9. H V ROSS ROBERTSON (Labour—Manukau East) Link to this
to the Minister of Transport
What recent announcements has she made to assist local government that provide greater flexibility for land transport funding?
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Transport) Link to this
Yesterday I announced at the Local Government New Zealand Conference that regionally distributed funding, also known as R funding, will now be available for renewal projects such as rebuilding and replacing roads and other land transport infrastructure. R funding was first made available in 2005 to assist local government with priority infrastructure projects. It is distributed on a regional basis. Unfortunately, some local authorities were unable to take full advantage of R funding, because originally it could be applied only for capital projects. Now areas like Southland, for example, will be able to access funding for renewals.
H V Ross Robertson Link to this
Can the Minister tell the House what the reaction was to this announcement at the Local Government New Zealand Conference?
There was a very enthusiastic reaction, particularly from rural and provincial New Zealanders, whose needs, they know, were neglected in the 1990s by the previous National Government.
H V Ross Robertson Link to this
Can the Minister, therefore, tell the House how much money will be made available for renewal?
Of the $2 billion available for land transport infrastructure projects, approximately $510 million has been set aside for local road projects, depending on what regions regard as their land transport priorities. Some of this funding will be available for renewals. It will be very much up to the regions themselves.