Latest news with #Meager
Scoop
24-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Lifesaving Funding Boosts For Kiwis' Outdoor Safety
Associate Minister of Transport Associate Transport Minister James Meager has confirmed an additional $76.7 million for New Zealand Search and Rescue over three years, to ensure 12 organisations can continue their lifesaving operations. Additionally, the Government has announced an investment of $624,000 over the same period, to help maintain and improve recreational aviation safety across the country. 'New Zealand has one of the largest and most challenging search and rescue regions in the world, so it's vital to ensure they have necessary funding to deliver their critical services,' Mr Meager says. "Ensuring Kiwis are safe as they go about their activities, either for work or leisure, is one of the Government's top transport priorities. 'Last year, 152 lives were saved, 921 people were assisted and 794 people were rescued through the work of the search and rescue sector. This is thanks to the dedication of than 11,000 people involved in the industry – 80 per cent of whom are volunteers.' $542,000 will go towards the New Zealand Aviation Federation to deliver updated Instrument Flight Procedures at unattended aerodromes, which pilots use to safely take off and land at airports across the country. An $82,000 funding boost will also enhance safety at those sites, paying for further training and education to remind pilots of the necessary safety procedures. 'The investment also underlines the Government's commitment to helping grow our economy by supporting a safe and secure recreational aviation system,' Mr Meager says. 'Many Kiwis and visitors love to get out and explore our beautiful country. Today's announcements will help keep everyone safe when they're outdoors – whether that's on the land, water or in the air.' Notes: The Government's investment into the search and rescue sector is determined by a review of the funding, which the Ministry of Transport carries out every three years. Funding was last reviewed in 2022. In addition to the previous funding approved under Section 9(1) of the Land Transport Management Act 2003, the new three years funding package includes: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications (AREC) will receive $3.2 million to support the organisation's operations. Land Safety Forum will receive $1.1 million for its work to improve collaboration between 15 government agencies and volunteer organisations working across the search and rescue sector. Marlborough-Nelson Marine Radio Association will receive $279,000 to continue to operate its Very High Frequency (VHF) channels that ensures the safety of recreational boat users in the Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough regions. The funding will be used for operator channel costs, maintenance and upgrades of its Marine VHF repeater sites. NZ Police will receive $795,000 to support the continued employment of 11 District Search and Rescue Assistant Coordinators. NZ Search and Rescue Council (and Secretariat) will receive $1.4 million to implement its Strategic Plan. Coastguard NZ will receive $11.3 million to continue to deliver search and rescue activities, including funding for training, and information and business improvement. The Department of Conservation (DoC) will receive $189,000 to cover its baseline SAR activities. Maritime NZ will receive $17.2 million, which will cover costs incurred by operators for rescues performed, its search and rescue (SAR) coordination role, and recreational craft safety activities. Mountain Safety Council will receive $1.3 million, which will ensure it can continue to deliver the New Zealand Avalanche Advisory (NZAA). Surf Life Saving New Zealand will receive $8.3 million, which will fund training, volunteer support, and the organisations SAR operations. Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) will receive $30.1 million, which will support the organisations SAR activities and operations and ensure its volunteers meet personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements. Youth Search and Rescue (YSAR) will receive total funding of $1.56 million to support the organisations activities. Recreational flying Instrument Flight Procedures (IFPs) are instructions pilots use to navigate around aerodromes and are integral to safely take off and land at aerodromes and airports without an air traffic control tower. The NZAF received funding to deliver IFPs at uncontrolled airports in 2022, however IFPs need five yearly maintenance and this funding ensures that the IFPs remain valid into the future. The funding amount available is limited to the amount of fuel excise duty collected from users of aircraft in recreational aviation.
Otago Daily Times
14-06-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
‘Why can't Momoa live here?'
