Without support, time of use charging will be another cost-of-living pressure

Without support, time of use charging will be another cost-of-living pressure

A strong Tāmaki Makaurau is inclusive, where every whānau can get ahead.

Like many, I came to Auckland for opportunity – to study, to work and to build a meaningful career. 20 years on, that is much harder with the cost of living increases that whānau are experiencing daily; the price of food, rents, rates and power all continue to increase.

Auckland’s population is still growing. Our city provides 38% of GDP to our national economy. However, increasing unemployment puts this at risk, with Māori and Pasifika being hit hardest in the city (11.6% and 9.7% unemployment). If this is not addressed immediately by growing jobs, then our city is not meeting its potential and the opportunity it has been known for will be lost.

This week, the government introduced legislation which will bring time of use charging to Auckland. Our city will gain between $900M and $1.3B back in productivity from this change. While this will instantly reduce travel times for many, it does risk impacting the most our low-paid workers who have to travel at peak times because it puts an additional cost onto them.

When Labour considered time of use charging in 2021 this was alongside initiatives that supported people to change to alternative modes of transport including discounted public transport and investments in critical infrastructure. These have now been cut by the National government. Time of use charging isn’t a tool on its own. It requires investing in alternatives that ensure travel equity.

The State of the City report, which measures Auckland’s performance, ranked our connectivity a 3/10. A strong Tāmaki Makaurau should enable all of us to easily get to work, see whānau and get our kids to school.

Tāmaki Makaurau is strongest when we provide for all.