A Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) consultant charged up to $535 an hour for nearly three years while working on the “project delivery” of a long-delayed public transport ticketing system.
The transport agency has revealed under the Official Information Act that the long-delayed national ticketing solution (NTS) – Motu Move, has already cost it $201.5 million, including $24.2m on consultants and $21.7m on contractors.
The NTS is intended as a system that will mean a single card, including a bank card, will be all that is needed to swipe onto public transport around the country.
It was a futuristic idea when first mooted in 2008 but now, 17 years later, the technology is widespread globally. NZTA confirmed the 2026 deadline for Wellington was “overly ambitious” and it was pushed back to 2027, when it is now scheduled across the country.
