What advice, if any, did the Minister of Transport receive on the economic cost of progressing the East-West Link more slowly?

Answer

NZTA considered a range of risk factors when developing the investment case for the East West Link project, including exposure to construction cost inflation, as outlined in the publicly available Major Project Report: https://nzta.govt.nz/assets/projects/east-west-link/Major-Project-Report-East-West-Link.pdf Beyond this, I have not received any specific advice quantifying the economic cost of progressing individual projects at a slower pace. Short- to medium-term reprogramming of transport projects to align with available funding is not uncommon. It is also well recognised that key construction inputs, such as fuel, materials, and labour, can increase in cost over time. The Government's staged approach to delivering the wider RoNS programme is intended to ensure projects remain deliverable over the long term, with investment sequenced to align with available funding, project readiness, and the capacity of the construction market.