A stoush has erupted over a tram line in central Auckland which has been suspended indefinitely.
The dock-line tram has operated since 2011, and now the land it sits on is set for redevelopment - but there's a growing movement to save it.
Puneet Dhall first discovered Auckland's dock-line tram with his three-year-old son. It was an instant hit for both of them.
"The joy it gives to people, the happiness, and the tourists - you see the heritage. I fell in love with the tram, and then I found out it was being destroyed."
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The trams started running in 2011, opening with much fanfare in time for the Rugby World Cup.
They became a familiar sight in Wynyard Quarter - but seven years later, the trams are stuck in the shed and the lines out the door have been pulled up.
"[The tracks] were literally ripped out one to two weeks ago," Mr Dhall says.
That's because the land is set to be sold off. It's earmarked for apartments, but Mr Dhall alleges it was done in secret.
He and 800 other advocates have started a petition for the trams to stay, even taking the matter to the wider council.
The advocates believes the trams are a "public asset", and any removal should be subject to consultation.
"We believe that Panuku had an obligation to consult with the public before they made the decision to enter into a legal obligation with the private property developer to remove these tracks."
Panuku, the council's development agency, is rubbishing suggestions deals were conducted in secret.
"Tramline was always a temporary location, and something we would have to move and adjust as the development occurs," says portfolio management director Ian Wheeler.
When it comes to consultation, he says Panuku is within its rights to stop the trams from running.
"The decision to suspend the tram was an operational decision - its one we've made before just around the practicalities of running the tram - and that's why we've done that."
As for if or when the tram will be running again, Panuku is giving no guarantees, but one thing's for sure: they won't be running from Wynyard Quarter in the future.
"It's been very popular here and we certainly support it here, but we certainly need to weigh that up - the costs, the benefits, and where it fits in the longer term," says Mr Wheeler.
Panuku says it's willing to consider moving the tram line to another location.
Mr Dhall wants it reinstated early next year - an unlikely goal, but he's hoping for a swell of public support to get his plans moving.
Newshub.
