‘Silly, secret, unaffordable’: Auckland mayor blasts harbour crossing plans

Wednesday, 16 July 2025

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown and Local Government Minister Simon Watts talking at the launch of the State of Auckland report

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has called for an end to “silly, secret, unaffordable nonsense” over harbour crossing plans.

And he’s made clear the massive infrastructure project is a bottom line for the regional deal he’s negotiating with the Government.

Brown made the comments at the breakfast launch of the latest State of Auckland report which calls for urgent action to address the city’s productivity problem.

Wayne Brown agrees urgent action is needed to address Auckland’s productivity problem.

The report, commissioned by the Committee for Auckland, compares Tāmaki Makaurau to similar international cities, like Brisbane and Vancouver. It placed the city as 99th ‒ dead last ‒ for productivity.

Systemic issues ‒ like inefficient land use causing lengthy commutes ‒ are acting as a handbrake on progress and risked a sustained leakage of talent, opportunities and even confidence, the report said.

The key to unlocking Auckland’s potential, said Brown, was better planning by both local and central government.

“In my view, planning is the single most important thing Auckland council can do for economic development.

A business crowd at the State of Auckland report launch.

“For this division to be fully realised, there needs to be a more integrated decision making on land use and transport.

“No more secret, silly, unaffordable cross harbour nonsense without telling us.”

Texts between Wayne Brown and Chris Bishop on plans for the next harbour crossing

It’s a plea the mayor has repeated in private in a text exchange with Housing, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop obtained by The Post under the Official Information Act.

On March 14, Brown texted Bishop: “Please don’t move further on harbour crossing without Auckland Council input on what and where, Wayne.”

Bishop replied with a promise: “Absolutely. It’s geotech work and market sounding so we know what the options are. We won’t be doing anything without talking to you.”

But the assurance hasn’t calmed the mayor’s frustration. He told The Post on Tuesday: “This Government's carrying on stupidly as well. They’ve been told secretly … don’t talk to the council. They think we’re going to have a city deal where it’s secret how we’re going to get across the harbour.”

Brown made clear that plans for an additional harbour crossing were a bottom line for any city deal he signed with central government.

“From my part it’s going to be part of the city deal. We’re going to have to be equal partners in the conversation.”

Brown said he, and Auckland, were in no rush to sign a deal ‒ the time pressure was on Wellington’s side.

A rig in Auckland harbour near the bridge which is believed to be doing work for a second crossing.

This month the Government announced it had agreed memorandums of understanding to start negotiating deals with three regions: Auckland, Otago/Central Lakes and Western Bay of Plenty. It gave itself a target of signing one deal by the end of the year.

“I've got no time pressure on me and I think a city deal, if it works out well, it will be a good thing. But it wasn't my slogan, I think what I want is just that we have a good relationship with the government where we’re treated as semi-equal partners,” the mayor said.

“And I think that's going to happen, and I think the city deal is part of that.”

Bishop said “nothing is happening in secret” and it was very public that NZTA was doing geotechnical work to build a business case for an additional crossing. He wasn’t able to give a timeline for when Aucklanders would have an update on plans.

“Any new transport crossing Auckland would be the single biggest infrastructure project in New Zealand history, by an order of magnitude. So this is not something you rush into. It's really important to get it right.”

Bishop made the promise that work on the crossing would happen both across party lines and in conjunction with Auckland Council.

Brown has long advocated for the next harbour crossing to be another bridge over the Meola Reef which he says would be a fraction of the cost of a tunnel and much faster. His plan has been criticised by some for going through Auckland Zoo over an ecological lava reef and landing on the North Shore in a native kauri reserve.

Bishop said Brown’s plan was “an interesting view”.

– additional reporting Stewart Sowman-Lund