HDPA
Now, this week I’ve talked about how I am worried about three of Auckland’s…three of the policies of an Auckland candidate…this is Efeso Collins. They are that he supports giving a lane on the harbour bridge to cyclists, that he supports a second harbour crossing that doesn’t allow cars and that he supports light rail.
Well, his team didn’t like that and they got in touch with us and said Efeso would like to have a chat and here he is. Afternoon Efeso.
Collins
Kia ora Heather and thanks for having me on your show this afternoon.
HDPA
Thanks for coming on. So, what do you dispute?
Collins
Well, I don’t dispute all of the things, I just think there are some nuances that we’ve got to get right.
Firstly, the second harbour crossing I completely support but I think if we look toward the climate friendly society, by the time we get to the second harbour crossing we want everyone to be able to travel but I think our focus is going to be on rail, pedestrian and cycling…
HDPA
I’m going to stop you right there…I’m going to stop you right there.
Let’s start…let’s start with these three policies and you’ve picked the first that we are going to go with, which is the second harbour crossing.
I said ‘you support a second harbour crossing’. That’s correct, yes?
Collins
That’s correct…yes.
HDPA
Okay. I said ‘you support a second harbour crossing but one that doesn’t allow cars on it’. What’s wrong with that statement?
Collins
No, I said…when the…in the comment that I made at a mayoral debate I said that my preference, is that given what the plans be that come before us…my preference is for rail, cyclist and pedestrian and if it means that the cars can have it on it then I am more than willing to consider that and I think we’ve got to look at that…
HDPA
So, what is wrong with what I said Efeso? Your policy is that you want to have a second harbour crossing for pedestrians, for cyclists and for trades and maybe for cars. I was right.
Collins
No, you didn’t complete the maybe bits and what I’m saying is…
HDPA
Oh.
Collins
…we need that discussion…
HDPA
Well, that’s not good enough Efeso, that’s not good enough for me. I want to hear you say that you want cars on that because there’s a whole bunch of people on the North Shore who need to get over.
Collins
Yeah, and when we’ve got the second harbour crossing, they’ll have all of those lanes on the bridge to get over it if we don’t need cars going through the second harbour crossing which I hope will be tunnelled through…
HDPA
They can’t even get over on the bridge at the moment mate! That thing’s entirely dedicated to cars and it’s jammed up.
Collins
Yeah, and in the most recent ATAC(?) we’ve brought it forward by ten years to the mid-2030s when we are going to have a second harbour crossing. By then my expectation of Aucklanders is that we will be less reliant on cars. I think that’s the society, that’s the…
HDPA
I think you’re dreaming and I think you probably know that we are still going to need the cars. It’s eight years away, nothing happens in eight years, right? Nothing at all.
Second thing, do you support light rail?
Collins
Yes, I do. It’s…it’s…it’s fourteen billion dollars but I’ve already said publicly and to the minister of transport that I am not in favour of the tunnelling portion that they’ve gone and prepared for.
I believe that it should be like what the Greens are saying…I’m also endorsed by the Greens, that it should be a grade level right the way through…
HDPA
But again…what is your problem with what I said then? I said that you support light rail. You just said you support light rail. That is a major problem.
Collins
Indecipherable
HDPA
It’s a waste of money. It’s a waste of money.
Collins
Again, it’s the nuance, I think most people, as I talk to people across the city don’t like the tunnelling and they said that’s part of the…the vanity part of the project and I think at that grade level we’ve got the potential to have 66,000 houses built alongside this…
HDPA
Nah
Collins
…and it’ll open up lots of jobs at the airport. This is good for the city because it’s…
HDPA
No, it’s not.
Collins
Indecipherable
HDPA
Efeso, you tell me something, you tell me, if you have to do light rail why are you doing it down that corridor and not doing it out the North-Western first where there are already more houses?
