Junket postponed

The Herald reports:

A controversial trip to China to investigate trackless trams and light rail for Wellington has been pushed back until after this year’s local body elections.
The trip follows the $6.4b Let’s Get Wellington Moving transport package announcement.
The plan prioritises mass rapid transit at an estimated capital cost of $2.2b, but what technology will go on the route is yet to be decided.
The “study tour” proposal sparked by Wellington City Council copped criticism from some regional councillors when they received the plan to visit Beijing and Zhuzhou at the end of this month.

They expressed concern about the lack of detail and sending councillors on a trip so close to the election in October.
Estimated costs for the trip were $5500 a head with senior officials from NZTA, WCC, GWRC and the Government invited.
Mayor Justin Lester confirmed the trip had been put on hold, with necessary approvals unable to be obtained in the time available.
He said the trip would still go ahead some time in the future.

The so called LGWM plan is in fact a plan to do basically nothing for the next 10 to 20 years. The thought you need to urgently send Crs out on a junket now was farcical. Any actual funding or commitment to mass transit to the airport is at least a decade away.