Govt ignores call for law change
Pleas for government help to allow management of Christchurch’s bus service to be transferred to the city council have fallen on deaf ears.
A letter co-signed by Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel and Environment Canterbury (ECan) chairman Steve Lowndes was sent to Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta in December.
It asked for swift changes to be made to the Local Government Act, which currently blocks the transfer of public transport responsibilities from ECan to the Christchurch City Council (CCC).
The letter noted ‘‘no such transfer has been considered, let alone made’’ and would need to be publicly consulted on if it were to happen, but there was ‘‘no point in talking publicly about a step that is unlawful’’. But Twyford said in a letter sent more than a month later that he had no intention to fast-track the changes needed. The issue would be addressed in a Local Government Act amendment that has been working its way through Parliament since
June 2016, he said.
‘‘While I understand your frustration with the time this is taking, I do not consider it would be appropriate to deal with this issue in a separate piece of legislation.’’
Christchurch’s bus service is currently operated by ECan, a responsibility it was given under the Land Transport Act. The roads, bus shelters and other infrastructure the service runs on are built and maintained by the CCC.
The bus service cannot be handed over to the CCC because of a clause in the Local Government Act, added in 2014, which explicitly bars the transfer of responsibilities that were granted under another act.
Dalziel said she had ‘‘long held the view that Christchurch should have a fully integrated public transport system, which it doesn’t under the current model’’.
In May 2016, she said the public transport system was ‘‘broken’’ and the council needed to take control. Her comments came in response to ECan increasing fares by 10 per cent to offset falling passenger numbers – a move Dalziel said was the opposite of what should be done.
A joint public transport committee has since been set up, with members from CCC, ECan, the Canterbury District Health Board, the NZ Transport Agency and the Selwyn and Waimakariri district councils. The committee can make recommendations to ECan on public transport but has no power to make binding decisions. It last held a public committee meeting in December 2018, and has cancelled its next meeting, scheduled for Wednesday.
Though the committee has helped, some tensions between the goals of ECan and CCC still exist. Christchurch’s bus service has struggled with low passenger numbers since the earthquakes. Changes have been approved by ECan, including more routes and more frequent services within the next three years – but questions remain over funding.
A joint statement from Dalziel and Lowndes said both agencies were committed to providing the best possible public transport service for Greater Christchurch, and intended to work together. Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel
‘‘Christchurch should have a fully integrated public transport system.’’