Weekly Roundup 31-January-2025

It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting.

This week in Greater Auckland

• On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024
• On Thursday Connor asked some questions for the government on speed limit increases

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Fares up from Sunday

Public transport fares are increasing from Sunday, which also includes removing the off-peak discount that currently applies.

Starting 2 February, Auckland Transport is simplifying its zone systems and fare structure across buses, trains and ferries – the biggest change since 2016.

There will be fewer zones to simplify the system, which will also result in fare decreases for some travellers, particularly those travelling the longest distance, however the annual public transport fare adjustment means there will be an increase in many fares, ranging between 15 and 25 cents for each bus and train journey, or 20c to $1.40 for ferry journeys or a weighted average 5.2%.

AT Director Public Transport and Active Modes, Stacey van der Putten says this annual review of public transport fares is needed to offset substantial increases in operating costs.

“We know any increases add to people’s cost of living and so these are carefully considered, however the cost of running, maintaining and investing in Auckland’s public transport network is also increasing and we need to keep up with this,” Ms Van der Putten says.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic we had two years when we didn’t increase Auckland’s public transport fares despite a sharp increase in operating costs and we’re now effectively playing catch-up.

“When we consider fare changes like this, we aim to strike a fair balance between the share of public transport costs our passengers pay and the share paid by ratepayers and taxpayers. Alongside this annual fare adjustment, we will continue to investigate options to increase public transport income from commercial sources other than fares.

“Increasing non-fare revenue is something the government expects from public transport authorities like Auckland Transport, along with a gradual increase of the share passengers pay towards overall public transport operating costs.

“It is also important to note the HOP card $50 7-day fare cap remains unchanged. We have approximately 25,000 customers who are close to reaching the $50 fare cap each week and this may help mitigate some of the cost increase for those frequent bus, train and inner harbour ferry customers,” Ms Van der Putten says.

Along with the fare changes they are also making some tweaks to the fare zone structure which will only impact people making trips from rural areas.

On February 2 Auckland Transport will also implement structural changes to Auckland’s public transport fare system, simplifying the fares passengers pay when they travel on buses, trains and ferries.

As part of this package of fare structure changes AT has already implemented the $50 7-day fare cap, and with the upcoming fare changes, some Aucklanders will actually see their bus and train fares reduce, even once the annual fare increase is taken into account.

…..

Overview of the structural changes

Fare zones simplified – across Tāmaki Makaurau the number of fare zones will be consolidated from 14 to 9. Eight zones will be combined into three new zones. The following outlines the new zones:

• East Coast / South Rodney zone is created by consolidating Helensville, Huapai, Hibiscus Coast and Upper North Shore zones.
• Northern Manukau zone is created by merging Manukau North and Beachlands zones
• Southern Manukau zone is created by merging Manukau South and Franklin zones

There are more details here.

Rail Network finally back and Pukekohe reopens

Some parts of the rail network were operating again this week, albeit at a reduced frequency. From Monday all services will be back to normal, though hopefully we don’t have any more issues like happened this week – I’m not sure we’ve had a day one after a long shutdown that hasn’t had issues.

The big change though will also be that Pukekohe finally reopens and will be serving passengers again, this time on electric trains. Services are running roughly every 20 minutes from Pukekohe throughout the day.

Te Huia will also now stop at Pukekohe but is dropping Pakakura from its timetable.

Of course there will be many more network closures in the year ahead as Kiwirail try to get the network ready for the City Rail Link.

Note there are also new rail timetables for all lines and it appears they’ve padded them out again with journey times two minutes longer than they were before the shutdown.

Let’s get more kids walking to school …..

The Herald reports.

School’s nearly back, and the dreaded morning congestion returns as children head to class by car, bus, ferry, bike, and foot. Despite a push for walking and public transport, more than half go by car – whether as passengers or behind the wheel themselves, Kirsty Wynn reports.

…..

Miller said if there was a safe way to cross the busy road and a group of children and an adult to supervise she might let Talia walk.
“We have stood at the main road trying to cross to the pedestrian bay and it can be five minutes or more before there is a break in the traffic,” Miller said.
“The closest pedestrian crossing is a good five-minute walk in the opposite direction.”
…..
An Auckland Transport spokesman said no new pedestrian crossings were planned for Queen St in the Pukekohe Hill School area.