Minister for the South Island James Meager. PHOTO: PHILIP CHANDLER The National-led government's South Island minister believes lifting the foreign buyer ban for $5million-plus Queenstown residential properties makes sense. At the last election, National campaigned on a $2m threshold for overseas buyers — currently only Aussies and Singaporeans are exempt from the ban introduced by the previous Labour government in 2018 — but kept the ban on as part of its coalition agreement with New Zealand First. Visiting Queenstown this week, James Meager, the first South Island Minister, agrees high-net-worth foreigners "bring a lot of investment and opportunities, and they don't really have a big physical footprint in terms of, you know, strains on resources or infrastructure". "I'd be very surprised if any of these people are coming here and using the public health system, anything like that. "So we campaigned on the $2m [threshold], couldn't get that across the line." He says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's "very public" about looking at that. "It's something we continue to work on in government, and I think it's something if we can't get across the line in this government, we will certainly campaign on." Meager says even if it's a higher limit like $5m for places like Queenstown, "I think people will accept that". "Look at the kind of people who are looking to move here. "I mean, [Hollywood actor] Jason Momoa basically lives here, right? "But wouldn't it be fantastic to have him base himself in and out of Queenstown, flies internationally, brings in so much business and marketing and commerce from his movies and his franchises. "I think it makes sense, and you can do it in a way which doesn't put pressure on the housing for the workers and for the people who have lived here for 50 years and actually want to be able to have a home." Meanwhile, Meager's acutely aware of the limitations with Queenstown's current hospital and how, for example, a high proportion of local women give birth out of town — last year, there were 396 births outside Queenstown Lakes/Central Otago. While in Queenstown he visited friends who'd had a baby five weeks ago, who initially went to Invercargill to get ready. Things didn't move as quickly as they thought, so they returned to the resort. "Then all of a sudden away she went, and then it was a helicopter trip to Dunedin because Invercargill's full. "And then that meant [the parents] were actually separated for the birth." Meager says that "brings home the idea that for a place like Queenstown, that's probably not ideal". "There's a very low threshold in the medical profession here for saying, if it even looks like you're going to get in trouble, we'll call a helicopter in, and that's not ideal because it's stressful, it's time, it's costs." Meager says the Health Minister's aware of it and working on it — "I know there are proposals from a couple of entities around bringing private capital in and just getting a hospital up and running and maybe contract everything out to [the] public [system]". "I think we can get some solutions in the next few years." Supports our regional deal James Meager says he supports the proposal for a regional deal the Queenstown Lakes, Central Otago and Otago Regional councils have put to the government, describing it as "very good". Under a regional deal, the government works with councils to improve infrastructure, which can include public transport and health facilities — in this case a mass transit Queenstown cable car and a base hospital. The government's yet to approve any, but in the South Island "Queenstown and West Coast seem to be well on track", Meager says.
Scoop
11-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Applications Open For $30 Million Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund
Press Release – New Zealand Government The Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund was established through the Government Policy Statement on land transport. Funding will be allocated through a contestable process, with the criterias scope confirmed today. Associate Minister for Transport Applications have opened for a $30 million fund for projects that will enhance the resilience of New Zealand's coastal shipping connections and help boost economic growth, Associate Transport Minister James Meager has announced. The Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund was established through the Government Policy Statement on land transport. Funding will be allocated through a contestable process, with the criteria's scope confirmed today. 'The coastal shipping sector is vulnerable to natural hazard risks. Disruption to the sector could worsen New Zealand's supply chain and economic performance,' Mr Meager says. 'This long-term investment is crucial to ensuring we as a nation can get our goods to market, which is vital to growing the economy. Economic growth means more jobs, higher incomes and better public services for all Kiwis.' The fund will be used to invest in a small number of landmark projects, to support assets and facilities with a long lifespan well beyond the three-year funding period. This could include strengthening wharves and jetties, improving access routes to and from ports, or upgrading freight handling equipment. Preference will be given to applications which include co-investment. Mr Meager says the fund will also consider requests from sectors that support the resilience of the wider coastal shipping sector through, for example, energy and fuel, navigation aids, or the training of seafarers. 'Coastal shipping plays an important role in New Zealand's freight network. It provides a safe and low emitting way of transporting large, heavy cargo such as shipping containers – along with cement and aggregate used in building new infrastructure. 'It is also a lifeline when natural disaster strikes, as demonstrated following Cyclone Gabrielle when coastal shipping provided critical services to Tairāwhiti. The fund will ensure those benefits can continue. 'The fund will enhance the coastal shipping sector's ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from disruptive events that would otherwise undermine our coastal freight connections.'
