This year will see the opening of the City Rail Link project.
A transformational change to Auckland.
CRL will double the potential capacity of trains that can run across the network, provide new stations in the city centre (Te Waihorotiu, and Karanga-a-Hape), upgrade the Maungawhau station at Mt Eden, and connect to Britomart.
It is a substantial achievement, involving thousands of people over the years, and uncountable hours of work. And like any major success, it has many parents.
But we should be wary of claims from contemporary politicians – or, more generally speaking, political parties – that their support was integral to the project. Some of these claims ring hollow, tantamount to political plagiarism, when you consider the timeline.
From where we are now, in 2026, it is easy to support CRL. And while this unanimity was obviously essential to finishing the project, the real credit should go to the politicians who started City Rail Link – by supporting it when it was hard, and by sticking their heads out to build support and get it over the line.
With that in mind, I’ve made a list of the Top Ten Politicians Who Made CRL Happen.
But first of all, some honourable mentions…
Honourable Mentions
- The many Auckland Councillors across the years who supported the project – and, before the 2010 SuperCity, those from the Auckland Regional Council who helped make it happen. Some notable examples: former Chair of the ARC, Mike Lee; Councillors Chris Darby, Christine Fletcher, Cathy Casey, and a lot more.
- Former Deputy Mayor of Auckland, Penny Hulse, a stalwart champion between 2010-2016.
- National’s Simon Bridges who, as Minister of Transport 2014-2017, was the first National Party Minister of Transport to actually support CRL
- Labour’s Phil Twyford, for work as Minister of Transport between 2018-2020, and for advocacy while in opposition.
- The Greens’ Julie Anne Genter, a tireless advocate for CRL including half a decade of campaigning in the 2010s, and for her time as Associate Transport Minister between 2018-2020.
- Former Mayor of Auckland Phil Goff, especially for the decision to future-proof the stations, giving us the wonderful Beresford Square entrance.
- Former Deputy Mayor of Auckland Bill Cashmore, for work progressing the project during 2016-2022 period.
- Labour’s Michael Wood, for his work as Minister of Transport between 2021-2023 shepherding the project after the disruption of Covid.
These are the notable examples, and of course there are likely a few more champions to credit from the 2000-2016 period, along with historical progenitors (such as Sir Dove-Myer Robinson) – feel free to weigh in, in the comments.
And now for the Top Ten Politicians Who Made CRL Happen…
Drumroll please, as we count down from 10 all the way to Number 1, starting with…
10. Former Prime Minister, Sir John Key
You’ve got to hand it to Sir John Key.
Once he realised the National Party was losing Auckland, he managed to overrule a party that had been adamantly opposing the City Rail Link project for years and years, to stand hand-in-hand with the next politician on the list, and support CRL as a government.
And while initially this support in 2013 looked set to delay the start of construction by five years, eventually, the start date would be brought forward to 2016.
The windows of opportunity for projects this large are smaller than you might assume, and as Matt said in 2016 when government funding was brought forward:
In quite a shrewd move, Key actually only confirmed the government share would arrive after 2020 which is in line with his original time frame from back in 2013 – but just by having that commitment, it now means that the council can use its share to start in 2018.
[Said Key:]
So I can today confirm the Government will work with the Council to bring forward the business plan and formalise our funding commitment from 2020.
The Council has indicated this would allow construction of the Rail Link’s main works to start in 2018 – at least two years earlier than currently envisaged.
It would also allow the council to get on with negotiating contracts and providing certainty for investors in other important Auckland CBD projects.
By providing the commitment he has, it’s likely he’s saved more than just the two-year gap. The big reason for this is it means that those at AT working on the project can get on with the tender process and engage with potential suppliers, knowing that will definitely be there from 2018. That can allow them to optimise the build, possibly reduce the amount of time the main works will take, and definitely reduce the overall amount of disruption the city will experience from the construction. It of course also means we start getting the transport and economic benefits sooner.
