Podcasts about transport minister michael wood

A shortage of rescue and firefighting services at Ōhakea air force base has threatened the viability of a commercial giant's services to New Zealand. RNZ has obtained a letter Emirates sent to then Transport Minister Michael Wood warning him about the situation at Ōhakea, about 30 kilometres from Palmerston North. Reporter Jimmy Ellingham speaks to Lisa Owen.

The government's plan to introduce a congestion charging scheme has hit a speed bump, with National not too keen on the idea. The scheme would see commuters pay a fee for driving in heavy-traffic areas at set peak times. Labour was hoping all political parties would be on-board before introducing a law. National's Simeon Brown wrote to former Transport Minister Michael Wood in late May, saying National is opposed to the bill. Simeon Brown spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

It's been revealed the stood-down Transport Minister Michael Wood misled reporters, and his then Prime Minister, over the saga regarding his shareholding in Auckland Airport. Asked by Newsroom in 2021 what pecuniary interests he held that weren't disclosed, Mr Wood said he had none. And he also falsely told Jacinda Ardern, while she was Prime Minister, that he had sold the shares. National Deputy leader Nicola Willis says Mr Wood "has effectively thumbed his nose at the Cabinet Office for two and a half years as they have begged him to get rid of his shares. Nicola Willis spoke to Corin Dann.

This week on the Raw Politics podcast: Whatever did Chris Hipkins do to deserve the absent-minded, busy, superior minister Michael Wood, and which electoral reforms deserve to be adopted.The Raw Politics team shakes its collective head at Transport Minister Michael Wood and wonders what he could possibly have been thinking to land his leader in a political bushfire so close to an election. Wood's failure to follow agreed MP and ministerial requirements to declare his personal assets was an affair that started messily and then got progressively worse for him, his Prime Minister and Labour. We also discuss this week's independent report calling for electoral reforms, including a ban on corporate donations to political parties, the possibility of a four-year parliamentary term, lowering the voting age and extending voting to more prisoners.And, we answer a listener's question over court cases over National and NZ First donations inconveniently returning to the public sphere ahead of the election.Every Friday, Jo Moir, Sam Sachdeva and Tim Murphy talk through the big issues and scrutinise politicians' performances in a lively 25-minute show aiming to take viewers and listeners inside the actions and motivations of our elected leaders.

Transport Minister Michael Wood is facing widespread criticism over failing to declare his shares in Auckland Airport. Prime Minitser Chris Hipkins has stood Michael Wood down effective immediately, while any conflict of interest over his Auckland Airport shares is resolved.  ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Michael Wood has taken decisions that could amount to a conflict of interest. Barry Soper says Michael Wood should also be stood down from his role as Minister for Auckland until this investigation is resolved. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political commentators Gareth Hughes and Ben Thomas join Susie to discuss the recommendations for an electoral system shakeup that would lower the voting age to 16 and extend the parliamentary term to four years. Transport Minister Michael Wood may've breached Parliament rules for failing to declare his shares in Auckland Airport, former PM Jacinda Ardern is now a Dame - but not everyone has welcomed the King's Birthday honours news. They'll also talk about the major parties' attack strategies, the government revealing more of what managed retreat could look like and how an accord over housing collapsed. Gareth Hughes is a former Green MP and now works for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa. Ben Thomas is a former National government press secretary, a columnist and a director of public affairs firm Capital.

Political commentators Gareth Hughes and Ben Thomas join Susie to discuss the recommendations for an electoral system shakeup that would lower the voting age to 16 and extend the parliamentary term to four years. Transport Minister Michael Wood may've breached Parliament rules for failing to declare his shares in Auckland Airport, former PM Jacinda Ardern is now a Dame - but not everyone has welcomed the King's Birthday honours news. They'll also talk about the major parties' attack strategies, the government revealing more of what managed retreat could look like and how an accord over housing collapsed. Gareth Hughes is a former Green MP and now works for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa. Ben Thomas is a former National government press secretary, a columnist and a director of public affairs firm Capital.

The Transport Minister Michael Wood admits some transport routes may need to be abandoned as a result of climate change, and the more extreme weather it will bring. Last week, RNZ revealed Waka Kotahi has, until recently, not been factoring climate change and the need for resilience into its transport projects. The agency was said to be swamped by the need to respond to crisis. A report into Waka Kotahi's resilience found more than 350 risks to the national roading network - 38 of which are extreme risks. In Thursday's Budget, the government dedicated $6 billion to transport resilience, a fund that will be used to proactively improve transport infrastructure and better prepare it for climate change. Transport Minister Michael Wood told Morning Report's Ben Strang the fund would start to tackle a long-ignored issue.

