Phil Twyford admits embarrassing KiwiBuild blunder

Phil Twyford has been called out for an embarrassing mistake in a KiwiBuild press release.

The statement, which was released on Thursday, detailed a block of Onehunga apartments which will open next week as the first KiwiBuild development under the Government's 'Buying Off the Plans' initiative.

The Transport Minister was quoted on the distance from the apartments to the local train station, but he got his facts wrong.

"The @340 Onehunga development is a six-minute walk from Onehunga train station and on a main bus route with connections to the CBD and Auckland Airport," Mr Twyford said in the release.

However, an angry Newshub viewer says that estimate is wildly off, and the train station is more like a 15-minute walk from the new development.

"If the Housing Minister can walk from the development to the Onehunga train station in six minutes, I'll be a monkey's uncle," they said.

Mr Twyford seemed to be unaware that he'd been quoted as saying it was a six-minute walk. When asked by Newshub what his estimate for the walking distance would be, he guessed it could take up to 15 minutes.

"It was the developer who made that statement," was his excuse. "Did I personally fact-check it? No."

He conceded that he "perhaps" should have check over the details of the release before it was published.

Newshub.