Let's Get Wellington Moving

[4] A network of electric trams served Wellington, starting operations on 30 June 1904 and ending on 2 May 1964, making it the last regular passenger service in New Zealand.

[9] The plan also proposed an 800m tunnel under Mount Albert, connecting the Zoo bus terminus area and Coutts St in Kilbirnie.

[14][15] In August 2017 the Green Party updated its transport policy to introduce light rail from the city centre to Newtown by 2025 and the airport by 2027.

[31] Footpaths widened by up to 75 percent, removing most on-street carparks, and bus-only lanes in each direction would run along the stretch, with several side streets being blocked off to private vehicles.

[38] By 2020, no progress was made in planning the mass transit system; however, light rail was included in the Green Party's transport policy of 2020.

[42] In 2021, it was planned that a finalised design for the light rail would be ready in 2027 and construction would begin in 2028, and depending on the final decision, it could take 8–15 years to build.

New Zealand's Finance Minister Grant Robertson stated that "the southern light rail option is our preferred choice for Wellington because of the significant potential it offers for new housing and neighborhood growth.

"[55] Waka Kotahi had purchased in October 2023 land for a site for a light rail station near the Basin Reserve on the "southern" route to Island Bay.

[56] In September 2020, the "Let's Get Wellington Moving" board commissioned external consultants to review the program, revealing it was at risk of failing to deliver and needed to be paused to address major problems.

"[58] Other problems with the project were that it was expensive,[59] slow with long timelines for implementation,[60][61] unaccountable,[62] organisational structure,[58] bureaucratic inefficiency,[63] and had bad engagement with the community.

Simeon Brown ordered the NZTA to cease funding and work on various local council projects to promote cycling, walking, and public transportation, including "Let's Get Wellington Moving".

[69][4] Green Party transport spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter criticised the move, saying that "prioritising the Basin works and tunnel would not improve traffic flow, but would be disruptive."

Project manager of Cycling Action Network, Patrick Morgan, said new plans for transport in Wellington "are a hodgepodge of failed ideas from the 1960s", and "Everyone except the government knows you simply can't build your way out of congestion.

Ramming through a four-lane highway and tunnel won't win the votes of Wellingtonians who have shown consistent support for light rail in the city.

As part of the agreement, the Government agreed to fully fund the Basin Reserve upgrade while the Wellington City Council would take over responsibility over for the Thorndon Quay Hutt Road projects and the Golden Mile revitalisation.

[78] Late 2023 construction begun on Thorndon Quay to build cycleways, signalised pedestrian crossings, and peak hour bus lanes.