Councils are getting $140m of incentives to bolster public transport services. It's part of the budget package that will see under 13s ride for free; with under 25s getting half price fares. The money for councils is to restore public transport to pre-pandemic levels and bring back cancelled services. Auckland Transport's been slammed for cancelling up to 1000 bus trip a day - due mainly to driver shortages. Transport Minister Michael Wood explains how the new cut price fares will work.  

Transport Minister Michael Wood isn't ruling out the delay of some major roading projects. Waka Kotahi is currently working on 19 projects, and are trying to see how to continue with them with only the money they currently have. Amongst these projects are the Otaki to Levin expressway, Wellington's Melling Interchange, and Auckland's Penlink. AA's Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer Simon Douglas said that while the Transport Minister has not explicitly rolled back any projects, the introduction of any uncertainty is unhelpful. He said that since motorists are expecting them, firm commitments are needed to get the projects underway. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transport Minister Michael Wood has left the door open to delaying the delivery of some of New Zealand's most high-profile roading projects. They include widening the southern motorway from Papakura to Drury south of Auckland and the Ōtaki to north of Levin expressway. The government is “rescoping” projects in the $8.7 billion NZ Upgrade programme, which includes 19 high-profile transport projects. The projects were announced back in 2020 but massive cost blowouts saw several of the most high-profile roads axed in 2021 despite a $1.9b cash injection. It comes after an appeal to the Ombudsman revealed many of the projects face “red” ratings for their potential to go over budget. Upgrade roads include Auckland's Penlink, and Wellington's Ōtaki to North of Levin (O2NL) and the Melling interchange, and Tauranga's Takitimu North Link. Wood was keen to say there would be no cuts to the programme this time, but has not taken back some trimming of the projects and rephasing to deal with cost inflation. “The Government is committed to delivering the significant transport projects that are funded through NZUP,” Wood said. “There will be no cuts or significant paring back, but as is always the case there will be work to find efficiencies as projects go through detailed design and implementation. Waka Kotahi warned projects are likely to go over budget. Photo / Waka Kotahi An announcement is expected on the future of the programme in the weeks following the Budget. No decisions have been made on whether the projects will need an additional cash injection. “Many NZUP projects are already in delivery. Confirmed arrangements for the final few large projects will be confirmed in the near future,” Wood said. National's transport spokesman Simeon Brown said the Govenment needed to “come clean about the status of the NZ Upgrade programme” “These are roads they cancelled and then promised and now they look like they may be cancelled again. “Labour misled New Zealanders when they committed to this programme of works. They already cancelled Mill Road and Whangārei to Port Marsden,” Brown said. “Labour can't be trusted with roads,” he said. In February, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency chief executive Nicole Rosie confirmed in a select committee some of the projects were being “rescoped”. When asked by Brown whether more money was needed to deliver the entire NZUP, Rosie said that if Waka Kotahi did not know the “scope” of the projects it was impossible to know if they needed more funding. “If we don't know the scope, we can't tell you the answer to that,” Rosie said.  “In reality the Government has been very clear that it wants to operate within the envelope that's available to them, so the rescoping is around looking at how they can continue on those projects within the money that's available,” she said. Waka Kotahi provides regular reporting on the health of the projects. Details from these reports were withheld from Official Information Act requests, but a successful appeal to the Ombudsman by Brown and the National Party has seen details released. The report, already nearly a year old, but released by the Ombudsman this year, gave each of the transport projects a health rating on a traffic light scale for their propensity to go over budget or over time. Roads like Penlink, were given a “green” rating for all criteria, but roads like Ōtaki to north of Levin or the Melling interchange were given “red” ratings for their likelihood to go over budget. - Thomas Coughlan, NZ HeraldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transport Minister Michael Wood has ordered a 30-day rapid review into the latest KiwiRail disruptions. He talks to Lisa Owen.  

More painful news for buyers of new gas guzzling cars and utes, the government is increasing the penalties charged. It's making tweaks to the Clean Car Discount with a new maximum charge of six-thousand-nine-hundred ($6,900) dollars. At the same time more money is going to those who buy clean low emitting vehicles. Transport Minister Michael Wood says only those buying new vehicles will face penalties. He spoke to Corin Dann.