Of course, Sir John Key would not have supported the City Rail Link, if not for our next politician…
9. Former Mayor of Auckland Len Brown
If there is anyone who was irreplaceable for getting CRL over the time, it was former Mayor of Auckland Len Brown. Despite being on the opposite side of the political spectrum from the government, his advocacy and building of a relationship with Sir John Key – to the extent he once accidentally texted the PM mistakenly thinking he was texting his own wife – was a vital factor in getting the government on board.
Of course, this advocacy extended further, in the hands of our next politician who…
8.Former Manukau City Councillor, Len Brown
…in 2010, campaigned for the newly created office of Mayor of Auckland on a bold plan for Auckland, and City Rail Link was a core part of that. This was of course former Manukau City Councillor Len Brown, who saw not only the opportunity, but the need for the City Rail Link project if Auckland was going to be a true 21st century city.
And turns out, people wanted the public transport they deserve, because…
7. Len Brown, for handily winning the first Supercity election in 2010 over John Banks
…people voted for him, therefore Len Brown handily won the first Supercity election in 2010 over John Banks.
And so once…
6. Inaugural Mayor of the Super City of Auckland, Len Brown
…elected in 2010, with the vision of making Auckland “the world’s most liveable city”, the inaugural Mayor of the Super City of Auckland, Len Brown, made CRL a cornerstone of his mayoralty, above and beyond the focus that a mayor might normally put into a single project.
Faced with a hostile National-led government, but supported by the majority of Auckland Councillors, Len took a huge risk, committing funding to develop CRL so it would be ready if funding from central government became available…
5. Leonard Charles Brown, citizen and servant of the people
…and through years and years of opposition, Leonard Charles Brown, citizen and civil servant, built up support in Auckland… until finally, in 2013, the government conceded that the project was needed. In large part, this was because Len had gotten the Prime Minister, John Key, across the line to support CRL.
However, the government said rather than the 2016 start Len wanted, the project should start in 2020 yet…
4. Former Mayor of Manukau City, Len Brown
…despite this potential setback, the former Mayor of Manukau City, Len Brown, continued to push for more priority for the project in his new role as Mayor of the Super City…
3. Number one fan of Len’s Loop, Len Brown
…which would result in ‘early’ funding being announced in 2016, and construction being brought forward to 2018. The number one fan of Len’s Loop, Len Brown, despite years of ridicule from National Party MPs in parliament, succeeded in winning over the Prime Minister, John Key, by building up the support for CRL in Auckland to such an extent that it became untenable for National to oppose it…
2. Ex-Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown
…and needless to say the ex-Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown, was irreplaceable. Leaving of course one key name at the top of the list…
1. Len Brown
…because, while many people have been involved to make this a reality, many of whom will remain out of sight, when CRL finally opens this year it will be an incredible achievement, and testament, to one person’s tenacity.
And the person who should be front and centre to cut the ribbon, is:
Len Brown.
Len Brown was fundamental to getting the City Rail Link over the line. He relentlessly championed the project, and he put in the work to build a wide support base in Auckland. He was not afraid to take risks, and his political management and relationship-building meant he would succeed.
And as Matt wrote in 2016, looking back at Len Brown’s six years in the office of Mayor:
But by far the biggest achievement has to be the City Rail Link. Len has consistently pushed for the project since elected in 2010 despite the government originally not being supportive of it. After they agreed to the project back in 2013 he continued to advocate for it to start earlier. The council backed that, and Albert St is now a hive of activity with the project now well underway. More importantly and just two weeks ago, the council and government signed a heads of agreement to fund the project 50/50. Considering how hostile the government have been towards the project at various times over the last six years, that’s an impressive achievement and one I imagine Len is most proud of.
[…]
Still, on balance I think Len did a pretty decent job, most important being that he pushed a vision for Auckland that has been positive. Many people still think fondly of Mayor Sir Dove Myer Robinson for pushing his rail scheme in the 60’s and 70’s despite it never being built. By comparison, Len has actually resulted in the CRL getting funding and starting construction. I suspect Aucklanders of the future will thank him for it. His legacy will be that Auckland is and will become a much better place than it was when he became mayor. He has helped make Auckland a more liveable city.
