Herald NOW: Paul Henry to host The Chase NZ
Senior Government minister Chris Bishop says he was frustrated by the politicisation of Stan Walker's performance at the Aotearoa Music Awards, when he said 'what a load of crap".
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RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Government begins negotiations with councils for regional deals
Minister Chris Bishop says all three regions have significant economic growth potential. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The government is to begin negotiations with councils in Auckland, Otago and Western Bay of Plenty to set in place so-called city or regional deals. Mayors from those three regions have signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the coalition, after earlier submitting "light-touch proposals". The proposed deals are a coalition initiative under which local and central government will agree funding and project priorities over 10 years. Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop said all three regions had significant economic growth potential and had already demonstrated an ability to partner with government. "These initial regions put together compelling proposals that reflect the government's and the regions' priorities through strong propositions that provide a clear pathway to getting important work done," he said in a statement. "The government will now begin negotiations with the three regions, with a view to agreeing the first deal by the end of 2025." Bishop said, as part of negotiations, the government was prepared to offer easier access to new and existing funding and financing tools, as well as more collaboration with its experts and officials. It could also set up already funded "innovation facilities" - such as public research institutions - in a desired location. Bishop said in return, councils would have to sign up to the government's vision around economic growth, housing, water services and transport. Councils would have to do a better job looking after pipes, roads, and other important assets, he said. They would also be expected to do more than just the bare minimum when it came to encouraging new housing - especially near "rapid transit corridors" where the government had already helped pay for infrastructure. Bishop said the government also wanted councils to consider congestion charging, special rates for certain areas, or development charges. The government hoped to finalise its first deal by the end of the year.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
City And Regional Deals To Unlock Growth
Minister for Infrastructure Hon Simon Watts Minister of Local Government The Government has laid out its expectations for City and Regional Deals (CRDs) as long-term partnerships that will increase economic growth, create jobs, and boost productivity for New Zealanders, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Local Government Minister Simon Watts say. The Government has also signed the first Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to negotiate deals with Auckland, Otago/Central Lakes and Western Bay of Plenty. 'City and Regional Deals will be strategic 10-year partnerships between local and central government to progress joint priorities including economic growth, enabling abundant housing, better management and utilisation of local assets, and closing the infrastructure deficit,' Mr Bishop says. 'The Government has established five objectives for the City and Regional Deals programme: Better coordination between central government and regions, including how we work together and align our priorities Unlocking regions' unique potential and lifting economic growth, including regional employment opportunities Making room for housing growth Ensuring local governments do a better job at managing and utilising their asset base and make significant progress to close their infrastructure deficits – without new funding from Central Government. Ensuring Local Governments comprehensively adopt Central Government priority reforms such as Local Water Done Well, Resource Management Act reform, and Going for Housing Growth. 'Today we are outlining what central government will put on the table during negotiations for cities and regions participating in CRDs. These are: Improved central government coordination (both internally and with the regions), ensuring the right agencies are around the table. This could include agreement to deploy more senior officials to existing Urban Growth Partnerships and other governance arrangements, and improved Government infrastructure investment and asset management. Early collaboration with councils on system reforms including undertaking joint-spatial planning ahead of RM reform implementation. We will consider improvements to existing regulatory frameworks including: zoning, fees and charges innovation, streamlined planning and land acquisition processes, regional spatial planning. Providing councils with new funding and financing tools and incentivising them to better utilise existing ones. This could include considering the use of sharing of mining royalties, mobilising existing government funds to support deals, and providing access to government experts that could help councils use more complex tools such as Infrastructure Funding and Financing Act Levies. Supporting regions to unlock growth sectors (e.g., technology, biotech, advanced transportation, aquaculture, tourism, cleantech, renewable energy). Central government will consider locating 'confirmed/funded' innovation facilities/institutes in regions as part of a CRD. 'The Government expects that local government provides a better framework/structure for regional relationships with central government, and improves asset renewals, maintenance and management including ensuring a pipeline of future infrastructure work. 'We also expect that councils will go above legal and regulatory minimum requirements to unlock housing growth including around rapid transit corridors and where central government has invested in infrastructure. Further, we want regions to commit to exploring demand management tools like time of use charging. 'We are eager that regions commit to exploring new and existing tools including (but not limited to): Targeted rates, IFF Act Levies, Development Levies, asset recycling, and become attractive destinations for international investment opportunities.' 'The Government also expects regions to comprehensively adopt priority Central Government reform including Local Water Done Well, Going for Housing Growth, Resource Management Act and transport governance reform in Auckland,' Mr Watts says. 'Late last year, councils were invited to submit regional deal proposals to the Government. In total, 18 proposals were submitted. 'Following a multi-agency assessment process that included review by independent experts, Cabinet agreed to progress to MOUs with three regions. 'The Government has now signed MOUs with the Mayors from Auckland, Otago Central Lakes and Western Bay of Plenty. 'All three regions have existing Urban Growth Partnerships which demonstrate existing collaboration, and all three have economies with significant economic growth potential. 'These initial regions put together compelling proposals that reflect the Government's and the regions' priorities through strong propositions that provide a clear pathway to getting important work done. 'The Government will now begin negotiations with the three regions, with a view to agreeing the first Deal by the end of 2025.' The MOU signings reflect the National-Act Coalition Agreement to institute long-term city and regional infrastructure deals, allowing PPPs, tolling and value capture rating to fund infrastructure. Notes: The three regions: The Auckland region comprises Auckland Council. The Otago Central Lakes region comprises Queenstown Lakes District Council, Central Otago District Council and Otago Regional Council. The Western Bay of Plenty region comprises Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Regions' light-touch proposals were assessed by a multi-agency assessment panel against four criteria: Strategic alignment – Is the proposal aligned with the Government's priority objectives, does it have economic growth potential, and is there a commitment to housing and development growth? Effective partnerships – How strong and effective are the local and central government partnerships, is there collaboration between councils in the region, is there a history of positive collaboration with central government, and is there a commitment to broader government reforms and work programmes? Deliverability – Is there capacity, capability and readiness to deliver? Economic and financial feasibility – Is the proposal feasible, are projects likely to have a positive cost-benefit ratio, are timelines realistic, and is the risk profile of proposed projects acceptable?
Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
Children Most At Risk As Government Forces Reversals Of Safe Speeds On 1 July
Just as the school holidays get under way, children around the country will be at higher risk on streets in their neighbourhoods as the Setting of Speed Limits Rule (the Rule) introduced by Minister Simeon Brown and implemented by current Minister of Transport Chris Bishop requires councils to revert to dangerous higher speed limits from 1 July, with variable speeds in place only at school gates at the start and end of the school day. 'Children across the country are at risk from higher speeds when they're walking, biking or scooting around their neighbourhoods. If hit by a vehicle going 50km/h, children have an 80% higher likelihood of being killed or seriously injured than at 30km/h. We also know that 85% of crashes that injure or kill people on streets around schools happen outside of those short periods at the beginning and end of the school day', says Caroline Perry, NZ Director of Brake, the road safety charity, and a spokesperson for the Save our Safe Streets campaign. 'The heightened risk is especially concerning in Auckland, where Auckland Transport has taken an unusually strict interpretation of the Rule that has seen over 1400 mainly quiet residential streets swept up in speed limit reversals. Not only has AT gone far further than other councils in applying the rule, they have rushed the work, resulting in confusing, incomplete, contradictory and dangerous signage,' says Ms Perry. The Save our Safe Streets campaign is an alliance of leading road safety experts and transport advocates. In a briefing paper to Auckland Council's Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee, they have documented AT's flawed approach to the Rule. In particular they note that the rollout of reversals back to unsafe speeds – against the wishes of impacted communities – will result in harm to Aucklanders, wasteful expenditure, unnecessary disruption, higher costs and more extensive traffic management processes, environmental and economic damage, and a less efficient, more congested transport network. Group member Pippa Coom says, 'Instead of doing everything it could to defend its world-class road safety programme from ill-advised reversals, AT has capitulated effectively throwing Aucklanders under the bus at every opportunity. Moreover, the small handful of streets that have retained safe speeds were saved only due to tenacious intervention by residents and advocates – with neither public acknowledgement nor thanks from AT.' 'Throughout, AT has operated in secret. It has not been transparent or proactive in its dealings with Council and the public about its process around the Speed Limit Rule, nor has it communicated the impacts on communities. AT has had plenty of opportunities to limit the perverse and harmful outcomes of the Speed Limit Rule but chose not to, despite increasingly urgent requests from community leaders, advocates, and elected members,' says Ms Coom. Councillor Julie Fairey expressed profound disappointment in the outcome for Auckland. 'AT just were not interested in moving on this, despite being given plenty of opportunities and excuses they could use. Sadly, I think we won't have a full realisation of the liability question until someone is hurt or killed. The advocacy efforts on this have been amazing, huge amounts of research and effort put in, all voluntary, and the stonewalling at senior levels of AT has been heartbreaking'. She has gone on to say, 'I find it particularly cruel that many of the staff who have had to roll this out were those who understand the evidence, championed and implemented safer speeds.' The higher speeds kick in on 1 July, during the school holidays, and the reality of central government overriding evidence and local preference is only just becoming clear to many communities. For example, a stretch of beach north of Auckland is rising from 50km/h to 70km/h against community wishes, while further south, a nonsensical 100km/h will be installed on a dangerous stretch of road through a Lake Taupō campground. Ms Perry adds, 'A few fortunate communities, such as Rakaia and Nelson, will be rightly celebrating their common-sense retention of safe speeds, but this only came after a hard-fought campaign resulted in public consultation on the proposed speed limit increases to these stretches of road.' 'It should be common-sense to always apply the evidence to keep children safe. Everyone benefits when children can move independently, when people are free to walk and cycle without fear of serious injury and death, and when streets are safer for all of us,' says Ms Perry.
