Weekly Roundup 27-March-2026

We hope everyone is doing ok after the storm. Here is a roundup of stories that caught our eye to cap off your week.

This week in Greater Auckland

• On Monday, we had a guest post by the esteemed Darren Davis, on what is next for Te Huia.
• On Tuesday, Jolisa asked what can we do ourselves to have resilience to the current fuel crisis.
• On Wednesday, we had our annual plan feedback, which was adapted from a presentation Connor gave to Councillors on Monday.
• On Thursday, Matt took a look at some of the new cycleway connections that were recently finished, and what should be next.

This roundup, like all our work, is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans.

To support our work by setting up a monthly donation, you can join our circle of supporters here. We’re now a registered charity, so your donations are tax-deductible.

Greater Auckland in the media

Matt spoke to 1new’s Justin Hu about our concerns for the CRL timetables.

Prominent Auckland transport advocate Matt Lowrie told 1News that western line commuters would face materially worse peak frequencies in the transitional timetable.

“You’re going to have some services, where you might have six or seven minutes between trains, and then you’ll have nothing for 15 minutes,” said the director of the Greater Auckland advocacy group.

Lowrie said that uneven spacing would cause a cascade effect – trains arriving after longer gaps would be more crowded, slower to load, and more likely to cause downstream delays across the network.

The concerns are compounded by a separate earlier cut already flagged for counter-peak services on the western line – trains heading away from the city in the morning and toward it in the afternoon – which were initially planned to drop to four an hour.

And Matt also spoke to RNZ’s Ingrid Hipkiss, about the same.

Patrick spoke to The Post, about news of a large maintenance investment case for the Auckland Harbour Bridge was going to the NZTA board.

Director of the advocacy group Greater Auckland and former NZTA board director Patrick Reynolds told The Post the bridge was facing pressures as an ageing piece of infrastructure but it was getting regular maintenance.

“The only sort of scandal here would be if they stopped maintaining it.”

Reynolds said when he was board director of the agency he spent a day visiting the bridge with the engineers responsible for its maintenance.

“They assured us that so long as it is continually maintained and it is, its life is effectively limitless.”

Matt was also on The Detail, to talk about the proposed road rules changes.

They come in two packages with the first including:

• Allowing e-scooters in cycle lanes
• Kids 12 and under being allowed to bike on the footpaths
• Mandatory passing gaps around cyclists and horses
• Drivers in 60 kilometres or under speed zones to allow buses to merge into traffic
• Better signage for berm parking

The second package relates to heavy vehicles.

This article is focused on the first package and what it means for drivers, riders and pedestrians.

These changes aren’t a new concept.

National announced similar rules in 2025 and the previous Labour government proposed changes to footpath rules in 2020.

Matt Lowrie, who is an avid cyclist, said these changes had been a long time coming.

“A lot of these are quite common sense changes and so the government are now getting back to it again and looking to get them approved.”

Where are the public transport incentives?

With a lot of focus on fuel prices right now, why aren’t the government encouraging people to use public transport more (other than ideology).

Dr Timothy Welch, an urban planning researcher at the University of Auckland, says the Greens’ proposal has merit.

“We are effectively 100 percent reliant on imported transport fuels. When supply is tight and prices spike, the only real lever we control domestically is demand reduction and mode shift,” he says.

“Free or heavily discounted public transport is one of the fastest demand-side tools available.”

Welch says the fiscal comparison writes itself.

The government’s relief package will cost $373 million over up to a year. National fare revenue before Covid-19 sat at $320-350 million annually, meaning three months of free fares would cost roughly a quarter of that.

“The government’s own officials advised against cutting fuel excise tax because it would encourage people to use more of something in short supply. That logic is exactly right,” he says.

“But a $50 tax credit doesn’t change anyone’s transport behaviour. Free public transport does. It gives people a real alternative, at a fraction of the cost.”

Other countries are intervening more directly. The Herald have looked at some and while many are effectively subsidising fuel or cutting taxes, some are looking at demand.

Some Asian countries have also taken steps to curb fuel consumption.

Thailand and Vietnam are encouraging remote work, while the Philippines has introduced a four-day working week for government employees to reduce commuting.

NZ at 5 year high for oil consumption

With a lot of focus on fuel right now is highlighting how dependent our economy is on it – and why we need to get off it as soon as possible.

New Zealand’s latest quarterly energy report shows electricity production was above 90% renewable and emissions from generation fell to the lowest level on record.

But it also shows New Zealand’s oil consumption, which had fallen markedly after the COVID pandemic, has crept back up to reach its highest quarterly level in five years.