Without Len Brown, Auckland may never have seen this transformational project happen at all – or it would have been years too late, at substantially higher cost.
I think we should all look forward to seeing Len take pride of place at the CRL opening.
Because thanks to him, Auckland is growing into a more liveable city.
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Connor sees the world through his own Lens
If this opportunity had not been grabbed it would not just have been delayed, but delayed indefinitely, and the Auckland would have slid further back into dreary traffic swamped dullness. That he got the CRL across the line really is a minor miracle and yes there really is one person above all else to thank.
Now we need the next hero to prevent the coming massive fuck-up being forced on us across the harbour – nothing but more traffic. The project to fully connect the Shore into the our new Rapid Transit network needs its champion…
Regrettable the war against car infrastructure soaking up more and more of our limited dollars goes on and on. And what’s with spending all north of the harbour bridge. Wellsford RONs and a new road crossing.
A tunnel under Lookout Hill on Dunedin’s southern motorway would be far more useful to the economy.
Dove-Meyer Robinson’s statue needs to be rescued from it’s exile in Aotea square and moved to the Te Waihorotiu Station, and Len Brown needs his own statue outside the Beresford square entrance.
You also have to hand it to the other government party leaders (Labour / Greens / etc) that came on board well before National. Without that political pressure JK may not have caved.
Honorable mention for Sir Dove-Myer Robison?
Nice.
Well said.
Totally, wholeheartedly agree.
This project will be Len’s legacy.
A flawed, but truly visionary leader.
I wish we had more leaders like him.
A mayor who will be changing the face of Auckland in a positive way for decades to come. Unlike the current, short-term minded mayor.
If it wasn’t for Len’s dogged determination, this project would have languished and died.
It was a miracle it went ahead under a National government.
I do have the name of another Auckland politician whose advocacy of an underground rail link in 2003 prompted one of the earliest feasibility studies into the CRL: a long-forgotten, one term (I think) CitiRat councillor Greg McKeown. He pushed this in the face of fierce opposition from his fellow party members and I have to say other than Len Brown, he’s the only politician I’ve ever seen in Waitematā station (other than those gladhandling the crowds at an opening) although, unlike Len Brown, he didn’t actually catch a train.
LOL. I started reading the article under the illusion that you could actually find a total of “ten politicians who made the CRL happen” and guess what; Len’s efforts and tenacity in the face of the opposition stands out so far above the rest that he deserves to be honoured with places nine to one. Well said!
Yes, agree whole-heartedly that Auckland needs another visonary mayor. Perhaps not with a vision for a large scale infrastructure project but, one that can successfully communicate with central govt that Auckland does not need (nor want) massive amounts of roading $$$ spent here. A mayor that get the public on board with that we can have decent public transport, and that we can have safe, and connected walking and cycling infrastructure. But we can’t afford to be doing this, and building more and more roads.
Use the transport budget that Auckland has wisely, remove the expensive traffic inducing, car dependancy reinforcing spending that is happening around Auckland.
Small scale, small spend, but collectively and cumulatively big wins for the city is what is needed.
I’m hoping that IF central govt is determined to go ahead with a harbour crossing project, Mayor Brown will be insulted that his preferred route isn’t being chosen, and he will then be against the project. That’s my only glimer of hope for the insanity that is currently pushing the harbour crossing project.
I was surprised when Len was already mentioned only at 9th place, and then I kept reading…
Well done and couldn’t agree more!
Yes! We need these campions for big projects.
The one sad thing about Len Brown is that his last name seems to be what makes a Pakeha electable, as if Brown as a surname somehow connects to the Pasifika and Maaori dominance in our queen city.
Britomart as a dead end station was always a stupid idea, and unblocking it will turn our rail into something functional, and almost comparable with other cities around the world.
As a child of the 1980s, I have found memories of walking on inner city tracks, as we were born into a passenger train free reality. Now as a non child, my favourite form of public transport is rail based.
If we could extend this to Light Rail, particularly the Oenhunga to the Airport Corridor, and South Roskill to anywhere that has a train station, we could start to address the “post code lottery” entrenched colonial and systemic racism that pervades our society.
