.
Where might we end up?
What we do know, explained the Herald’s Simon Wilson following a speech given by the transport minister Simeon Brown, is that any new bridge or tunnel will focus pretty squarely on road transport. The minister said he was focused on providing “extra lanes” for traffic and “enhancing the existing busway”. That’s not surprising given the coalition’s focus on improving travel for car users, but some – such as Greater Auckland’s Matt Lowry – would argue it’s disappointing. In discussing the mayor’s proposed road bridge, he wrote: “when pretty much every other water-crossing in the city has been improved in recent years for active and public transport… it’s wild to be suggesting a new Waitematā crossing that doesn’t foreground those missing modes”.
It will also, in theory, be cheaper. Shortly after the election, the very appropriately named Nick Truebridge reported for Newshub (RIP) that the new government wanted to cut back on the cost of a second harbour crossing, describing Labour’s approach as being “gold plated” and the addition of light rail as a “vanity project”. He may want to think about those comments should his government indeed push ahead with the “long tunnel” under Wellington.
‘Risk review’ for existing bridge
Meanwhile, RNZ’s Phil Pennington reported late last week that officials were ordered to check for fresh risks to the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge after a major disaster in the US. A container ship hit the Baltimore Bridge, causing it to collapse, back in March. As a result, our transport agency wanted a “risk review” to look at whether something similar could happen here.
The documents released to RNZ show that there were two “critical risks” for the bridge that required a “control plan” – but the document didn’t state what those risk were. It also didn’t explain how the risk management plan had been changed and “strengthened”. However, in a statement, Waka Kotahi said: "The risk of a ship strike to the Auckland Harbour Bridge has been assessed as having a rare likelihood due to the amount of risk mitigations that are currently in place”. That’s one silver lining we can take from this whole saga.
Join our community of supporters
"I like that it feels like chipping in for a good cause, rather than paying for a subscription." – Kimberley, Spinoff member.
Whether you read, listen to or watch our mahi, you can support us to do more by donating today or signing up to become a member. Already a member? Ka nui te mihi, your support means the world to us.
Welcome to Travel Week on The Spinoff
It’s Travel Week on The Spinoff and we have a lot of excellent content planned. As our editor Madeleine Chapman explains in an introductory piece this morning, we’ll be looking at how New Zealanders travel differently now, what travel looks like with kids, parents, a climate crisis, pets and we’ll have stories of “My Greatest Trip” and an examination of when travelling feels like a competition.
While all this is happening, Wellington editor Joel MacManus will be undertaking a near-impossible adventure: travelling from Stewart Island to Cape Reinga using only public transport. He departed this morning and will be live-blogging every day of his journey until he reaches the top of the country. Keep The Spinoff open wherever you are to follow along on with the ride, and join us every morning at 9am for the latest day of action.
PM Christopher Luxon denies he’s out of touch, rules out CGT for his tenure
The prime minister has sat down for a 30-minute, unedited interview with RNZ’s Guyon Espiner (which you can watch in full below). During the interview, Christopher Luxon admits he needs to work on his “corporate speak” but puts it down to his former business life and denied he was out of touch with New Zealanders. "I had to learn parliament very quickly. I'm the fastest person to get from entering politics to being prime minister,” Luxon told Espiner. "But it means that I come with a different set of skills, and it means that I'm also not going to be perfect in my answers.
On a capital gains tax – and no surprises here – Luxon ruled one out for his tenure as prime minister, though for different reasons to Jacinda Ardern, despite growing poll support for introducing some sort of tax. “I don't believe that's the right answer for New Zealand,” said Luxon.
Great books to take you places
Feeling the travel itch but can’t take off right now? Let your imagination do the wandering instead. AA Travel has curated a list of books that transport you across continents, from the chaos of a Moroccan market to the icy expanses of Greenland. Whether you're dreaming of adventure, hungry for new tastes or curious about foreign cultures, these reads offer the perfect escape without leaving home. Find your next literary journey and get ready to travel through the pages. Dive into the full article here. (sponsored)
Click and Collect
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau wants the Crown observer to be put in place ASAP as deadlines loom.
Whistleblowing nurse: “It’s the patient’s right to know who’s touching them”. A powerful long read investigation from Paula Penfold this morning.
Wayne Brown, and the controversy of the “miracle healer” guru.
Q+A host Jack Tame joins a nightly vigil for January 6 prisoners ahead of the US election. Plus, one of our most read pieces of the week was the latest edition of My Life in TV with Jack Tame.
New figures out this week are expected to show sharply higher numbers of people out of work.
There’s a Mark Mitchell-shaped mountain standing between Nicole McKee and the changes she wants to make to firearms laws, writes Derek Cheng for NZ Herald Premium. (paywalled)
Star studded but no spooks for Isaac Theatre Royal’s anniversary gala.
Listen: Best TV Show Ever - Live!
Last week, The Spinoff unveiled its top 100 New Zealand TV shows of the 21st century, sparking plenty of debate about what truly deserved the top spot. The Spinoff’s senior writer, Alex Casey is joined by a panel of TV fanatics, Kura Forrester, Rhiannon McCall, Stewart Sowman-Lund, and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith at The Spinoff Live event at Q Theatre. Together, they’ll unearth some beloved TV gems and make their case for their all-time favourite local TV show, with the audience helping choose a new winner.
Let people respond to the haka however they want, argues Liam Rātana. Wellington’s Wiri Donna shares her perfect weekend playlist. Three teenage barbers in Mt Albert have capitalised on a viral haircut to build businesses on Instagram, so Duncan Greive pops in for a chop. A new novel imagines a New Zealand version of the conservative South Asian grifter, writes Brannavan Gnanalingam. Tara Ward breaks down everything you need to know about the arrival of streamer Max to New Zealand.
Kamala Harris makes surprise SNL appearance
We’re well and truly into the final hours of the US presidential campaign. Polling closes on Wednesday, NZ time, and then the results will steadily start to roll in. I thought I’d leave you this morning with a surprise campaign stop on Saturday Night Live from Kamala Harris. Have a watch – and we’ll have plenty more to say about the election in the coming days.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. See you back here tomorrow morning.
Want to get in touch? Join the conversation in the Substack comments section below or via email at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz if you have any feedback on today’s top stories (or anything else in the news).
If you liked what you read today, share The Bulletin with friends, family and colleagues.
It would be interesting to know how much money has gone into conducting all the meetings, investigations, discussions, plans etc. have cost for the potential second Auckland Harbour crossing. Perhaps enough to have built a bridge and get over it?
Isn't he entitled to be out of touch?