Incoming Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon "would have had a mutiny" on his hands if he hadn't re-affirmed plans to scrap Auckland's Light Rail project, according to a political expert.

Luxon confirmed he still isn't keen on the project and labelled it a 'white elephant' whilst visiting his Botany electorate on Thursday.

He said the billions spent could be better put towards other transport priorities.

National has always stood firm on the belief the project was a waste of money, the party's transport spokesman Simeon Brown told Andrew Dickens in May last year the project had an identity crisis and should be thrown in the bin.

“They’ve basically said the Government should go back to the drawing board and do a whole lot more work before actually going forward with this project at all," said Brown at the time.

Following Luxon's latest comments on the project, ZB political editor Jason Walls told Heather Du Plessis-Allan Drive that Luxon has been consistent about scrapping Light Rail from the beginning of the campaign.

"If he had turned around and said- we're going to go ahead with this, he would have had a mutiny on his hands led by Simeon Brown," he said. 

However, Walls was intrigued by the "two schools of thought" taking place from the nation's newly elected leader given his desire to keep most of his cards close to his chest whilst coalition negotiations continue.

"He's not confirming or denying anything while coalition talks still go on and before the special votes are counted, but he's also managed to put some things on the chopping block like light rail and the referendum on the treaty...you read between the lines and there's a wink-wink-nudge-nudge that it won't happen."

Physical work on the light rail network began in February to connect Wynyard Quarter, Mount Roskill, South Auckland and Auckland Airport.

Transport Minister Michael Wood said at the time the beginning set the project in stone, although details of the route and cost still hadn't been finalised.

Then in September, Auckland Light Rail signed off on a $33-million contract to buy the Kiwi Bacon Building on New North Road in Kingsland.

Mark Thomas —the director of the Committee for Auckland think tank— told Mike Hosking that the land purchase was strange, given the uncertainty that surrounded the project. 

Walls said there are now further questions, given the incoming Government's stance on the project, about what will happen to the money invested in the network so far. 

"We do know through [Official Information Act] requests that $165 million on [the project] has been spent to date, so will the Government repurpose that? Or is it all up on smoke?" he said.

"It's a heck of a lot of cheese for nothing to happen with."