The new moral panic

How horrible, the kids are riding their bikes to the beach. The local Audi dealerships must be mortified.

It’s just after 2pm on a scorching hot day at the tail end of the school holidays but there’s an unusual sight at a bustling Sydney beach.

Seven flashy electronic bikes – conservatively valued at over $20,000 in total – are propped up against a wooden barrier outside North Narrabeen surf club.

None of the e-bikes are locked up and the owners, a group of teens no older than 14, are all splashing about carefree in the water 100 metres away.

The extraordinary photo sums up a new teenage fad that’s drawing attention to a wealth divide in some of Australia’s most affluent coastal neighbourhoods.

It’s becoming increasingly harder to ignore the e-bike phenomenon, which has exploded on the scene in wealthy, seaside suburbs in the last 12 months.

Spend a day in the sun along Sydney’s northern beaches, and you’ll see dozens of kids cruising along the esplanade or the footpath on a DiRodi or Ampd branded bike.

Open for growth, just not in my neighbourhood

The Spinoff brings the receipts on prime minister Chris Luxon after he called for New Zealand to stop saying no to growth.

For an example of just how pervasive this “culture of saying no” has become, consider the Quarterdeck complex. A developer, Box Property, purchased a disused service station in Cockle Bay, Auckland, and planned to transform it into a modern townhouse complex with 70 homes in buildings ranging from two to four storeys. It would have stimulated economic growth by providing much-needed housing in east Auckland and added more customers for local businesses. The construction itself would have created 177 full-time equivalent jobs over two years.

It was exactly the kind of economic growth opportunity Luxon extolled in his speech. But the Cockle Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association said no. They raised concerns about too many cars parking on the street, so the developer included 102 basement car parks. Then, residents worried about increased traffic. Later, the residents’ group shifted their argument to suggest (with little evidence) that the pipes wouldn’t be able to handle wastewater from another 70 homes.

The local MP joined the residents’ association in opposing the development, launching a campaign to block it. For him, it was a nostalgic cause; he had attended primary school just across the road from the derelict service station. “I remember this place really well,” he said in a Facebook video from 2020, warning residents of developers who wanted to “plonk multi-unit dwellings” in their neighbourhood. “There are other parts of Auckland that make sense for us to put higher-density dwellings into… this is an area that should always stay a single-dwelling zone”. He praised the residents’ association for their anti-growth stance, declaring, “They’ve been doing a great job fighting back on this. They deserve a medal.”

That MP’s name, in case you hadn’t already guessed, was Christopher Mark Luxon.

Stadiums getting louder

As predicted in our post wrapping up 2024, with a decision due is in March on the council’s preferred option for a future stadium we’re going to start hearing a lot more about them as the two rival bidders hope to generate public interest in their plans. That kicked off this week with an article from Radio NZ.

It is, says Shane Henderson, an argument for the ages. It never seems to quit. How long have Aucklanders been feuding about stadiums? “It began when the dinosaurs died out,” jokes Henderson. For the past year, he’s been chairing a working group that will make the decision on Auckland’s stadium future. That group whittled four options down to the current two, eliminating a sunken waterfront stadium, and another based in Silo Park.

He’s doing this because Wayne Brown asked him to. “The mayor said, ‘We need to say to the public, ‘This is our preferred option for a stadium for the city.'” It’s taken over Henderson’s life. Every summer barbecue has turned into a forum for people to share their views. “People say, “Why don’t you do this?'” he says. Henderson won’t be drawn on which way he’s leaning ahead of March’s decision, but he’s well aware of the stakes. “We’re talking about the future of our city for generations to come,” he says. “It’s natural feelings are going to run high.”

That’s true. As I researched this story, the main parties engaged in a back-and-forth discussion that became increasingly heated. Jim Doyle, from Te Tōangaroa’s Cenfield MXD team, described Eden Park’s situation as desperate. “Eden Park can’t fund itself … it’s got no money, it’s costing ratepayers,” he said. Doyle alleged the stadium “wouldn’t be fit for purpose”. “You’re going to have to spend probably close to $1 billion to upgrade it.” Asked what should happen to Eden Park should the decision go Te Tōangaroa’s way, Doyle shrugged his shoulders. “Turn it into a retirement village.”

Have a good weekend.

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