What Should We Do?
Or rather:
What We Should Do…
…about the maybe imminent – but always possible – imported liquid fuels crisis.
And by “we”, I mean the New Zealand Government, whose job this is.
First, and above all: we should think and act strategically, not just reactively.…
78 Comments Weekly Roundup 13-March-2026
It’s Friday the 13th! Hope you’re feeling lucky. Enjoy this roundup of stories that caught our eye this past week. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday, Matt did a deep dive into the hidden details of the recent City Rail Link test.…
Charts to watch as fuel goes up
There’s a lot going on in the world right now and it has the potential to have significant impact on transport (and the economy) here in New Zealand.
With that in mind, I thought I’d just pull together a few quick charts.…
More intensification in Auckland? Yes Please
The following is an op-ed I wrote which ran in the Sunday Star Times and The Post on March 8th 2026. Yesterday, Auckland Council agreed on principles to guide a review of PC120 after the government amended the plan. Everyone agrees we need more housing in Auckland, and that it’s best located near transport options, and places people work, study and shop.…
The Hidden Details of AT’s CRL Timetable Test
Auckland Transport tested their planned City Rail Link timetable in January, and it wasn’t a success. We know they plan to make some changes before their next test run in April. In the meantime, a close look at the tested timetable reveals some useful insights into their approach – and some concerning details when it comes to how the timetable will actually work for the people who’ll be relying on it.…
Weekly Roundup 6-March-2026
Here’s our weekly roundup of things that caught our eye this week. We’ve had a busy week ourselves, with some big posts attracting wider coverage – on brand for March Madness! This week in Greater Auckland On Monday Patrick laid out why CRL should be a transformational metro – and why this requires a different approach to the network
On Tuesday, we had Connor’s deep dive into the $22,000,000,000 Northern Expressway.…
A CRL defeat from the jaws of victory?
The opening of City Rail Link later this year should be a momentous occasion for Auckland and as we’ve highlighted many times before, one that should help transform Auckland. But increasingly, we’re worried that Auckland Transport are about to clutch defeat from the jaws of victory.…
We-told-you-so Wednesday: “the RoNS clause”
A comment on yesterday’s eye-catching post by Connor about the skyrocketing costs of the Roads of National Significance programme (and the enormous opportunity cost it represents), made a request:
It would be good to have a post from Greater Auckland on the National Infrastructure Plan.…
$22,000,000,000 on just one road?
Last year, I posted about the challenges I faced, trying to daylight public-interest information about the government’s Roads of National Significance programme. As I wrote then, entire documents – including even titles – were being withheld on what looked to me like flimsy grounds.…
A Metro for Auckland?
The City Rail Link (CRL) is routinely described as transformational. An overused term for infrastructure projects, but one that is surely appropriate in this case – as you’d hope, given the size of the investment. $5.5b ought to get us something truly new, not just another lane and more traffic.…
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