Auckland Transport is being stripped of its statutory independence with key decisions to be made by elected council members under major legislative reform.
The announcement was made by Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown on December 3 and follows the mayor’s proposal for a significant shake-up of council-controlled organisations (CCOs) that he campaigned on in 2022.
For transport, the reforms include:
- Transport policy and planning functions will move from Auckland Transport back to Auckland Council, aligning with how other regional councils operate across New Zealand.
- Establishing a new Auckland Regional Transport Committee: A statutory committee will be formed to develop a 30-year Integrated Transport Plan for Auckland, to be agreed upon by both Cabinet and Auckland Council.
- Auckland Council will assume the role of Road Controlling Authority. Decision-making will be shared between the governing body and local boards.
- Auckland Council will retain a transport council-controlled organisation focused solely on delivering transport projects and services.
“Aucklanders have become increasingly frustrated with how transport decisions are made and how little their views are taken into account,” Simeon Brown says.
He points to Auckland Transport’s recent annual report which highlighted that only 29% of Aucklanders feel the organisation listens and responds to their needs.
The reforms aim to address these concerns and “restore democratic decision-making for transport outcomes in Auckland”, he says.
Auckland elected representatives will now be responsible for key transport decisions such as approving the Regional Land Transport Plan, and the Regional Public Transport Plan.
The Government will also give specific transport functions to local boards, giving communities more say over transport issues such as parking policies, setting of speed limits, and approval of interventions on the roads such as cycleways and pedestrian crossings.
The establishment of the Auckland Regional Transport Committee (ARTC) will develop a 30-year Integrated Transport Plan, considering the city’s needs across roads, rail, public transport, and freight.
“Aucklanders elected me to take back control of Auckland Transport and I am fulfilling that promise,” Wayne Brown says.
“This is the fundamental reset I have long advocated for. We can now begin transitioning AT to a CCO focused on delivering better transport for Aucklanders
“The new Auckland Regional Transport Committee will mean a genuine partnership with central government to ensure we are in lockstep when it comes to developing an Integrated Transport Plan for the next 30 years of growth.”
