24 July 2020
File Ref: OIAP-7-15874
Tony Randle
By email: [FYI request #13157 email]
Dear Mr Randle
Request for information 2020-094
In your email dated 26 June 2020 you requested the following information from Greater Wellington
Regional Council (Greater Wellington):
‘1) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of the business case(s) that support the increase in
the electric bus fleet to support Wellington bus services?
2) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of reports and/or presentations to council meetings
that support the increase in the electric bus fleet to support Wellington bus services along
with the meeting agenda and minutes?
3) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of reports and/or presentations to council workshops
that support the increase in the electric bus fleet to support Wellington bus services along
with the workshop agenda and minutes?
4) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of detailed benefit calculations used to support the
increase in the electric bus fleet to support Wellington bus services?
5) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of detailed cost calculations used to support the
increase in the electric bus fleet to support Wellington bus services?
6) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of any reports and/or presentations that outlined the
increased contract costs of Tranzurban and NZ Bus acquiring 98 new electric buses compared
to using diesel buses and from where these increased costs will be funded?
7) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of any reports and/or presentations where the
decision to increase the Wellington electric bus fleet would be done through contracts with
operators instead of these electric buses being acquired by GWRC and leased to the bus
operators (as with the passenger rail fleet)?
8) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of any correspondence, reports or presentations with
NZTA associated with obtaining their agreement and support for the GWRC to increase the
Wellington electric bus fleet?
Wellington office
Upper Hutt
Masterton office
0800 496 734
PO Box 11646
PO Box 40847
PO Box 41
www.gw.govt.nz
Manners St, Wellington 6142
1056 Fergusson Drive
Masterton 5840
[Wellington Regional Council request email]
9) The specifications of the new electric buses (including dimensions, weight empty, weight
fully loaded, seats, capacity seated & standing, range between charging, facilities such as
heating and air-conditioning).’
Greater Wellington’s response follows:
1) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of the business case(s) that support the increase in the
electric bus fleet to support Wellington bus services?
The Council has made a number of recent decisions to increase the electric buses in the fleet by 98
- taking the total to 108. Greater Wellington does not possess a single, formal business case for the
increase in the electric bus fleet. However, the attachments provide rationale to the Council’s recent
decisions to agree to the acquisition of electric buses.
2) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of reports and/or presentations to council meetings
that support the increase in the electric bus fleet to support Wellington bus services along
with the meeting agenda and minutes?
Please refer to attachments 1-18.
3) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of reports and/or presentations to council workshops
that support the increase in the electric bus fleet to support Wellington bus services along
with the workshop agenda and minutes?
Please refer to attachment 6.
4) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of detailed benefit calculations used to support the
increase in the electric bus fleet to support Wellington bus services?
Please refer to attachments 11 and 12.
5) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of detailed cost calculations used to support the
increase in the electric bus fleet to support Wellington bus services?
Please refer to attachment 11 and 12.
6) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of any reports and/or presentations that outlined the
increased contract costs of Tranzurban and NZ Bus acquiring 98 new electric buses
compared to using diesel buses and from where these increased costs will be funded?
Please refer to attachments 7, 8, 9 and 14.
7) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of any reports and/or presentations where the decision
to increase the Wellington electric bus fleet would be done through contracts with operators
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instead of these electric buses being acquired by GWRC and leased to the bus operators (as
with the passenger rail fleet)?
Under current contract models, Greater Wellington does not own the buses currently in service,
and therefore decision-informing documents of the sort you refer to do not exist. This part of your
request has therefore been refused in accordance with section 17(e) of the Local Government
Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (the Act) on the ground that the information requested
does not exist.
8) Can the GWRC please provide a copy of any correspondence, reports or presentations with
NZTA associated with obtaining their agreement and support for the GWRC to increase the
Wellington electric bus fleet?
We have identified two pieces of correspondence between Greater Wellington with Waka Kotahi
New Zealand Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi) which relate to electric bus procurement contracts.
We have elected to withhold these documents in full under Section 7(2)(i) and Section 7(2)(b)(ii) of
the Act.