Len Brown’s experience in Manukau no doubt contributed to his governing or the supercity, and the fact that the Eastern Line provides a direct connection between Downtown and Manukau is magnificent.
Rail is the past, and future, and once the CRL is embedded in our psysche, and people stop thinking about a private motor vehicle as a primary form of transport, then we can begin reinstating some aspects of the pre World War Two city, with light rail links along ridge lines and waterfronts.
Still only an imaginary future based on a hundred years ago reality, but with our expanded population since then, far more logical than a motorway was or ever will be.
bah humbug
Light Rail is a projects were we have had visionary leaders, but failure to actually deliver.
Len Brown = Lawful good
Wayne Brown = Chaotic neutral
Simeon Brown = Neutral evil
No way. Simeon Brown is the dictionary definition of lawful evil.
On another note, any blunders brought about by the Browns could be called a ‘code brown’
Agree. You saved me typing it.
Raising speed limits around schools…
Thanks for making me laugh.
And now it is time for roading and all other transport money to flow south, as some have already suggested. Aucklanders can’t live as if the rest of NZ doesn’t need quality public transport and we must call a halt to the creation of a London v UK style economic and social imbalance.
Auckland actually gets less than its fair share of transport funding. Wellington, west coast,and Waikato often get far more than their fair share. If you want public transport in the regions,dont ask for Aucklands public transport funding, ask for Wellington’s road funding.
Id be happy with Wellingtons cycle way funding. Could go to a footpath on our old bridge.
Christine Fletcher got an honorable mention in Conor’s article but I wonder how many remember what was probably her most significant contribution.
Back in 2001 the big debate was over Britomart, and specifically the conversion of the old CPO to Britomart Station (as it was then). Fletcher was Mayor at the time, and with the election looming, her main opponent, John Banks, was adamantly opposed to the development. And as you can imagine, without Britomart the project would have been a non-starter.
In the face of intense public scrutiny and considerable opposition, Fletcher stuck to her guns, and the contract to convert the CPO to a station was signed on 12 October 2001. The election was held the very next day – and she lost. But the contract had been signed, the development went ahead, and the rest is history.
If John Banks had been able to stop the development by abandoning the process, I’d confidently predict that we would not now be celebrating the (almost) opening of the CRL.
Accurate. Banks was a truly terrible Mayor, an impassioned opponent of the rail revival, a flogger-off of Council assets, a concentrated point of every terrible late 20thC neoliberal trope.
That was a great act by then Mayor Fletcher, as it really began both the rail revival and the downtown renewal, without which we wouldn’t Britomart nor the rest, including Commercial Bay with tunnels beneath.
John Banks truly was an awful mayor. Thankfully the eastern motorway he championed never got anywhere.
Interesting background he has though.
Banks’ name is plastered all over the former CPO. And I seem to recall when he opened it he insisted on being driven down Queen Street in a stagecoach, something that in his twisted mind he thought appropriate.
Although it must be conceded that John Key was PM when Goverment co-funding for the CRL was approved in early 2016 – that approval was hedged about with conditions that would have been difficult (if not impossible) to satisfy. There were two key conditions – the first being that patronage on the existing Auckland suburban rail network had grown from about 16 million to 20 million passengers per annum – which was going to be very hard to achieve while Britomart was still a stub station (i.e. every train that entered via the access tunnel had to exit via the same tunnel, limiting the peak number of services per hour to 36 – 18-in + 18-out). The second condition related to the modal split (cars vs PT) entering the CBD – which for the same reason would be hard to meet before the CRL was in place. Thus, the Government could cunningly claim credit for “green lighting” the CRL but put off being required to pay their share. Len Brown forced the Goverment’s hand by persuading his Council to stump up their share up front to begin preliminary work and by 2018 Goverment pre-conditions were quietly dropped. Well done Len.
Thanks Connor – I think you have a man crush on Leonard.
You do make your case.
I do wonder about all the blockers, and how hard it is to get things done.
I recall the “white elephant” comments about the northern busway prior to its success.