A block of a new central city cycleway has blown its budget, forcing the council to approve shifting money from another project to cover the shortfall.

The project, which council staff have called the “Antigua Street Cycle Network (Tuam-Moorhouse)” was originally expected to cost $3.9 million, but now requires at least another $1.25 million, pushing the total closer to $5 million.  That money will come from the Wheels to Wings cycleway project.

The money will also be used to upgrade the road, an intersection and plant trees.

Chris Lynch Media requested a full breakdown of costs from the council, but a spokesperson said staff were still preparing it.

Council staff said the funding had to be approved before the Annual Plan was finalised in June, warning that construction needed to begin immediately if the upgrade was to be completed before the opening of the Parakiore sports facility in October.

But councillors clashed over the cost, with some questioning the lack of financial control over cycleways and infrastructure projects, while others insisted the work was critical.

Linwood Councillor Yani Johanson raised concerns about rising costs for cycleways and other transport projects.

“We are getting increasing concerns from people—not around the provision of cycleways, but around the cost of how we’re doing cycleways and other roading projects,” Johanson said. “So is there any review going on as to how we can do them more cost-effectively?”

Council staff said there had been no real appetite among councillors to explore cost-saving measures at previous briefings.

Johanson added: “If you think about how much money we’re spending on one business case for one little intersection, it’s quite frightening. I do think the public want to express their views over how we’re prioritising the funding of certain things.”

“I totally understand that this is an area where there is demand for cycling facilities, but the cost of this project, in my mind, is something that the Infrastructure Committee or a working party really needs to have a good look at.”

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger made it clear he was not supporting the funding shift.

“I’m not going to support this,” he said. “I think the whole thing is over-designed with lots of trees when there’s 23,000 plants being planted at Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre, less than three metres away. So I won’t be supporting it.”

His stance sparked a sharp rebuke from Councillor Melanie Coker, who accused him of failing to lead.

“I think it shows a lack of leadership, actually, from the mayor,” Coker said. “And I’m not joking—if you’re going to open Metro Sports Parakiore and not have a road people can get into it, and people can’t cycle there, what are you trying to achieve? Nothing. That’s what you’re trying.”

Councillor Aaron Keown backed Mauger, calling the spending unjustifiable.

“Publicly, this will be quite contentious,” Keown said. “And I think it’s good for the mayor to speak up on behalf of all of those people around the city that get really annoyed by spending $5 million on one block.”

He also questioned the cost breakdown, particularly the money allocated for trees.

“I heard people heckling across the room, saying, oh, there’s traffic lights and stuff. But it’s already accessible, it’s surrounded by good roads. This is just once again an over-design and an overspend on trees in the street.”

“It would be great to see a breakdown of the cost, because the street trees will be thousands of dollars each, and we have a parks team that can deliver trees planted in reserves at $10 each. For the same cost, we could have thousands more trees planted than the ones that will go on that street.”

Keown also criticised the placement of the cycleway, arguing it should have been integrated into the Parakiore site itself.

“The cycleway on one side should have gone through the Parakiore site, like the mayor said. That was a great suggestion. That showed great leadership and a great use of that space.”

“You can keep ignoring the public and saying that you know better, but come October, they might tell you different.”

Despite financial concerns, other councillors argued the upgrade needed to happen now, warning it would clash with 10,000 daily visitors once the Special Olympics and other events began at Parakiore.

Deputy Mayor Pauline Cotter defended the project.

“It’s only by taking these bold moves to invest the money which is required that we will have that city that’s fast becoming an incredibly highly reputable place to work, live, play, and invest.”

“I think it’s really important to get behind this, particularly with Parakiore opening. We can’t muck around. We have to go with it.”

Councillor Sara Templeton pointed to Riverside Market as an example of how public spaces can boost businesses.

“That’s the most phenomenal example of that link between private enterprise building the market itself, but also the public realm outside it,” Templeton said. “I can’t picture Riverside without all of that seating outside that’s actually in the official road. The white picnic tables under the trees used to be 22 car parks. If we took all of that away now and put back 22 car parks, people would be in an uproar.”

“The public realm helps businesses in the central city. And when you go from the Antigua Street Bridge, which is really close to a busy pedestrian area, it’s only a couple of hundred meters down to Parakiore.”

Councillor Andrei Moore, while acknowledging concerns over cost, warned that delaying the work would be an even bigger mistake.

“I share the concerns around cost and everything that we may or may not need to be doing,” Moore said. “But this project is more than just the cycleways. 10,000 people a day will be visiting—that’s quite a lot.”

“If in 20 months’ time we were sitting here, and then you’ve got all of this great big movement at a great new facility that’s been years and years over delayed, and then we’re going to start ripping up the road outside that facility a few months into it being open?”

“I don’t want to be sitting anywhere in 20 months when that starts happening. That would be making an absolute meal of a project that has really had a few years of struggle already.”

Councillor Victoria Henstock stood by her previous concerns about the project.

“I’ve got a strong sense of déjà vu here. When this came before us previously, I had a number of concerns about it, and I expressed those at that time,” Henstock said. “I’ve still got those concerns, and I’m in the mayor’s camp on this.”

“We ought to have worked harder to avoid the increased costs on this. I’m not going to be supporting this today.”

Councillor Sam MacDonald said the debate exposed the deep divide among councillors on spending priorities.

“I think these debates always signal the difference of view around this council table,” MacDonald said. “And actually, except for Mel, to be honest, I think everyone was really respectful in how they did it.”

He then challenged the media to hold councillors accountable for their votes.

“I only had one request, and it’s for the media to put the voting record for this on the front page of the paper, because there’ll be nothing that will ignite the city more than the way we are spending money, than this.”

Voting Record

For: Moore, Cotter, McClellan, Barber, Fields, Scandrett, Harrison-Hunt, Coker, Templeton, Donovan, Peters.

Against: Johanson, Gough, MacDonald, Keown, Mauger, Henstock.