Waikato Regional Council
Quotes
TFIR Support
Angela Strange: "Interregional rail offers transformative benefits, including unlocking housing, economic, social, environmental, and resilience-related—that far exceed transport alone. Realising these benefits requires a funding partnership: central government leadership supported by local government and other partners. Local government cannot shoulder these costs alone, but shared investment ensures rail’s full national and regional value is unlocked."
Jennifer Nickel: "Advocate for fair funding models to deliver increased rail services to connect Hamilton with Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington." (from policy.nz)
Pamela Chiles: "The reason I am standing is because I wish to support public transport in the region as an alternative to private car use and thus reduce carbon emissions. Trains are an extremely environmentally friendly way to transport large numbers of people and goods. However, most of the passenger trains in New Zealand are prohibitively expensive so I support more reasonably priced passenger trains."
Bruce Clarkson: "Progress discussions with Auckland and central government to ensure interregional rail is part of an effective transport network." (from policy.nz)
TFIR Unsure
Henry Penny: "Based on what I can see, Te Huia is a pilot that isn’t really testing commuter use. It’s mostly suitable for leisure trips, but to truly benefit the Waikato it needs to be fit for commuters. I hope to see a long-term, fit-for-purpose Hamilton–Auckland commuter train service. Achieving this will likely require long-term government funding and the political will to wait years for it to break even. If the service isn’t designed for commuters, adoption will remain low, and funding will eventually be pulled."
Bala Tikkisetty: "I will focus and promote regional councils to work together on inter-regional public transport projects."
TFIR Do Not Support
Ben Dunbar Smith: "Fast track the four-lane road network between Auckland, Tauranga and Waikato. Pause electrification of the bus fleet until a full business case is completed. Undertake a review of public bus transport to ensure routes are serving passenger needs and represent value for money." (Source: policy.nz)
Chris Hughes: "Stop the Te Huia train service when the trial period ends in June 2026." (Source: policy.nz)