Oil now comprises its highest quarterly share of New Zealand’s overall energy emissions on record.

We didn’t learn the lesson in the past, with more viable options than ever to get off oil, will we learn from this shock.

Parts of New Zealand’s economy, particularly inflation and tourism, remain strongly linked to the price of oil.

During two previous periods of high oil prices, New Zealand missed the chance to weaken the country’s dependence on oil.

The 1978 oil shock was a severe hit to the economy; New Zealand’s oil consumption did not recover to its previous level until 1990.

…..

The 2008 financial crisis also involved extreme oil price spikes and a prolonged recession. Oil consumption did not recover until 2015. One planned response was to introduce fuel economy standards for new cars – a form of regulation already in place in most OECD countries.

Had these standards been put in place and gradually strengthened over time, New Zealand would now be in a much better place, with less pollution and less economic dependence on oil.

However, a change in government in late 2008 led to the cancellation of the planned standards. New Zealand now uses nearly twice as much transport oil per capita as the UK, where such standards have been in place since 2001.

Palmy buses immune from fuel spike

Auckland might have the biggest fleet of electric buses in Australasia but they represent only about a third of all buses on our streets. With fuel prices soaring, Palmerston North’s bus operators don’t need to worry though.

The decision to have an all-electric bus fleet in Palmerston North has potential to help households wanting to manage rising fuel costs.

City councillor Brent Barrett has applauded Horizons Regional Council’s choice, saying the Middle East fuel crisis underlined its foresight.

He told the regional council’s passenger transport committee that with diesel prices rising by 45%, the decision was proving to be “absolutely brilliant”.

E-bus in Palmerston North. Image credit: Horizons Regional Council.

Solar Power

Speaking of energy, while the focus of concern is on liquid fuel, here’s a good piece from Jessie Mulligan on getting solar power.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a middle aged man in possession of a good house must be in want of some solar panels. Like home brewing and road cycling, the acquisition of a household solar system requires deep research, growing fluency in an unfamiliar technical language and, eventually, buying some shiny new gear. The only thing better than installing solar is forcing your friends to hear about it. The only thing better than that is forcing your substack readers to hear about it too.

AT App safety changes

AT have announced a new feature on their mobile app – letting you share your journey with others

Auckland Transport (AT) is introducing a new feature within the AT mobile app, designed to give public transport users greater peace of mind when travelling on the network.

“Share my journey” enables customers to share their planned route, expected arrival time, and vehicle details with trusted contacts, friends, and loved ones.

The feature has been developed in direct response to feedback from customers who want to feel more connected and supported when using public transport.

AT Director Public Transport and Active Modes, Stacey van der Putten says, “Everyone deserves to feel safe when travelling with us. Share my journey helps provide that extra layer of reassurance by letting friends or whānau see your travel plans and know when to expect you.”

While the feature shares a customer’s planned journey, it does not track a person’s real-time GPS location—something AT emphasises is to protect customer privacy.

“If you miss a service or decide to change your trip, you can simply replan and reshare to keep your contacts updated.”

How it works

1. Plan your journey in the AT Mobile app
2. Select the new “Share my journey” option
3. Choose a contact, and select a platform for communication (SMS, WhatsApp, email etc)
4. Your contact can now see your route, estimated timings and the services you’re expected to board

Share my journey builds on existing safety measures already in place across the network and is part of wider work to improve customer confidence and support safe travel throughout Tāmaki Makaurau.

Share my journey is the second safety focused feature added to the AT Mobile app in recent months. Late last year, AT added a function enabling customers to directly report incidents on the network via a new “Report feeling unsafe” feature.

Penlink delayed

NZTA announced this week that the completion of Penlink has been delayed by about a year and that it’s likely to go over budget

The opening of the Penlink highway, delivered by the O Mahurangi Alliance, has been revised to late 2029, around 12 months later than previously anticipated, due to challenging construction conditions affecting progress on the Wēiti River Bridge.

The Wēiti River Bridge is the largest and most complex structure on the project and is critical to connecting the new highway to the Whangaparāoa Peninsula. Its construction has proven more time consuming than expected due to the complexity of the construction, difficult ground conditions, and constrained site access.

…..

“The forecast completion of the new highway is late 2029. We remain committed to delivering a high quality new state highway that will make a real difference, and we will continue to look for opportunities to safely accelerate delivery where possible,” says Mr Collett.

…..

Background

• Penlink will be tolled once the highway is fully completed and open.
• The original cost estimate of $830 million is expected to increase due to programme delays. NZTA is currently assessing the cost impact.

Will the cost now exceed $1 billion?

