Mayor's Message: Maximising opportunities for Nelson
08/12/2023 3:17pm
As a Council and a community, we need to take into account that the new Government’s focus is on the economy and cost-of-living crisis so we can maximise the opportunities for Nelson.
The Government’s priorities come as no surprise with inflation at the highest level in decades and hiked interest rates squeezing household, business and Council budgets. It inherits a $30 billion balance of payments deficit and net debt that has increased 13-fold over the past five years to $71 billion.
Funding will be tight and we will have to show good value for money to get Government support.
Nelson is well placed to support the Government’s ambition to grow New Zealand’s export and technology sectors. We have one of the highest proportions of export industries with our horticultural, seafood, forestry and farming sectors. We have an emerging science and technology sector that, if nurtured, can increase productivity and wealth for our region.
We had everything to lose and nothing to gain from the previous Government’s radical three waters reform because Nelson’s infrastructure is in much better shape than most Councils. I have been a critic as I did not think it was fair for Nelson ratepayers to be picking up the bill for cities such as Wellington that have badly neglected their water infrastructure. Nelson will now retain the $750 million of wastewater, stormwater and drinking water infrastructure that has been built over the past 150 years.
The National–NZ First Coalition agreement provides for a new $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund. Our region only got a slim slice of the previous Provincial Growth Fund. We have 5% of the provincial population but received only 1% of the funding. Northland received 10 times the funding per person. I will be working hard to ensure we get a fairer slice of this new fund. We will need to tailor our proposals to the priorities of the new Government.
There are other big changes affecting our polytechnic, housing density, resource management, the setting of speed limits and forestry as well as a proposal for a four-year term that will all have an effect on Council.
My top two priorities for the region will be advocacy for the $1.1 billion Nelson Hospital upgrade and the $250 million Hope Bypass. I will be working hard to ensure they are progressed.