National is describing the Government's changes to the Clean Car Discount scheme as a kick in the guts to farmers and tradies. Transport Minister Michael Wood announced a toughening of the scheme's rules, by making hybrid-petrol cars no longer eligible, and increasing the fees charged to ute buyers. The new maximum charge will be $6,900. At the same time, more money is going to those who buy low-emitting vehicles. National's Transport spokesperson Simeon Brown spoke with Corin Dann.

The Government says it's tweaking the Clean Car Discount scheme because it's working as intended. It's announced it will have to lower the threshold for higher emitting vehicles and increase the fees on them and also change rebates for zero emissions imports. When asked how many times this will happen, Transport Minister Michael Wood told Mike Hosking they always knew they'd have to review it every one to two years. He says as more people buy clean vehicles, they will keep increasing the ambition of the scheme to clean up the fleet. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Minister's raising the alarm over maintenance of KiwiRail's sole track car for inspecting the lines. The Government's today launched a rapid review after the vehicle broke down. Metlink now says Wellington commuter services should be back to normal by Thursday - after major disruption today - a day sooner than first announced. Michael Wood says it's clear KiwiRail needs to do better. "They need to put this right. The rapid review will delve into this, work out what they got wrong and come back with recommendations to make sure it does not happen again."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Kaine Thompson, former Labour Press Secretary joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The Government is placing a toll charge onto Penlink, the arterial line connecting State Highway 1 to the Whangaparāoa Peninsula. Is it fair to toll this road, on top of the regional fuel tax.  A rapid review has been launched into KiwiRail after today's travel disruptions in Wellington. Transport Minister Michael Wood has described this situation as 'unacceptable'. What do we think of this? National has promised nurses $22,000 off their student loans if they stay in New Zealand for five years. Is this a good incentive for new graduates to stay? Reconstruction on Eden Park has been announced, including new stands and a retractable roof. This has prompted an updated proposal for an Auckland waterfront stadium. Do we need this stadium? King Charles' coronation is happening this weekend- do we care? Will we be watching? LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington train passengers face disruptions on Monday, with KiwiRail saying half the usual number of trains will be running during peak times. A vital rail track evaluation car which checks tracks has broken down meaning required safety checks can't be carried out in the Capital. As a result all trains on Wellington's rail network have to travel at reduced speeds which is having a big impact on timetables. The Wellington Regional Council has called it "a monumental failure" and Kiwirail will have to front up to Transport Minister Michael Wood. KiwiRail's executive general manager for operations, Paul Ashton, spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

A group of Restore Passenger Rail protesters have been arrested after blocking Wellington's State Highway One. The protesters glued themselves to Vivian St at the intersection of Cuba St and were swiftly removed by police within 30 minutes. Transport Minister Michael Wood says it was good to see them moved on by police and was pleased with the robust response. "I'm concerned about the disruption that's occurring, I'm concerned that, for example, we've had ambulances that have been held up by these people's actions." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has this morning put forward five options for an additional Waitemata Harbour crossing, with Transport Minister Michael Wood labelling it a congestion-buster for the city. The options include both bridge and tunnel options and each includes a new walking and cycling link. Feedback on the proposals is being sought and the preferred option will be confirmed in June. Kathryn is joined by RNZ political reporter Katie Scotcher, Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Simon Bridges and Road Transport Forum head Nick Leggett.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is poised to announce the speeding up of the construction of a second Auckland harbour crossing. The PM and Minister and Transport Minister Michael Wood are expected to announce the scenarios being considered - and it's not neccessarily a new bridge. Northshore ward councillor ward Chris Darby spoke to Corin Dann.

A red flag's been raised over a lack of tug boats fit for work in Cook Strait. Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor, and Greater Wellington Regional Chair Daran Ponter, have written to Transport Minister Michael Wood raising concerns. In January, Interislander's Kaitaki drifted toward Wellington's South Coast after losing power with more than 800 people on board. Ponter says it's likely the port's tugs couldn't have saved the ship if it hadn't restarted. "They may have been able to hold it for a period, but ultimately had that continued, the ferry would have been on the rocks." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is axing or amending a swathe of policies and targeting transport, alcohol reform and lowering the voting age. The money is being refocused to deal with cost of living needs. The government's speed reduction programe is being rescoped to focus on the most dangerous one percent of highways. Hipkins says the changes under his leadership will save about $1 billion dollars that will be reallocted to support people with the cost of living. Transport Minister Michael Wood talks to Lisa Owen.

