Waikato’s campaign for Auckland to help save Te Huia from extinction

Monday, 5 May 2025

A proposed “gamechanger” Sunday service for Te Huia would be part-funded by Auckland if Waikato Regional Council had its way.

There’s a little over a year left in the trial of the inter-regional rail service, meaning start-up funding from NZ Transport Agency is due to dry up mid-2026.

Waikato Regional Council has plans “to ensure Te Huia’s continued success and growth”, chairperson Pamela Storey says, hence asking Auckland Council to stump up with $223,000.

“Introducing this [Sunday service] for the final year of the trial would be a gamechanger, opening up even more opportunities for leisure, tourism, and family visits between the two regions,” Storey said.

And while some in Auckland don’t want to see the train stop “for the want of a relatively small subsidy”, there’s caution about committing to funding.

The Hamilton-Auckland rail service is currently funded by a mix of passenger fares and public money.

The $223,000 requested from Auckland represents half the cost of a year-long trial of having the train run on Sundays.

Waikato Regional Council put the request in a submission on Auckland Council’s 2025/2026 Annual Plan in March 2025. The estimated $456,000 Sunday service trial cost would also be partly offset by additional fare revenue, Waikato said.

Storey said the “partnership” would reflect the “shared benefits” both regions enjoyed, “as seen with other inter-regional trains in New Zealand”.

Other inter-regional “commuter” trains include the Capital Connection between Wellington and Palmerston North, and the Wairarapa Connection between Wellington and Masterton.

Currently, Te Huia is jointly funded by NZTA, Waikato Regional Council and Waikato District Council.

Waikato Regional Council is paying 26.70% via a targeted rate, and Waikato District Council 3.30% via the general rate.

NZTA’s 70%, via the National Land Transport Fund, will reduce to 60% in July 2025.

WRC will cover the difference - after fares revenue - using the $2.2m of reserve funds accumulated due to the postponed service launch.

NZTA’s 60% subsidy comes to an end in July 2026.

Te Huia, which was launched in 2021, stops at Frankton, Rotokauri, and Huntly in the Waikato, and Pukekohe, Puhinui and The Strand in Auckland, but there’s already “significant demand” for a passenger rail service in North Waikato too.

Storey said funding from Auckland would “…help secure Te Huia as a vital part of our public transport network”.

The Waikato Times asked Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown to comment on whether he would consider funding the service, but received no response.

Others Aucklanders were more forthcoming.

Patrick Reynolds, director and spokesperson for Greater Auckland said he’s “very keenly interested” in the inter-regional rail service.

On the issue of funding, “the short answer” was “yes”, said Reynolds, who’s running for Auckland Council this year.

“About 20% of the users of Te Huia are Aucklanders, and obviously the train goes between Auckland and Hamilton.”

But, he’d rather see the Government subsidise the service.

“It's a drop in the bucket of NZTA's budget.”

If Waikato and Auckland step up to fund the service next year, he said the risk was the Government “never would”.

“But for me, it would be a far greater tragedy if it stops just for the want of a relatively small subsidy, or if they squeeze the ticket prices.”

He said Te Huia was still in its trial stage, so expecting users to pay more on fares wasn’t justifiable.

“The journey is quite long and the service is infrequent, it’s not a premium product, so you can’t charge a lot.”

“This was always set up as a start-up service to get it going.”

But Waikato Regional Council is charging on with plans, start-up service or not.

“We are listening to our community, who have been clear in their call for a Sunday service,” said Storey.

While Storey says the the economic and environmental benefits of the service are “significant”, others are less convinced.

Auckland City Councillor and chair of the Transport, Resilience, and Infrastructure Committee Andy Baker said in a text to the Waikato Times he would “certainly support” a request for consideration from Waikato Regional Council.

He said he was a “firm believer” in the importance of inter regional connectivity, but there would need to be a “really strong business case” showing the benefits for Auckland and its ratepayers.

Storey says, anecdotally, the service is delivering.

“Passengers have shared stories of securing jobs in Auckland while remaining based in Waikato, and students have been able to pursue tertiary education in Auckland while returning home on weekends, without needing to buy a car.”

She said the service was reducing car trips, offering a more reliable journey time than road travel, and delivering net emissions reductions on the majority of its trips.

According to Reynolds, strong connection between the cities would benefit both.

“It [Hamilton] could be the city of the future, but it's going to have to be a lot bolder,” said Reynolds.

Part of his vision for Hamilton is an underground train station akin to Auckland’s Britomart, which would become a hub revitalising the CBD.

“You could have a Chiefs Auckland game and you could have whole train loads of people coming down from Auckland on the train and walking up to the stadium.”

Correction: Director and spokesperson for Greater Auckland, Patrick Reynolds, was misnamed as Mark in an earlier version of this story.