“We’ve seen previous commitments walked back, including a post-election backflip from the former Labour Minister of Transport in 2021.
National leader Christopher Luxon (centre) says the next National-led Government will get on with building Mill Rd in South Auckland if the party is re-elected next month. Photo / Dean Purcell
“The Prime Minister’s toes are going to be singed by the fire on this because this is a matter that’s been promised before by previous governments.
“I give the Prime Minister the benefit of the doubt, but he will be held to account if he wins re-election and he doesn’t deliver on this.”
The start date, announced by National’s transport spokesman Chris Bishop, was in the “late 2028 construction season”.
Auckland councillor Daniel Newman (left) with National’s transport spokesman Chris Bishop (centre) at the Te Mahia Station level crossing opening in August in Auckland. Photo / Jason Dorday
Newman says he would like to see it brought forward.
He said that while Mill Road has been identified in the latter phases of the road-building budget by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, “this needs to be reviewed with urgency”.
“The Auckland Deal signed between the Government and Auckland Council identified Drury as our region’s priority growth location. Vital improvements to Auckland’s rail corridor, the purchase of land for a new base hospital at Drury, and both residential and commercial property construction already taking place in that part of Auckland means delaying the Mill Road corridor is completely unrealistic.”
The Mill Rd corridor is needed to serve huge growth in South Auckland. Photo / Michael Craig
The delays have left residents in a state of flux. The project will require the acquisition of some homes in the area, in order for the new route to be constructed.
They have been living with uncertainty since the proposal was first detailed.
“There is a concern obviously that this thing has been so promised and overpromised, but there needs to be a result and that result needs to be spades in the ground,” Newman said.
“For the first time, we can actually see a path because there is ability to fund it, but people who are sitting in houses that need to be purchased, those purchases need to take place. People need certainty in their lives, and we actually need to see the transformation begin.
The plan has been met with some opposition from residents who will be forced to move.
“I believe that those people who don’t want to see this happen are out of luck because this is a project that’s of national significance for the economic benefit of Auckland and for the upper North Island,” Newman said.
As well as the first stage of the Mill Rd project, National announced progress on the route protection on stages two and three with $100m allocated.
National’s transport spokesman, Chris Bishop, today pushed back on suggestions that Roads of National Significance projects had been mothballed under this Government.
“We were never going to start and build all of these projects at the same time.”
The projects were being “sequenced”. The Mill Rd project was important for the South Auckland community and would go ahead under a National government, he said.
Bishop said the Mill Rd project was discussed with Mayor Wayne Brown as part of the Auckland Deal.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has been approached for comment.