Rail Minister, Winston Peters, has welcomed the New Zealand Transport Agency’s decision to support a 12-month extension of the Waikato-Auckland passenger rail service, Te Huia.
“Te Huia came into existence because we funded KiwiRail to refurbish the carriages and build a dedicated mechanical depot in Hamilton,” Mr Peters says.
“The five-year trial service was negatively impacted by the Covid-19 Auckland shutdowns in its first year, so a one-year extension is pragmatic and means a fair assessment can be given.
“This Waikato Regional Council’s service has received strong patronage, developed into a weekday commuter and weekend city connector, and has 98 percent customer satisfaction rates which are a credit to operator KiwiRail’s crews.
“We are pleased to see the service will continue,” he said.
The Council wrote to the board in December asking for the extension to the end of June 2027 with 60% central government funding.
Regional councillors will be asked to support continued local funding at the current rate when they meet next week to consider the budget for 2026/27.
Full engagement on the future of Te Huia would then occur as part of the 2027-2037 Long Term Plan process.
Chair, Warren Maher acknowledged the board for its timely decision.
“We thank the board for considering our request favourably and giving councillors time to consider the next steps,” he said.
“I also note the support we received from local councils, as well as champions of Te Huia.”