Auckland's Light Rail is still in the works, but it could take generations to complete. The Prime Minister today ditched some transport initiatives, including The Clean Car Upgrade and Social Leasing Car Schemes. Plans to drop speed limits have also been pulled back to now only affect the most dangerous one percent of our highways. But Auckland Light Rail will still be rolled out in stages, with the first to be announced mid this year. Transport Minister Michael Wood says it will be comparable to the Waikato Expressway. "Now that actually started in the 1990's, and it was done in about ten or eleven stages to make it more manageable in terms of how we deliver it and how we pay for it." LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transport Minister Michael Wood says the government is committed to restoring the road connection across the Coromandel Peninsula, after the major dropout on SH25A a few weeks ago. Earlier on Thursday the Prime Minister would not clearly confirm that the connection would be fixed, telling reporters resilient roads in the area would be restored. "There's a staged process," Wood said. "This month contractors are effectively creating access... In April, they'll be able to do the work to assess what the options are for rebuilding it. And it could be that we look to rebuild in that location, or it could be that we have to find an alternative route. "It's not necessarily going to be exactly the same road as the one that we've lost." Wood told Checkpoint he's been talking with Thames-Coromandel Mayor Len Salt about reviving the ferry service between Auckland and Coromandel township.  "I think this is worth exploring."  Fullers 360 which ran the service is keen to revive it but does not have the right staff. It's calling for experienced skippers to be on the immigration fast-track.  "I'm open to consideration of further pathways that might assist, including looking at residency options," Michael Wood said.  "So we have some work underway to look at that at the moment."

The Green Party is urging the government to keep climate as a key priority when when it comes to transport funding. Twenty-four hours ago Transport Minister Michael Wood was talking up putting emissions reduction at the centre of the government's next three-yearly transport plan, with more money for cycleways and bus lanes. By afternoon the priority had shifted to a focus on rebuilding roads and bridges damaged by the Cyclone. Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter says it would be a huge mistake for the government to deprioritise climate action. She spoke to Corin Dann.  

The Prime Minister says the country's transport plan has reacted to real world changes. The Government has announced rebuilding roads after Cyclone Gabrielle will be the priority.  Hours earlier our newsroom revealed the Government had been working on a plan which would prioritise emission reductions, something Transport Minister Michael Wood discussed yesterday. Chris Hipkins told Mike Hosking while it's not a finalised plan, it's obvious Cyclone Gabrielle was a game changer. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Kaine Thompson, former Labour Press Secretary joined in on a discussion about the following topics:  Should Christchurch become a super city? Is Auckland a better city because of it? Michael Wood launched a new emissions-focused transport scheme to boost buses and cycleways- and walked it back to focus on an emergency-style policy in a matter of hours. How does this make the Government look? Ministry of Education and NZQA are at odds over the literacy and numeracy tests, with the Ministry of Education wanting tests to be simplified and spell-check to be implemented to boost the grades. Is this the best way to improve our exam results? National's Chris Luxon announced in his State of the Nation speech that Family Boost would give a rebate of up to $75 dollars a week for families earning up to $180,000 dollars a year. Is this a good idea? LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transport Minister Michael Wood infamously released details about an emissions-focused transport plan. Hours later, Wood walked back on the scheme to focus on a new "emergency style" government policy following Cyclone Gabrielle. Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the Government definitely won't be increasing fuel taxes now that the scheme is scrapped. "In the future, some future Government will no doubt take a look at fuel exercise duty and road user charges, given that they are the way that we largely fund our roading network." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claims the Government is backpedalling on policies so quickly... it might end up with a speeding ticket. The Prime Minister's clarified the focus for funding transport projects will be on rebuilding infrastructure, after Cyclone Gabrielle. It's a U-turn from revelations made by our newsroom today that a new transport strategy would prioritise cutting down emissions. National's transport spokesman Simeon Brown says there's no time for it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

