Viewpoint – Excluded Rodney from CRL charge

Ratepayers in Rodney should not be required to fund the operating costs of the City Rail Link.

This is not an argument against this project, nor is it opposition to Auckland’s growth or ambition. It is a straightforward question of equity: should a largely rural district, with no passenger rail services and limited public transport infrastructure, be compelled to fund a multi-billion dollar inner-city rail tunnel?

The projected annual operating cost of the CRL sits at approximately $235 million – equivalent to a 7.9 per cent residential rates increase. For many households, that comes on top of last year’s significant hikes, which in some cases reached 30 to 50 per cent or more. At a time when families are already absorbing higher insurance, food and fuel costs, another large rates increase is not sustainable.

The Mayor claims the cost of inflation, along with the costs to maintain $4.3 billion of new infrastructure built last year, is covered by $106 million of cost savings, or the equivalent of not paying a further 3.5% in rate increases.

Rodney residents derive little direct benefit from the CRL. There are no local train stations. Many communities rely on private vehicles due to the absence of viable public transport options. Some rural roads remain unsealed. Long-promised upgrades to our townships infrastructure have been deferred while funding has flowed southward.

On top of this, Rodney ratepayers already fund a targeted rate to maintain basic bus services – services that were not originally extended here under the Supercity model. Many also pay tolls on SH1 simply to access employment opportunities. These additional transport costs are not shared equally across the region.

Supporters of regionwide funding argue that all of Auckland benefits indirectly through reduced congestion and economic stimulus. But indirect and theoretical gains cannot reasonably be equated with direct and daily usage. For a commuter stepping onto a train at a central city platform, the benefit is immediate. For a farmer navigating an unsealed rural road, it is not.

The argument that “we are one city” should not override practical fairness.

Excluding Rodney from contributing to the CRL’s operating costs would not derail the project. Spread across the wider urban base of Auckland, the additional cost per household would be 13 cents a week.

For Rodney households, however, the relief of a virtually zero per cent rates increase would be substantial.

Local government exists to serve communities equitably. If residents are asked to contribute to a project, they should reasonably expect proportional access or benefit. In this case, that litmus test has not been met.

Rodney should not be penalised for infrastructure it neither uses nor meaningfully benefits from.

Excluding Rodney from a 7.9% rate increase is not divisive – it is responsible governance.

Please make your voice heard online at https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/ or pop into a library for a submission form before March 27.