Building the Future: Backing Auckland to succeed
Today National is releasing its plan for Auckland, which will continue to get Auckland moving, unlock its potential and make it a city where people and businesses can get ahead.
“Over the past three years National has focused on fixing the basics; building roads, investing in public transport and major events, cutting red tape, and making it easier to build the homes and infrastructure our biggest city needs,” National’s spokesperson for Auckland Simon Watts says.
“Thirteen Fast-Track projects have been approved in Auckland, including the Auckland Port expansion, creating thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of investment. We have progressed major transport routes like SH1 Warkworth to Te Hana and opened the City Rail Link.
“We’ve backed major events and removed the restrictions at Eden Park, helping Auckland attract events like next year’s State of Origin match. We have 400 new classrooms built or under construction and secured land in Drury to build a new hospital.
“Auckland has had a challenging few years following the prolonged Covid lockdowns, but National is turning things around.
“Under National our economy is growing faster than the UK, the US, Canada and Australia. Exports are up $20 billion; inflation is down from a 32-year high and 220,000 new jobs will be created - so we want to help Auckland capitalise on that opportunity,” Mr Watts says.
A re-elected National government will:
- Plan ahead for Auckland’s future, working with Auckland Council through the Auckland Deal to align housing, infrastructure and economic growth.
- Build the infrastructure Auckland needs to grow, including SH1 Warkworth to Te Hana, stage one of Mill Road, the Eastern busway, 296 new classrooms, and further progressing a new hospital in Drury.
- Back Auckland families with the cost of living, by growing the economy, supporting more housing and keeping pressure off household costs.
- Keep driving crime down, with more visible Police, including on public transport, tougher consequences for serious and repeat offenders, and safer neighbourhoods and public spaces.
- Keep lifting health and education performance, so patients are seen and treated sooner, more children are in school, and more young Aucklanders leave with the skills and qualifications they need.
In a further move to make Auckland commuters and residents’ lives easier, Chris Bishop says National will also abolish the blanket ban on minimum car parking requirements in city and district plans which were introduced in 2020.
“The blanket ban on minimum car parking requirements has not worked. The economic theory behind it did not account for the reality of New Zealand’s suburban streets. Many streets, especially in Auckland, are clogged and hard to get through, and people are now parking on berms and footpaths.
“Aucklanders know all about the access and safety issues this policy has created. Some people are having to walk 10 minutes or more to get home from where they’ve parked.
“We will fix that. Our changes will give councils the flexibility to require car parks in suburban and other areas – outside locations identified for intensification in the new planning system,” Mr Bishop says.
“If Aucklanders want a city to be even more proud of, they should stick with the plan and party vote National.
“The alternative is a Labour Government propped up by the Greens, Te Pati Māori and Opportunity, planning nine new taxes and more of the wasteful spending and lack of ambition Labour showed last time.”
Auckland policy HERE
