Auckland’s billion-dollar infrastructure problem

So, uh, Liam, there's a topic that is coming up this week that we've been talking about for quite some time, this, uh, another harbor crossing.

How long have we been talking about this for? [laughs]

Well, look, it's a big, it's a big economic, uh, topic.

Infrastructure, you know, we know we've got a deficit.

Um, I found this.

Uh, this is Barry Lani, the General Manager of the Northern Regional Road Transport Association.

He said a second harbor crossing was essential for the industry and urgently needed, and so that is May 1999.

So what's that, 27 and a bit years?

Yep.

[laughs]

Um, from what I can see, the first proper, um, scoping study for it was carried out in 1996.

So yeah, we, um, yeah, it's, it's, uh, been a long time, 30 years of, of talking about it.

Yeah.

And the government has announced that there's going to be, um, a, a, another full-

Planning

... planning-

Yeah

... scoping study.

More money spent on planning.

They've spent 100 million already, so you know, there's, there's been a bit of paperwork already.

Yeah.

So it, look, it, it, it obviously raises some questions about why we're so bad at infrastructure in this country, um, and probably some big questions about funding it, which are gonna come up this time around as well.

Because obviously, if we'd started building it 30 years ago, it might have been hundreds of millions of dollars.

Um, it's now gonna be, uh, billions and billions of dollars, um-

Yeah, the government's been very careful not to sort of come out with any big numbers.

So, uh, Liam, there's a topic that is coming up this week that we've been talking about for quite some time, this, uh, another harbor crossing.

How long have we been talking about this for? [laughs]

Well, look, it's a big, it's a big economic, uh, topic.

Infrastructure, you know, we know we've got a deficit.

Um, I found this.

Uh, this is Barry Lani, the General Manager of the Northern Regional Road Transport Association.

He said a second harbor crossing was essential for the industry and urgently needed, and so that is May 1999.

So what's that, 27 and a bit years?

Yep.

[laughs]

Um, from what I can see, the first proper, um, scoping study for it was carried out in 1996.

So yeah, we, um, yeah, it's, it's, uh, been a long time, 30 years of, of talking about it.

Yeah.

And the government has announced that there's going to be, um, a, a, another full-

Planning

... planning-

Yeah

... scoping study.

More money spent on planning.

They've spent 100 million already, so you know, there's, there's been a bit of paperwork already.

Yeah.

So it, look, it, it, it obviously raises some questions about why we're so bad at infrastructure in this country, um, and probably some big questions about funding it, which are gonna come up this time around as well.

Because obviously, if we'd started building it 30 years ago, it might have been hundreds of millions of dollars.

Um, it's now gonna be, uh, billions and billions of dollars, um-

Yeah, the government's been very careful not to sort of come out with any big numbers.