Scoop
11-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Applications Open For $30 Million Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund
Press Release – New Zealand Government The Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund was established through the Government Policy Statement on land transport. Funding will be allocated through a contestable process, with the criterias scope confirmed today. Associate Minister for Transport Applications have opened for a $30 million fund for projects that will enhance the resilience of New Zealand's coastal shipping connections and help boost economic growth, Associate Transport Minister James Meager has announced. The Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund was established through the Government Policy Statement on land transport. Funding will be allocated through a contestable process, with the criteria's scope confirmed today. 'The coastal shipping sector is vulnerable to natural hazard risks. Disruption to the sector could worsen New Zealand's supply chain and economic performance,' Mr Meager says. 'This long-term investment is crucial to ensuring we as a nation can get our goods to market, which is vital to growing the economy. Economic growth means more jobs, higher incomes and better public services for all Kiwis.' The fund will be used to invest in a small number of landmark projects, to support assets and facilities with a long lifespan well beyond the three-year funding period. This could include strengthening wharves and jetties, improving access routes to and from ports, or upgrading freight handling equipment. Preference will be given to applications which include co-investment. Mr Meager says the fund will also consider requests from sectors that support the resilience of the wider coastal shipping sector through, for example, energy and fuel, navigation aids, or the training of seafarers. 'Coastal shipping plays an important role in New Zealand's freight network. It provides a safe and low emitting way of transporting large, heavy cargo such as shipping containers – along with cement and aggregate used in building new infrastructure. 'It is also a lifeline when natural disaster strikes, as demonstrated following Cyclone Gabrielle when coastal shipping provided critical services to Tairāwhiti. The fund will ensure those benefits can continue. 'The fund will enhance the coastal shipping sector's ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from disruptive events that would otherwise undermine our coastal freight connections.'
Scoop
10-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Applications Open For $30 Million Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund
Associate Minister for Transport Applications have opened for a $30 million fund for projects that will enhance the resilience of New Zealand's coastal shipping connections and help boost economic growth, Associate Transport Minister James Meager has announced. The Coastal Shipping Resilience Fund was established through the Government Policy Statement on land transport. Funding will be allocated through a contestable process, with the criteria's scope confirmed today. 'The coastal shipping sector is vulnerable to natural hazard risks. Disruption to the sector could worsen New Zealand's supply chain and economic performance,' Mr Meager says. 'This long-term investment is crucial to ensuring we as a nation can get our goods to market, which is vital to growing the economy. Economic growth means more jobs, higher incomes and better public services for all Kiwis.' The fund will be used to invest in a small number of landmark projects, to support assets and facilities with a long lifespan well beyond the three-year funding period. This could include strengthening wharves and jetties, improving access routes to and from ports, or upgrading freight handling equipment. Preference will be given to applications which include co-investment. Mr Meager says the fund will also consider requests from sectors that support the resilience of the wider coastal shipping sector through, for example, energy and fuel, navigation aids, or the training of seafarers. 'Coastal shipping plays an important role in New Zealand's freight network. It provides a safe and low emitting way of transporting large, heavy cargo such as shipping containers – along with cement and aggregate used in building new infrastructure. 'It is also a lifeline when natural disaster strikes, as demonstrated following Cyclone Gabrielle when coastal shipping provided critical services to Tairāwhiti. The fund will ensure those benefits can continue. 'The fund will enhance the coastal shipping sector's ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from disruptive events that would otherwise undermine our coastal freight connections.'
