The Govt reckons it scored a financial coup with its $20m contribution to the $40m purchase of Queen’s wharf in Auckland, which will serve as “party central” during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The wharf is valued at more than $100m but the Govt had some leverage to get it at a bargain price because its owner Ports of Auckland Ltd is short of capital and needed a quick injection. Time was pressing on the Govt to get early movement on securing the site. Now it has to tidy up the loose ends, including getting agreement for a cruise ship terminal to take advantage of a trade which has grown from 20,000 to 130,000 visitors a year in less than a decade.

The Auckland Regional Council which had been incensed by the Govt’s decision to scrap the regional fuel tax intended to fund major infrastructure projects, including an electrified urban rail network using an integrated ticketing system straddling several transport modes, grabbed the opportunity to get the Queen’s wharf deal done, showing a new spirit of co-operation, perhaps in hopes of further smart progress on other projects. The NZ Transport Agency, which will fund the bulk of the ticketing system, is looking for a national solution covering the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch regions. The ARC initially proposed a ticketing system from a French company, costing around $80m, but the NZTA wants a less costly system.

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