Billboards accidentally revealed City Rail Link opening date early

Electronic billboards on Fanshawe Street accidentally displayed the City Rail Link opening date for six hours before being removed. The error occurred at 12.01am, which was 10 hours before the formal announcement was scheduled.

The official announcement by Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown took place at 10am from Karanga-a-Hape Station. QMS Media, the contractor for the advertising campaign, had intended for the ads to go live between 5pm and 6pm on the day of the announcement.

QMS Media sent apologies to the minister, the mayor, and Auckland Transport leadership following the operational and scheduling error. An official from QMS stated, "It was your moment to share this long-awaited news with the public at 10am today, and I am deeply sorry that an operational failure on our part pre-empted your official announcement and disrupted your plans".

Minister Chris Bishop dismissed the incident, suggesting the focus should remain on the project opening. Auckland Transport interim chief executive Stacey van der Putten responded to the apology by noting that mistakes happen and there would be learnings to take forward.

Where reports differ

• One report states the billboards were displayed for more than six hours, while another specifies they were up for six hours.

Compiled from reports by NZ Herald and Stuff.