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New Zealand 
 
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www.nzta.govt.nz 
 
 
12 November 2021 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Luke 
 
[FYI request #17170 email] 
 
REF: OIA-8924 
 
Dear Luke 
 
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982 
 
Thank you for your email of 13 October 2021 requesting the fol owing information under the Official 
Information Act 1982 (the Act): 
 
How many km's of track have been laid from the proposed Auckland Light Rail track 
campaigned on by Labour in the 2017 election? 
 
How many km's remain to be laid by the end of 2021 to reach the four year target reported in 
the linked article?  
 
What plans have been progressed for light rail from the North Shore to Auckland? 
 
How much has been spent (broken down by yearly quarter) on the proposed Auckland light 
rail project? 
 
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is responding to this request as the agency subject to the Act, 
while the Auckland Light Rail Establishment Unit resides within Waka Kotahi and operates 
independently. 
 
In response to your first two questions, no kilometres of light rail track has yet been laid. On 29 
October 2021, the Minister of Transport, Hon Michael Wood, released the Auckland Light Rail 
Establishment Unit’s Independent Chair Summary Report (Summary Report). It provides an overview 
of the Indicative Business Case which is currently being considered by the Government. Cabinet is 
expected to make further decisions on the project by the end of this year. 
 
The currently planning and delivery timeline is 3-4 years for the Detailed Business Case and 
consenting, followed by a construction timeframe of 6-8 years, depending on the option chosen. 
 
You can read the Summary Report on the project website at: www.lightrail.co.nz/light-rail/resources. 
 
Regarding question three of your request, while the scope of the current work programme does not 
include planning for a connection to the North Shore, al  three options proposed by the City Centre to 
Māngere (CC2M) project are designed to integrate with future connections to the North Shore and 
Northwest. 
 
 
  

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In relation to question 4 seeking expenditure information, the costs for the various phases of work are 
not held in a quarterly format. I am therefore refusing this part of your request under section 18(g)(i) of 
the Act, as the information is not held by Waka Kotahi and I have no grounds for believing that the 
information is held by another department or interdepartmental venture or Minister of the Crown or 
organisation, or by a local authority. 
 
However, information on the costs incurred from 2017 to present has recently been made public by 
Minister Wood in response to a Written Parliamentary Question and can be found at: 
www.parliament.nz/en/pb/order-paper-questions/written-questions/document/WQ_40763_2021/40763-
2021-hon-david-bennett-to-the-minister-of-transport. 
 
Final costs for this stage of the Establishment Unit’s work wil  be available once al  accounts are 
received. 
 
Under section 28 of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision to refuse 
part of your request. The contact details for the Ombudsman can be located at 
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz. 
 
If you would like to discuss this reply with Waka Kotahi, please contact Ministerial Services by email to 
[email address]. 
 
 
Yours sincerely 
 
 
 
 
Richard May 
Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief Executive (on behalf of the Establishment Unit) 
 
 
 
 
 
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