It was one of a number of revealing moments which are being obscured by the fallout from Alfred Ngaro’s foolish comments – all of which deserve more scrutiny than they’re currently getting. One such came from Steven Joyce, addressing the conference as minister of finance for the first time. Asked from the floor why the government didn’t introduce a commuter rail link from Hamilton to Auckland, he said he didn’t think there was a case for it. The last time he’d looked at it, he said, when he was minister of transport (that is, before 2011), it would have been cheaper to fly the passengers by helicopter. Which is funny, but it wasn’t true then and it certainly isn’t true now. Besides, what an idiotic thing for a minister of finance to say when he’s just finished a speech boasting about his government’s commitment to good infrastructure. But then he seemed to reveal a budget item. He said he was more interested in extending the electrification of the rail line into Hunua, by which he meant the National-held Hunua electorate that stretches around the Bombay Hills. In other words, Pukekohe. Joyce doesn’t say things like that randomly. Electrification to Pukekohe is already on the government’s 10-year plan. Hot tip: watch for an early date and financial commitment in the budget on May 25. - thespinoff.co.nz