U-turns this fast are very rare, but we've got one.  Transport Minister Michael Wood is already backpedalling on his plan to spend more of our pothole repair money on cycleways.  The first we heard about this was in the Herald this morning. Michael Wood's plan was to use the draft policy statement on land transport to make emissions reductions his biggest transport goal for the next ten years. That means, as I say, more pothole repair money going into cycleways, pushing up fuel taxes and ultimately forcing us to drive less in order to emit less. He was still standing by it at 5 minutes past 7 this morning when he was on with Mike, but already backpedalling before 2pm, saying in a statement that climate goal will change now because of the cyclone taking out so many roads. But he backpedalled so fast, he left mistakes all over the media statement. Petrol exercise tax: We are still work through the full extent investment in transport infrastructure to in order to catch up. That's the haste with which they wrote this thing and didn't proofread. And while he was happy to talk about it at 7:05 this morning, he doesn't want to talk about it anymore.  When I asked him to come on the show so we could ask him why he's changed his mind so fast, he said no. Of course he had to change his mind; he is way out of touch with the rest of us on planet Earth. You go out and ask Kiwis what the number one priority should be for our roads and they will probably say: 'fix the potholes'. And if they don't say that, they'll say 'repair the roads taken out by Cyclone Gabrielle'. Or ‘build more fast highways like the Waikato Expressway'. Or ‘make roads safer'. But build cycleways and reduce driving? Come on. He had to change his mind because if he didn't it would cost Labour votes at the election. Because this is the same kind of nonsense that Jacinda's Government pulled on us that left her trailing the Nats in the polls. You know the PM got on the phone after that story in the Herald. Chippy wants to win the election and he doesn't need Michael's cycle lanes ruining Labour's chances, hence the u-turn. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is neither ruling in nor out an increase in fuel taxes as it works on a new transport strategy. The plan, which will go out for consultation this year, promises a pivot towards public transport and away from emissions-intensive investments like highways. It could mean swapping car parks for new bus lanes and cycleways. Transport Minister Michael Wood told Mike Hosking that they're yet to put out a draft document. He says governments in the past have put Road User Charges and Excise Duty taxes up, but they haven't decided that at this stage. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some flood isolated communites could be weeks away from being reconnected with temporary bridges still in the design phase. The government has anounced three bailey bridges have already been built for locations - in Auckland, Te Puke and Wairoa. But three more are to come with the east coast town of Tokomaru Bay and Hawke's Bay communities of Rissington, Pūtōrino and Tutira, on the waiting list. Meanwhile signficant chunks of the network remain out of action. Lisa Owen asks Transport Minister Michael Wood if we just need to completely rethink how to reconnect Aotearoa.

On today's edition of The Huddle, Chief Executive of Transporting NZ Nick Leggett and Mike Munroe, former Labour Chief of Staff and current director of Mike Munroe Communications joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day:  How does it reflect on Chris Hipkins to be this misinformed about the proportion of taxes Labour takes out of the economy? Did he handle the miscommunication properly? The Government is running an inquiry into forestry slash- is Forestry Minister Stuart Nash being strong enough on the issue? It seems like construction on Auckland's Light Rail is finally beginning today- is this project worth it, or is it all a waste of money from Transport Minister Michael Wood?  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Huddle, Wellington ZB host Nick Mills and Jack Tame, host of ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! What do we think of Saudi Arabia potentially sponsoring the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup? Will Australia and New Zealand's football associations boycott this choice or ignore it by kick-off? Transport Minister Michael Wood is being vague about Auckland Light Rail- does this mean the project will be scrapped under Hipkins? Green Party co-leader James Shaw has pulled out of the Wellington Central electoral race, and is backing Wellington City Councillor Tamatha Paul instead. What do we think of this? Princess Anne is coming to New Zealand later this month- are we looking forward to this? Tom Jones hit 'Delilah' will not be performed at the Welsh Six Nations rugby tournament due to sexism concerns. Is this justified? LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Minister says extending the fuel tax discount isn't an election year bribe. It'll continue alongside half priced public transport and discounted road user charges until the end of June. Michael Wood says it's a quick way to directly reduce cost of living pressures for struggling Kiwis. He says the $700 million dollars it'll cost comes from Ministers saving money in their departments and from projects that may no longer go ahead. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins revealed his new outline for Cabinet in today's media briefing. Jan Tinetti has become Minister for Education, Ayesha Verrall's taken over Health from Andrew Little, and Immigration and Transport Minister Michael Wood has also become Minister for Auckland. Nanaia Mahuta has lost Local Government, and the job has gone to Kieran McAnulty instead. Grant Robertson retained Finance and Willie Jackson kept Broadcasting and Media. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says that it's unclear why Michael Wood has been promoted and got the Minister for Auckland role, considering how his policies have affected the region. LISTEN ABOVE      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steady rain has continued to fall on Auckland overnight, with another 50 to 60mm settling on an already soggy city. That's well short of the unprecedented 249mm of rain that paralysed Auckland on Friday night, leaving four people dead, homes inundated or teetering on the brink of collapsed cliffs and hundreds of cars left abandoned on flooded Auckland streets. As the crisis quickly unfolded, emergency services fielded thousands of calls for help from all corners of the city. But the weekend has brought much criticism of the response of those at the top - particularly Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. Joining Kathryn to talk about what Auckland's immediate and long-term needs will be, and how central government can help is Civil Defence Minister Kieran McAnulty and Transport Minister Michael Wood.