Christchurch Mass Rapid Transit route protection

The current government might not be supportive but it seems Christchurch City Council are pushing ahead with work to protect the route for a rapid transit line through the city.

Work is underway on the route protection process required to secure land for the proposed 22km route between Hornby to Belfast, via the central city. Route protection involves identifying any additional land needed for MRT and securing it through a legislative process to prevent future development.

General Manager Strategy, Planning and Regulatory John Higgins says the focus is on using publicly owned land wherever possible, although some private land may need to be designated to protect future options.

“Where land designations are required, we’ll follow the formal consultation process set out in legislation. This would involve us working closely with property owners and stakeholders during the process.

“It’s important we plan now for the future. Mass Rapid Transit is a generational investment that will support the city’s growth, manage traffic congestion, and improve how people get around.”

Finally time for voting reform in local elections?

The Spinoff’s Hayden Donnell looks into special votes and why almost 2000 weren’t allowed in the last Auckland election

Look at the reports on special voting in Auckland from 2025 and a few things jump out. One is the number of people who used that method to cast their ballot. People cast special votes for a range of reasons. They might have moved house and forgotten to enrol in their new area or missed the deadline for putting their voting ballot in the post box. It’s a slightly more complicated process that involves filling out a declaration at a polling place. Despite that, the number of special votes rose 33% to 9,306 in 2025 in an election where overall turnout declined by 6%.

The second standout number from the report is the number of those ballots that were chucked in the recycling. Only 5,896, or 63%, of the special votes cast in Auckland were actually allowed. Don’t worry, it gets worse. Of the 3,410 votes that got binned, nearly 1,700 were disallowed because aspiring voters left the occupation field on their special voting declaration blank.

With all due respect, what the shit?

Paris and saying no to cars

Bloomberg has a fascinating article looking at the changes to Paris under now former Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Honking horns and screeching tires used to be a cliched scene-setting device for writers describing Paris. Those sounds no longer define a city where cars have taken a back seat. Visitors will discover that it’s a dramatically different place than a decade ago: lines of bikes and throngs of pedestrians where lanes were once jammed with cars, greenery encroaching on former pavement, summer swimming in the once-grimy Seine river — and a corresponding drop in air and water pollution.

The shift is the result of a spate of policies under outgoing Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo intended to make the city more walkable and bikeable while reducing emissions. Internationally, Hidalgo has become one of the best-known promoters of green urban change.

They noted that (last) Sunday’s election would determine her legacy. Well it seems voters like it.

Barnes Dance

Stuff asks what it’s like to drive through a barnes dance intersection – about the same as any other light controlled intersection.

The chance of encountering a Barnes Dance in Dunedin’s CBD is high. Very high indeed.

Nine of the city’s 18 Barnes Dance intersections can be found within 10 blocks of George St and Princes St, running through the heart of the CBD.

…..

By the 1980s, Dunedin had done away with the last of its Barnes Dances… until 2018 when two were installed to bookend the Octagon.

Now the city has 18 Barnes Dance intersections, EIGHTEEN! They represent 22% of traffic light-controlled intersections, with the newest installed in 2024.

But while they were designed to make it easier for pedestrians, how are they for drivers?

The article notes that Auckland has 100 Barnes Dance intersections

Enforcement and AT

It’s not just South Auckland that has this issue.

Ranjeet Sidhu, a resident of Manurewa, filed a complaint with his local board.

“We are increasingly concerned about the impact this is having on liveability of our streets and community,” Sidhu said. “Roads intended for families and local traffic are being used for informal truck parking.”

Manpreet Singh, who lives near Sidhu, agreed.

“These big commercial trucks also cause a lot of noise disturbances, particularly early mornings and late evenings, disrupting the entire neighbourhoods – more so, the elderly,” Singh said.

“Our daily school runs have become a nightmare.

“We have made several complaints to the relevant authorities many times over the past year or so, but nothing seems to change and the commercial vehicle parking goes unabated.

“Our neighbourhoods should be safe, quiet and liveable. These should not be used as unofficial truck depots.”

Yet AT are saying:

“The are some streets in Māngere and Papatoetoe that have entry signs stating no trucks, but we cannot enforce those signs.“

Videos to check out

Connor had a chat with Kasey from Welly Climate Nerd about local politics and the Annual Plans for Wellington and Auckland

Check out this video of some high speed trains!

And some vids on bikes:

That’s it from us this week, have a good weekend and stay dry

Greater Auckland’s work is made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. We’re now a registered charity, so your donations are tax-deductible. If you’d like to support our work, you can join our circle of supporters here.

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