A Wellington National Party candidate has been accused of making a “very misleading” claim that his party is delivering on its election promise to start building a second Mt Victoria tunnel in its first term, despite the Government confirming just two weeks ago construction won’t go ahead before at least 2037.
National campaigned in 2023 on the tunnel as a “major infrastructure priority”, promising to consent the project and begin construction before the 2026 election.
But Transport Minister Chris Bishop announced earlier this month the project had been pushed back with construction not set to start for at least a decade as part of a major roading backdown.
Despite this, the party’s Wellington Bays candidate Karunā Muthu, who ran in the seat in 2023 campaigning on the project, appeared to suggest on social media the election promise was being fulfilled.
On July 17, Muthu took to Instagram to say “National is delivering on our promise to ease Mount Vic congestion”.
“We’re progressing the second Mount Victoria tunnel and SH1 [State Highway 1] upgrades through geotechnical work, design, and fast-track approvals in 2026.
“Let’s go, Wellington Bays!” the Instagram story said, accompanied by a photograph of Muthu in National Party merchandise.
NZTA’s Major Transport Projects Pipeline now shows no plans for construction before at least 2037.
Bishop earlier said main construction would start in 2029.
The agency said while it will continue work on lodging a Fast Track consent next month, detailed design, pre-implementation work planning, and construction will not proceed until funding is available.
“Detailed design work that has already started will be put on hold,” the project page on NZTA’s website states.
In 2023, the party said the Mt Victoria tunnel and Basin Reserve were “long overdue an upgrade, and the next National Government will deliver where Labour has failed”.
Leader Christopher Luxon made the pledge at the Basin Reserve in September 2023, flanked by Bishop and Nicola Willis, saying he expected construction would begin “probably about the mid point, mid-to-end point of our first term”.
Since then, the project, which National initially costed at $2.2 billion, has climbed to $2.9 to $3.8b.
Muthu would not be interviewed on the issue, or answer specific questions as to whether his comments could be interpreted as misleading, but said in a comment that National “remains committed” to the project.
“Early ground investigations have been completed and NZTA are now progressing route protection,” he said.
“As MP for Wellington Bays I will always advocate for Wellingtonians getting around our city faster, safer, and with less congestion”.
Bishop would not answer direct questions about Muthu’s characterisation of the project, but maintained that “good progress” had been made.
“We promised there would be spades in the ground this term, and we have delivered on that promise,” the Transport Minister said in a statement, referring to early geotechnical investigations.
Bishop had earlier conceded it was “a little bit cheeky” to claim construction had started when interviewed by Heather du Plessis-Allan on Newstalk ZB after announcing the new project pipeline.
“I think it’d be fair to say we wanted to make more progress on it than we have, but it’s been a tricky project,” he said.
Labour’s Wellington Bays candidate Craig Renney said the project was “another broken promise from National”.
“Right now, there is no money, and National has effectively cancelled the plan,” he said in a statement.
“There is no implementation date agreed, and no construction work planned for this decade. Wellingtonians deserve better than this, and despite the claims from National, users of the road can use their own eyes to see that there is no progress from this government on reducing congestion or improving transport in Wellington.”
Incumbent Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter described Muthu’s claim as “very misleading in more ways than one”.
“Did he miss Minister Bishop’s recent big backdown on the project? As everyone now knows, the tunnels project has no implementation date and no funding,” Genter said.
“In any case, that $3b plus pipe dream project would not have helped reduce congestion.”
Genter said the Government was spending “hundreds of millions on projects that will likely never be built”, and called on Muthu to join her in advocating for investment in public transport as a “practical solution that reduces traffic congestion and provides some relief on the cost of living”.
The Herald earlier revealed that it would take a decade to build the tunnel.
A second Mt Victoria tunnel has been long debated in the capital and was previously planned in the now-killed Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) project.
Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz .
