Auckland Council is asking Aucklanders what they think of three options for charging drivers to use some of the city's busiest roads at peak times. Feedback opened on 11 November and closes on Friday 11 December 2026.
The council calls it "time of use charging". It says congestion costs Auckland about $2.6 billion a year and the average commuter spends about 66 hours a year stuck in traffic.
No charge is coming soon. The council expects a final decision in 2028, and says a scheme would be operating in 2030 or 2031.
When would drivers pay, and how much?
Under all three options, drivers would generally be charged on weekdays when crossing into the charged area during the morning rush, 7am to 10am, or when leaving it in the afternoon rush, 3pm to 6pm.
The council's modelled charge ranges from $2 at the low end to $7 at the high end. It says the options being considered assume a maximum charge around the middle of that range.
What are the three options?
Option A: City centre. An invisible cordon around the central city. Motorway trips and travel within the cordon would not be charged. The council says about 3.5 percent of morning peak trips would pay, overall congestion across the isthmus and lower North Shore would fall by 4 percent, and paying drivers would save about 2.5 minutes.
Option B: City fringe. A bigger cordon that also takes in commercial areas and some neighbourhoods next to the city centre. Again, motorway trips and travel inside the cordon would not be charged. About 5.5 percent of morning peak trips would pay, congestion would fall by 6 percent, and paying drivers would save about 4 minutes.
Option C: Core motorways and city centre. Drivers would be charged crossing into the city centre or travelling on congested core motorway sections, between the Harbour Bridge, Point Chevalier and Mount Wellington. You would only pay once if driving from the motorway into the city centre. About 8.5 percent of morning peak trips would pay, but the council says this option would cut morning peak congestion by 28 percent. Paying drivers would save an average of 7 minutes, and up to 10 minutes on longer motorway trips.
The council also says about two thirds of drivers do not travel near any of the charged areas and would not be affected.
Will there be discounts or exemptions?
Not decided. The council is looking at "targeted mitigations" for people who cannot easily change how they travel, and that could include reimbursements through existing allowances, credits or price caps. It wants feedback to help shape that.
The council also says any surplus money must, under the law, be put first into transport around the charged area.
Why are some councillors unhappy with the survey?
The feedback form asks people how the options would affect them, but it has no box to say you oppose all three. 1News reported that councillors John Gillon and John Watson have told residents who are against any charge to tick "other" and write that in.
Gillon, who seconded a failed bid to add a "no" option, told 1News he was also worried that Auckland City Hospital and Starship could be inside a charged area. "You can't just pick and choose when you go to avoid congestion charging," he said.
How can I give feedback?
- Online at akhaveyoursay.nz, on the Time of Use Charging page
- By email, sending a completed feedback form to timeofusecharging@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
- By post, free, to: Auckland Council, Attention: Auckland Time of Use Charging, Freepost Number 190198, Private Bag 92300, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142.
There is an online information session on Thursday 19 November at 7pm where you can ask questions.
Before you fill it in: Your name and feedback will be included in public documents, though other personal details will not. The council will only count one submission per person, and if you send more than one, your latest is treated as your final view. The form also asks optional questions about ethnicity, with Chinese, Indian, Filipino and Korean listed as options. The council says it may use AI-assisted tools to help analyse feedback, with staff checking the results.
What happens after 11 December?
The feedback will go to the council's Transport and Infrastructure Delivery Committee in March 2027, which will pick an option to develop further. A scheme board of Auckland Council and NZTA would then work up a detailed plan, and there would be a formal public consultation on it, expected late in 2027.
The final proposal would need approval from the Minister of Transport.
The council's case relies on people having other ways to get into town. Our article on the new train timetable from 22 November covers the latest rail changes.
