24 March 2026
File Ref: OIAPR-1274023063-48173
Miss M Quicken
By email:
[email address]
Tēnā koe Miss M Quicken
Requests for information 2026-078 and 2026-087
I refer to your requests for information dated 24 February 2026, which were received by Greater
Wellington Regional Council (Greater Wellington) on 24 February 2026. You have requested the
following:
“Please provide the documents outlining:
a) Council papers or requests to inside or outside consultants to provide a strategy as to how.
oversight is managed re: Metlink & Private bus operators.
b) Responses, assessment, briefings or any such that have been provided to council to give
either an proposed or an actual effect of strategy as to oversight council is to do
c) Responsibilities, Accountability, Counsulted & Informed (RACI) or near/equivalent charts
that outlines each parties between council, Metlink & private operators”
And;
“Please provide the material surrounding Metlink & GRWC Public transport side
a) Any requests submitted to Metlink relating to revenue assesment & options that involve
cutting services or increasing the fares
b) Any responses, briefings that have been provided by Metlink to council outlining either
assesments, briefings and;
c) Ministerial and any other lobbying that made part of the decision to either rise fares and cut
services as Clr Ponter indicated about that metlink would do”
Wellington office
Upper Hutt
Masterton office
0800 496 734
PO Box 11646
PO Box 40847
PO Box 41
www.gw.govt.nz
Manners St, Wel ington
1056 Fergusson Drive
Masterton 5840
[Wellington Regional Council request email]
6142
Greater Wellington’s response follows:
Your request has been assessed under the Local Government Official Information and
Meetings Act 1987 (the Act).
On 2 March 2026 a Greater Wellington officer reached out to you to request clarification on
the below parts of your request, as we believe this is covered in our contracts with operators:
“a) Council papers or requests to inside or outside consultants to provide a strategy as to how.
oversight is managed re: Metlink & Private bus operators.
b) Responses, assessment, briefings or any such that have been provided to council to give
either an proposed or an actual effect of strategy as to oversight council is to do
c) Responsibilities, Accountability, Counsulted & Informed (RACI) or near/equivalent charts
that outlines each parties between council, Metlink & private operators”.
We also requested clarification on 4 March 2026 for the timeframes you were interested in for
the following part of your request:
“
Any responses, briefings that have been provided by Metlink to council outlining either
assesments, briefings”.
As we did not receive a response from you, we have proceeded with our best interpretation of
your request.
Council papers or requests to inside or outside consultants to provide a strategy as to how.
oversight is managed re: Metlink & Private bus operators.
In order to progress your request, Greater Wellington has interpreted it as seeking information
provided to Council regarding oversight and management responsibilities for bus services,
including how these responsibilities are given effect.
On this basis, we consider that the information you are seeking is contained within our
contracts with public transport operators, which set out oversight, performance and
management obligations.
Greater Wellington has published our contracts with bus and rail operators on our website, you
can access them through the following link:
https://www.gw.govt.nz/transport/metlink-bus-
train-and-ferry/public-transport-contracts/
Responses, assessment, briefings or any such that have been provided to council to give
either an proposed or an actual effect of strategy as to oversight council is to do
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The Council decision making regarding the adoption of the bus contracts and procurement
strategy can be found on our website.
Responsibilities, Accountability, Counsulted & Informed (RACI) or near/equivalent charts
that outlines each parties between council, Metlink & private operators
Equivalent information can be found in our contracts with operators. You may also find
information on Council consultation on the Greater Wellington website, as above.
Any requests submitted to Metlink relating to revenue assesment & options that involve
cutting services or increasing the fares
There have been no requests submitted to Metlink relating to revenue assessment and options
that involve cutting services or increasing fares. Fare levels and service provision in the
Wellington region is set by Greater Wellington. However, we are required to work with the New
Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) to achieve agreed private share targets which
relates primarily to fares and any other funding that isn't through rates or subsidies.
NZTA introduced an initiative for public transport authorities (PTAs) to increase private share in
2024, in line with the Minister’s expectations as set out in the Government Policy Statement on
Land Transport 2024 (GPS). Targets have been set by NZTA for PTAs, the target levels for Metlink
can be found through the following link:
https://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/Documents/2025/06/2025-06-03-Update-on-Private-Share-
Targets.pdf
Achieving these targets may include measures such as cutting services or increasing fares.
Any responses, briefings that have been provided by Metlink to council outlining either
assesments, briefings
We requested a clarification on the timeframes you were interested in on 4 March but received
no response from you. In order to progress your request, we have interpreted this part of your
request as any responses or briefings to Council outlining fare changes or service reduction
since the introduction of private share targets as indicative above.
Greater Wellington conducts an annual fare review to determine any fare adjustments in line
with inflation and expectations of costs and revenue. Please see the links to the previous two
annual fare reviews below:
• Page 39:
https://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Documents/2026/02/Council-19-
February-2026-Order-Paper-Public-v2.pdf
Page 3 of 4
• Page 193:
https://www.gw.govt.nz/assets/Documents/2025/02/Council-27-February-
2025-Public-Order-Paper-v2.pdf
Please see
Attachment 1 for a copy of a
Council workshop on bus service reductions. The
attached presentation reflects initial consideration of service level reductions based on RPTP
criteria, and not necessarily how any service level reductions will ultimately be progressed,
should they be progressed.
Please note, we have redacted information from this attachment under section 7(2)(b)(i ) of
the Act on the grounds that the withholding of information is necessary to protect information
where the making available of information would be likely unreasonably to prejudice the
commercial positions of the person who supplied or who is the subject of the information.
We have considered whether the public interest in the requested information outweighs
Greater Wellington’s need to withhold this information. As a result, we do not consider that
the public interest outweighs Greater Wellington’s reason for withholding this information
under the grounds identified above.
Ministerial and any other lobbying that made part of the decision to either rise fares or cut
services as Clr Ponter indicated about that metlink would do
There was no lobbying done to raise fares or cut services. The GPS sets out the Government’s
land transport strategy and is set by the Minister of Transport. This includes priorities for
investment, sets funding allocations and provides direction to PTAs in their activities. NZTA and
PTAs are expected to be consistent with the GPS.
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.
Please note that it is our policy to proactively release our responses to official information
requests where appropriate. Our response to your request will be published shortly on Greater
Wellington’s website with your personal information removed.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Samantha Gain
Kaiwhakahaere Matua Waka-ā-atea | Group Manager Metlink
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