Collins
Yeah, well we can…while the planning goes alongside ATAC(?) and we’ve got to acknowledge that Council has wanted that…that’s already in our plans, we’ve already committed a hundred million dollars to high frequency buses along that corridor…
HDPA
Why aren’t you putting light rail…if you want to do light rail that’s where you do it first. Isn’t it?
Collins
Yes, well that’s a good question but the fact is the government has decided to go with the light rail here and council has to contribute to the decision-making process…
HDPA
But…this is the problem…just because…just because those numpties in Government said we have to do it, we don’t have to do it, right? Because they’re pushing their own weird agendas.
Third thing, now you might have a point on this, right? So, I’m prepared to concede on this one. So, I said that you want potentially a permanent cycle lane on the harbour bridge. You reckon that’s not true?
Collins
No, not the permanent bit, only because you had a full stop and then permanently and I thought that you were suggesting that I want it permanently. I have said that I am happy for a trial to go ahead because that’s the kind of society I think we should be looking towards, and we’ve got to share the road space that we have. Look I take your point, we are very congested, it’s that congestion that’s costing us $1.2B a year in productivity and I think if more people are on the buses, more people are on the trains and have the ability to cycle that’s going to get people out of their cars, trusting the infrastructure that we have and using that public transport and allowing for that trial for cycling and for pedestrian activity…
HDPA
How long should that trial go for?
Collins
I would like to see if for a minimum of six months because it gives us a very good…
HDPA
Draws in breath
No Efeso, no! Six months?
Collins
Because we’ve got to be able to monitor how effective it’s been. I think that’s an absolute minimum because otherwise they’re saying if we did it during just through winter then people will say few people used it because it was raining too much. We’ve got to get a good look in at what we can do and what we can achieve and I think you’re going to see more and more people, if we allow this trial…more and more people cycling and walking over the harbour bridge…
HDPA
Efeso, can I be honest with you, mate? You haven’t changed my view. Do you know what? You are supporting light rail you want to give a lane on the harbour bridge to the cyclists for six months which is going to disrupt the vehicles, you…you’re prepared to built another tunnel but you’re not prepared to commit to putting cars on it. I just don’t want you to be elected as mayor because I think you’re going to be bad for the city.
Collins
The emissions reduction plan leads us to a…
HDPA
I don’t care! Mate, I will tell you what…no I don’t care. I will tell you what, no Efeso seriously mate, not in the slightest. I’ll tell you what – I care about getting home to my child in the evening – in my car – without traffic – so that I can see him before he goes to sleep. I couldn’t care less about climate change right now. I mean I just wonder if you’re missing the point for a lot of people.
You assume that people care so desperately about this, I’m not sure they do.
Collins
And we are going to decongest our roads by ensuring that people have a reliable public transport system they can use – the ability to cycle safely to and from work and that means that those people like yourself who choose to use the cars…it’s going to be on decongested roads…it all makes logical sense…
HDPA
Laughs.
Yes, but you see laughs again so you’re going to make other people miss their children’s bed time stories so I can get my child’s bedtime story?
Collins
I’ve got children as well.
HDPA
That’s what you said.
Collins
We’ve got…
HDPA
You miss your bedtime stories then, but hey I don’t want to.
I’ve got to ask you a question: ‘do you hate Three Waters?’
Collins
No, I don’t hate Three Waters.
HDPA
Do you support Three Waters?
Collins
I support Three Waters, I don’t support…
HDPA
Oh mate.
Collins
…the Government arrangement and that’s all you can do. But you see the council…we’ve got councillors who voted in favour of this unanimously that they partly agree that Aucklanders have got to get it right. 78% of Aucklanders came back and said this arrangement isn’t right and that I agree with and we’ve got to get the governance projections right and make sure that everyone has a say, especially Aucklanders because we own 94% of the assets but we don’t just want the spend at this stage.
HDPA
Hey, listen Efeso you’re a good man, I really appreciate it, thanks for coming on. Efeso, I like you. Efeso Collins, Auckland mayoral candidate.