The Transport Minister has admitted Auckland's rail network is "neglected' - but believes commuters today have something to smile about. The government is investing more than $1.5 billion in upgrades to the city's rail network. Renovations and upgrades at Pukekohe station and the Southern Line mean a straight shot into the city, which Michael Wood says is long overdue. Finn Blackwell was at the construction site.

Petrol prices are set to go up next year after the fuel subsidy of 25 cents a litre introduced nine months ago is phased out during March. Half price public transport is also mostly set for the scrap heap. Public transport will still be half price for people with a Community Services Card, but the decision has environmental campaigners up in arms, given it had shifted some people out of their cars. That despite some woefully inadequate bus services around the country. Transport Minister Michael Wood spoke to Kim Hill.  

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has recently announced Auckland Council's joined-up plan that focuses on shifting the Port of Auckland and building Light Rail. This plan was devised after Wayne Brown and Transport Minister Michael Wood made an agreement to put aside their differences and collaborate on their priorities. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says this was a pragmatic move on Michael Wood's end and having this quid pro quo arrangement will work out well for the Transport Minister. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is claiming bias from the Government's transport fund. Councils can apply for a slice of the $350-million dollar Transport Choices Fund, for sustainable projects, such as public transit and cycleways. Opposition Transport Spokesperson Simeon Brown alleges it's mostly going to Councils represented by Labour politicians. He says Auckland's funding will primarily benefit Labour-held electorates. Transport Minister Michael Wood says he's been clear they'll work with local councils, and he's reminded Labour colleagues to engage with communities on funding bids. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is backing its decision to fund 46 councils with $350 million in public transport upgrades. The package covers almost 400 new or upgraded bus stops, nearly 250 kilometres of cycleways and some 120 school improvements. Transport Minister Michael Wood says the projects will help meet future needs caused by population growth and climate change. He told Mike Hosking the upgrades are essential for getting people off the road. “To the extent that the public transport system isn't as good as it could be and not as good as it should be, we've got to make these improvements.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like a bridge over troubled waters, the debate for a second harbour crossing in Auckland rolls on. The government has opened up consultation to see what residents in the city of sails want to help ease their commute. Transport Minister Michael Wood has opened consultation on the issue, asking if a new bridge or tunnel for Waitematā Harbour could be the way to go. Last year the government scrapped an almost billion-dollar walking and cycle bridge. Now it's gone back to the drawing board. Our reporter Finn Blackwell hit the streets to find out what the people want.

The government says its funding boost for bus drivers will help address widespread worker shortages. Sixty one million dollars has been set aside from this year's budget to increase wages and improve working conditions for drivers. There are currently 800 driver vacancies across the country including 500 in Auckland and some 120 in Wellington. Transport Minister Michael Wood spoke to Mani Dunlop.

The invitation has been extend to Transport Minister Michael Wood to talk to the protesters for passenger rail. He discusses the issue with Lisa Owen.

New legislation will see councils directly own and operate public transport services, a move which Transport Minister Michael Wood claims will alleviate worker shortages and give local authorities greater flexibility.  The changes will see the existing, long-running operating model be replaced with a Sustainable Public Transport Framework. Emily spoke with New Zealand Bus and Coach Association Chief Executive Ben McFadgen about the changes.  

The government wants to pave the way for councils to redesign our streets - saying proposed legislation will make roads safer, more accessible and environmentally friendly. However, the National Party says the legislation introduced to parliament yesterday would allow councils to circumvent public consultation and pilot changes to streets for up to two years. It is urging the proposed changes be rejected via public submissions. Transport Minister Michael Wood spoke to Corin Dann.

Inflation figures are out today and it's expected to top seven percent for the first time since 1990. We'll ask Transport Minister Michael Wood if extending petrol tax cuts and half price public transport goes far enough? All Blacks coach Ian Foster is under pressure to keep his job after an historic home series loss to Ireland

The government has unveiled its plan to get Wellington moving but it could take some time to get the plan moving. It wants light rail and a second Mt Victoria tunnel for the Capital as part of the Let's Get Wellington Moving project. The additional tunnel will be for buses and cars while the existing one will become cyclists and pedestrians only. And the plan includes a light rail network to Island Bay, but with a fallback option of a rapid bus network. If it's green lit by the local councils the business case alone could take until 2024 to complete. Transport Minister Michael Wood talks to Lisa Owen.