Waiheke Local Board chair Cath Handley says since the Waiheke Ferry exemption still stands, the board is pushing for funding to subsidise Waiheke fares as Auckland Council works on its long-term plan. Photo Paul Mitchell

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Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick and the Waiheke Local Board are making plans to continue the campaign to regulate the Waiheke ferry service – or at least bring fares in-line with other Hauraki Gulf routes.

Transport agency Waka Kotahi’s recent decision not to request an ‘order in council’ from the transport minister initially seemed to leave the campaign dead in the water. Under the Land Transport Management Act, an order in council is the only legal pathway to remove the Waiheke route’s exemption from the public transport network – which was originally granted by National Party transport minister Steven Joyce in 2011 when the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) was being drafted. • Paul Mitchell

Full story in this week’s Gulf News… Out Now Island Retailers and online

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