Update of the New Zealand Transport Strategy

There could surely not be a better venue in Wellington to launch Sustainable Transport --- a discussion paper on the Update of the New Zealand Transport Strategy, a document that will guide transport development in this country through to 2040.

The Wellington Cable Car was built by the Upland Estate Real Estate company between 1898 and 1902 to provide transport from the city to farm land in Kelburn.

The car is one of Wellington’s oldest and most popular tourist attractions, and today snakes its way up under the motorway and through three tunnels to emerge at this wonderful view.

The cable car is also a brilliant example of innovation. The decision by Upland’s to build this cable car was a bold, forward thinking solution to an incredibly difficult transport challenge. It revolutionised access to Wellington’s higher, hilly suburbs and transformed the city’s landscape.

And from our vantage point today, we can see the transport network hard at work in Wellington.

From the ships in port, out to your left; the Eastbourne ferries heading across the harbour; high above them the planes arriving and leaving from Wellington Airport; on the streets and hills of the city, the buses and trains carrying commuters; and, if you look hard enough, you’ll see inner city workers walking home to the suburbs in the distinctive Wellington-Central corporate uniform of a black suit, matched with white walking shoes!!

And in that context, it’s certainly worth noting that Wellington City does exceptionally well in the walking stakes compared with the rest of the Greater Wellington Regional Council area. Some 18.8 percent of Wellingtonians walk or jog to work, well above the 8 percent scored by the second best territorial authority, South Wairarapa.

We are here today to share our draft vision for transport in 2040, and to kick start a process of seeking your feedback on it.

In 2002, this government released the New Zealand Transport Strategy (NZTS). For the first time, New Zealand had a transport strategy which recognised that transport decisions impact on every dimension of New Zealand life: the economy, the way society functions, and our environment.

As an aspiration, the strategy stated that by 2010 New Zealand should have:
“an affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable transport system”.

Since then much has been done in the transport sector towards achieving that vision. I’ll give you some examples:

•We have increased investment in transport from $1 billion a year in 1999 to around $2.75 billion in the latest budget.

•We have doubled the investment in road building, accelerating New Zealand’s largest ever road building programme.

•We are bringing down the road toll, with last year’s toll of 391 the lowest in 46 years.

•We have launched a major assault on Auckland’s traffic congestion, including upgrading the Auckland rail network, and we’re improving public transport with expenditure this year set to be 8.5 times higher than expenditure in 1990.

•And we are improving our rail networks, promoting and funding more walking and cycling, advancing the use of alternative fuels, encouraging coastal shipping and, through the Next Steps Review, we are looking for greater value from Government transport expenditure.

These developments are all moving us closer to our vision and five years on from the launch of the NZTS, it’s time to review our position and provide a framework for transport planning and spending over the next 30 years.

Two of the Labour-led Government’s overarching aspirations are transforming the New Zealand economy and achieving environmental sustainability.

Individually and as a nation, the choices we make about transport either move us towards these goals or make them more difficult to achieve.

Despite the numerous benefits that our current transport system provides for the nation, there are also major negatives. As a result, rather than only helping us achieve our goals as a nation, our transport system contributes to the problem. As an example, transport accounts for 18 percent of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions. This must be changed.

What has changed since our first strategy in 2002 is how we meet the objectives under the NZTS, and the targets and initiatives we need to achieve each objective.

Ensuring environmental sustainability, for example, requires individuals to make alternative choices for the way they travel by way of mode of transport, different choices of vehicles, and different choices of fuel. The Government’s updated transport strategy will make such choices possible.

Transport in the future will be more sustainable. There will be more hybrid and full electric vehicles. More freight will be carried by rail and sea. More people will walk, cycle, and use public transport. There will be lower CO2 emissions as travel behaviour changes and the use of electric vehicles becomes more widespread.

To make sure we become more sustainable, we have set some ambitious targets in this discussion paper being launched today.

By 2040, we want:

•to halve per capita domestic greenhouse gas transport emissions from 2007 levels, and
•for New Zealand to be one of the first countries in the world to widely use electric vehicles.

In this discussion paper we also propose targets for the other NZTS objectives. These include improving safety standards for vehicles, increasing public transport use, increasing rail and shipping’s share of freight movement and reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the vehicle fleet.

Each of them is challenging and none of them will be achieved without acceptance that change is necessary and a willingness to make different transport choices.

I want to be clear that alongside the environmental dimension of the document, the Update also aims to address our economic needs. We must ensure that transport supports our continued economic development and transformation. Our challenge is to confront both of our primary areas – the environment and the economy – in setting goals for the future.

I look forward to feedback on how we can advance both prospects.

Like the team from Upland Estate Real Estate who visualised and delivered this marvellous cable car in 1902, it’s time to assess our situation, and to look for innovative ways to address the transport challenges we face as a nation.

I look forward to receiving your feedback on how best to achieve a sustainable transport network, and I want to thank you all for taking the time to be here today, and to wish you all a safe and happy Christmas making intelligent use of our transport modes. Thank you.