29550 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport

Written Question

Published date: 18 Aug 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	29550 (2026)
Question asked:	23 Jun 2026
Member asking:	Tangi Utikere
Portfolio:	Minister of Transport
Minister replying:	Hon Chris Bishop
Answer received:	12 Aug 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_29550_2026
Document guid:	b1ceec3b-1752-48a3-9a25-24d8645d6673

29550 (2026). Tangi Utikere to the Minister of Transport: Did Wellington Airport's advocacy meetings with then-Transport Minister Simeon Brown in 2024 influence the Minister's decision to progress the second Mt Victoria Tunnel as a Road of National Significance?

Hon Chris Bishop: No. Decisions to progress the project as a Road of National Significance were consistent with the Government Policy Statement on land transport 2024 (released in June 2024), which identified it as a priority before I assumed the Transport portfolio in January 2025.