Level 3, Chief Post Office 
12 Queen Street 
Auckland CBD 1010 
www.lightrail.co.nz 
 
14 November 2022 
 
Mark Wong 
[FYI request #20918 email] 
OIA -11262 
 
Dear Mark, 
Request made under the Official Information Act 1982 
 
Thank you for the email of 19 October 2022 to Waka Kotahi requesting information under 
the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). As confirmed to you in writing on the same day 
this request was transferred to Auckland Light Rail to respond. A response to your 
question is provided below.   
1.  A breakdown of spending on consultancy for the Auckland Light Rail project. 
 
A range of specialists have been engaged to plan and design the current phase of the 
Auckland Light Rail project. These include transport planners and modellers, engineering 
designers, constructability engineers, rail operations advisors, urban and architectural 
designers, urban development, sustainability and environmental specialists. Other experts 
include procurement advisors, property advisors, utilities and quantity surveyors, 
economists and legal services. There are also project managers, risk assessors, cost 
estimators and programmers to manage a project of this scale. The new specialist team 
from Aurecon and Arup has come on board to deliver the Corridor Business Case and 
prepare the consents needed for construction. They are working with Atkins NZ (SNC-
Lavalin) to also develop the way light rail is operated and maintained when open.  
This is a breakdown of spending by year: 
Data up to 31 October 2022 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
Figures are in $m and date from 
2017 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
  
Pre-
   Establishment 
2021 
2022 
Total 
Unit Costs 
Page 1 of 2 

---

                      
                                                                    
Expert consultant costs  23.91  
13.43  
10.01  
47.36  
                      
                                                                    
Total  23.91  
13.43  
10.01  
47.36  
 
   
 
 
Some other departments have utilised some staffing resource from existing 
baselines, for which specific cost estimates have not been included at this time.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
This information is already publicly available and you can therefore also view the response 
as tabled in Parliament. 
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/order-paper-questions/written-
questions/document/WQ_36547_2022/36547-2022-simeon-brown-to-the-minister-of-
transport 
If you would like to discuss this reply with Auckland Light Rail, please contact the team by 
email to [email address]. 
 
Yours sincerely 
 
Lucy Riddiford |  Governance & Policy 
 
 
Name. 
Page 2 of 2 
 

---