9) The specifications of the new electric buses (including dimensions, weight empty, weight
fully loaded, seats, capacity seated & standing, range between charging, facilities such as
heating and air-conditioning).’
We have a range of specifications for the new electric buses that we are currently discussing through
our negotiations with the operators. We will be pleased to share more information on the new bus
specifications as they are confirmed. We can confirm that one model will have climate air-
conditioning, and the other will have air-conditioning with electric heaters. Both bus models will be
classified as large vehicles and therefore will have 75 or more passengers (excluding driver) and
includes minimum of 36 seats. The maximum length will need to be no more than 12.8m excluding
the bike rack on the front. Greater Wellington does not have criteria for weights as this is a transport
law requirement and is managed through the Waka Kotahi Certificate or Fitness certification process.
Document list
Attachment Document Title
Information withheld
Number
1
Confirmed public excluded of the Council meeting Section 7(2)(b)(ii)
on 13 September 2019
Section 7(2)(i)
2
Confirmed public excluded of the Council meeting Section 7(2)(i)
on 1 September 2018
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Attachment Document Title
Information withheld
Number
3
Confirmed public minutes of the Sustainable Released in full
Transport Committee meeting on 18 September
2019
4
Confirmed Restricted public excluded minutes of Section 7(2)(b)(ii)
the Council meeting on 14 May 2019
Section 7(2)(i)
5
Declaring a climate emergency
Released in full
6
Electric bus fleet - presented to a Council workshop Section 7(2)(b)(ii)
5 December 2019
7
Report Public Excluded 19.393 - Fleet acquisition
Section 7(2)(b)(ii)
Section 7(2)(i)
8
Report Public Excluded 19.188 - Future Fleet Section 7(2)(b)(ii)
Options
Section 7(2)(i)
Section 7(2)(f)(i)
9
Restricted Public Excluded minutes – Council Section 7(2)(b)(ii)
meeting 12 December 2019
Section 7(2)(i)
10
Report 19.364 – Setting a carbon neutrality target Released in full
for GWRC
11
Report Public Excluded 19.231 – Strategic Section 7(2)(b)(ii)
Assessment for transitioning to a zero emission bus
fleet
Section 7(2)(i)
12
Attachment 1 to Report PE 19.231 - Strategic Section 7(2)(i)
Assessment for transitioning to a zero emission bus
fleet
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Attachment Document Title
Information withheld
Number
13
Attachment 2 to Report 19.364 - The cost of inaction Released in full
on climate change
14
Attachment 2 to Report 19.188 – NZ Bus Fleet Released in full
proposal timeline
15
Attachment 1 to 19.364 – Setting a carbon target for Released in full
GWRC
16
Report 19.292 – What is a Climate Emergency?
Released in full
17
Attachment 2 to report 19.342 – Options Released in full
Assessment
18
Attachment 3 to report 19.292 – Action plan to Released in full
support the declaration of a Climate Emergency
Information has been withheld pertaining to sensitive contractual information under the following
three sections of the Act on the basis that:
- Section 7(2)(i) – in order to allow Greater Wellington to carry on, without prejudice or
disadvantage, negotiations (including commercial and industrial negotiations);
- Section 7(2)(b)(ii) – as this would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the commercial
position of Greater Wellington and its operators;
- Section 7(2)(f)(i) – to allow the free and frank expression of opinions by or between or to
members or officers or employees of Greater Wellington.
Certain information has been removed on the basis that it does not fall within the scope of your
request. These are marked accordingly on the attached documents.
We have considered whether the public interest in the requested information outweighs Greater
Wellington’s need to withhold certain aspects of the requested information. As a result, we do not
consider that the public interest outweighs Greater Wellington’s reason for withholding parts of the
document under the grounds identified above.
We hope you find the attached information useful. If you have any additional questions, please let
us know.
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If you have any concerns with the decision(s) referred to in this letter, you have the right to request
an investigation and review by the Ombudsman under section 27(3) of the Act.
Yours sincerely
Scott Gallacher General Manager
Metlink
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