Genter stands by letter about transport project concerns

A ‘‘secret’’ letter from Green MP Julie Anne Genter – accused of stalling Let’s Get Wellington Moving in 2019 – reveals concerns about a second Mt Victoria tunnel and mass rapid transit being left until last.

The letter about the capital’smajor transport project was sent to then Transport Minister Phil Twyford in March 2019. The Ombudsman launched an investigation to determine whether it should be made public, but Transport Minister Michael Wood has now released it in full.

‘‘Given the amount of information in the public domain and the progress of the programme, both Labour and the Greens have agreed to waive the protections and release the document. We are focused on progressing LGWM and improving transport outcomes for all New Zealanders,’’ Wood said a statement.

The letter expressed two key concerns; plans for the State Highway went against the goals of mode shift and reducing emissions, and delivering this element first may not leave enough money to deliver light rail or a bus rapid transit. Opposition MPs claimed it had a defining influence on the outcome of the $6.4 billion package set to transform the city’s transport infrastructure.

Genter said at the time releasing the letter would undermine the ability of parties to undertake ‘‘free and frank’’ consultation, and wasn’t in the public interest, but details of its contents were released.

Yesterday, she said she stood by what she wrote. ‘‘I think it’s clear to everyone that everything in the letter is a well- known Green party position.

‘‘I always thought [the controversy] was surprising, because the decision we made was public, and the Green Party – what we campaigned on – was public.’’

Since writing the letter, the debate has moved on – now the project is considering a new tunnel for active transport, rather than for cars. The letter asks to see ‘‘the individual benefit cost ratios for each component of the package’’ – something Genter knows exists, but which still hasn’t been made public. The full version of the letter states two key concerns: ‘‘The evidence is clear that increasing capacity for private vehicles encourages more people to drive, increases congestion, undermines demand for public transport, and results in an urban environment dominated by cars, rather than people.’’

Increasing capacity for private vehicles would induce traffic and ‘‘simply move congestion to the next set of traffic lights’’.

‘‘My preferencewould be for this package to commit to light rail to the airport and include no central government funding to increase capacity of the state highway in central Wellington.’’

Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive Simon Arcus said it ‘‘disappointingly confirms what was long suspected’’ – that ministers meddled with the original plans after they were confirmed by experts and councils, and delayed the project by more than a decade.