Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport): As a Government, we have a strong sense of the public good through the provision of goods and services to New Zealanders, and in transport, one of the ways we do that is through the subsidisation of the operation of public transport networks and services to improve the level of service and encourage the uptake of public transport. This helps reduce congestion, makes our cities work better, and reduces emissions. We've thought long and hard about the role that the Government has to play, and we're putting that thought into action through support for public transport services as well as important investments in rapid transit in Auckland and Wellington, the Eastern Busway, and into regional rail, among many other projects—just like many other countries are—as we face down the climate challenge. 