Latest news with #regionaldevelopment
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Minister Shane Jones accuses council of being 'iwi back office'
The Minister for Regional Development Shane Jones wants politicians to ask ratepayers if regional councils are value for money. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER The Minister for Regional Development Shane Jones says problems in regional councils are "hobbling" economic progress. Last week, Jones told a forum New Zealand First did not see a compelling case for regional government to continue to exist after changes to the Resource Management Act came into effect. However, Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair Doug Leeder says scrapping regional councils is not in the interest of the wider community or the environment He was reacting after Jones told Morning Report regional councils such as Otago and Waikato were standing in the way of mining and marine farming permits. "In 2012 the Waikato Regional Council itself made a submission to the Productivity Commission and it identified that co-ordination and a host of other problems was actually hobbling its ability to contribute towards productivity. "If we don't have mining, if we don't have marine farming then a lot of the regional areas of New Zealand they're going to be blighted," Jones said. The councils represented a small part of a case for a "broader rationalisation" which he intended to put before his party in the lead up to next election. "New Zealand politicians should ask the public: Do they feel that the current system, is it generating ratepayer value? Is it actually delivering economic growth at a time where the narrative we have - as a government - is to boost economic growth, to generate the surplus so we can afford the services that we take for granted," Jones said. The influence of iwi and the creeping scope of co-governance initiatives had extended beyond initial intent. "I'm deeply concerned that the Waikato Regional council is turning into some sort of iwi back office. "I think that there's a host of other challenges though where [council] staff are hobbling economic development such as an unwillingness to support mining in Otago where they've dredged up some dead moth," Jones said. Minister for Resource Management Act Reform Chris Bishop said the changes the government was making will look at the functions and responsibilities of regional councils. Bishop said the reform process has implications for regional councils, as they do a range of things such as public transport, natural hazard management, and environmental monitoring and planning. He said Jones was giving his party view but he could understand his frustration with regional councils. Doug Leeder Photo: NZME Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair Doug Leeder says passing off regional council's responsibilities onto another agency will not alter the challenges associated with their functions. Councils gained a raft of important responsibilities from regional catchment boards in the late eighties. "They include really important functions such as the stewardship of land, water and air, therefore the environmental issues. There's rivers, drainage, flood protection schemes, you've got public transport delivery, emergency management functions, regional planning functions, bio-security, bio-diversity as a starter. "So when we understand those and we understand how they are best delivered then that's the start of the conversation rather than the unilateral just getting rid of councils," Leeder said. Councils were open to discussions on streamlining those functions if the tasks were underpinned by good, solid governance. "Let's be upfront, some of the consenting processes across the country in terms of the RMA [Resoruce Management Act} and getting infrastructure and delivery of services are really complex, they are really expensive and they need review. The regional sector of Local Government New Zealand has been advocating for this for a significant period of time," Leeder said. Scrapping regional councils and their associated functions was not in the interest of the wider community or the environment, he told Morning Report . Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
SBS Australia
6 days ago
- General
- SBS Australia
Punjabi community in Toowoomba: A story of belonging, growth and connection
Topics explored included the challenges and opportunities of settling in regional areas, stories of cultural resilience, and efforts to foster social cohesion. Set against the backdrop of Toowoomba, this special episode captures the community spirit in the heart of regional Queensland. Tune into the podcast to hear these inspiring voices and stories. Click on the audio icon to listen to the full report and interview in Punjabi. For news, information and interviews in Punjabi from across Australia and homeland, you can tune in to SBS Punjabi live from Monday to Friday at 4pm on SBS South Asian on digital radio, on channel 305 on your television, via the SBS Audio app or stream from our website . Also, follow us on Facebook and Instagram .
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Manitoba puts $1.65M into southwestern airport
Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard (left) is joined by officials at the Virden Regional Airport on May 26, 2025. (Manitoba Government/YouTube) The province is putting $1.65 million into an ongoing project to improve the airport in Virden. Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard was in the southwestern town on Monday to make the announcement. 'This is an important investment that will encourage regional development and job creation in Westman,' the minister said in a statement. The provincial dollars will go towards the expansion and rehabilitation of the Virden Regional Airport. The province said the funding will go towards a new automated weather observing system and improved support for medical transfer flights for services like STARS Air Ambulance. 'This is very important for our area,' Virden Mayor Tina Williams said, adding her town is becoming a health-care hub for the southwestern part of the province. Along with the health-care improvements, Williams said the new funding will help bolster tourism and business opportunities tied to the airport. The airport was built in 1940 as a flying school to train pilots during the Second World War. 'Since the RAF decommissioning in 1944, the airport has been kept active through the efforts of many area residents, private aviators, and especially the Virden Flying Club,' said Coun. Bruce Dunning, chair of the Virden Airport Commission. Dunning said the overall project was launched last year as the airport had become outdated over the decades. He said the ongoing project has seen the extension of the runway, installation of the weather observation system, and runway lighting. 'Once again our airport has become the centre for aviation activity in southwestern Manitoba,' he said. Dunning noted along with the provincial funding, the project has seen support from rural municipalities of Wallace-Woodworth and Pipestone, the Town of Virden, and the Virden Area Flying Club.
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Competing Otago Port proposals 'frustrating', says Associate Regional Development Minister
The Associate Regional Development Minister says local leaders should have created a coordinated regional plan. Photo: 123RF Clutha's mayor says newly announced funding for an inland port proposal came out of the blue, despite his efforts to be transparent about a similar project just down the road. Calder Stewart debuted plans to develop a privately-funded inland port in Milburn just days before the government announced a multi-million dollar loan to develop a rail connection between Port Chalmers and a proposed Southern Link Logistics Park in Mosgiel last week. The Associate Regional Development Minister said local leaders should have created a coordinated regional plan instead of having two nearby competing inland port proposals - Mosgiel and Milburn are less than 50 kilometres away from each other. Dunedin mayor Jules Radich said he had repeatedly discussed the Mosgiel plan when Clutha's mayor was present. But Clutha district mayor Bryan Cadogan said he was caught off guard by Friday's Port Otago funding announcement, which was frustrating as his district had been upfront and transparent about the Milburn proposal. Photo: Supplied by Calder Stewart The Calder Stewart proposal was the district's "once in a lifetime project" and had been in the pipeline for at least a decade. Local leaders including Dunedin's mayor had discussed the project last year, he said. The Regional Development Minister hadn't been briefed about the Milburn proposal which could have impacted the government's funding decision as it didn't have the whole picture for the region, he said. Cadogan didn't have any issue with the Port Otago project and didn't believe Calder Stewart intended to seek government funding, instead he was concerned that those local leaders didn't disclose a competing proposal despite his efforts to keep them informed. He wanted the South to start working in unison. "If there is a conflict like this, just be transparent. If I put my cards on the table, could you put cards on the table the same way," Cadogan said Dunedin mayor Jules Radich agreed that it was important for regions to work together, but said he had talked about the Port Otago-Mosgiel plan repeatedly in the Clutha mayor's presence including at the Otago mayoral forum in Queenstown last year. "I asked for government support of a heavy traffic bypass for Mosgiel to complement the project," Radich said. "I also think the Mosgiel logistics hub would be a great asset to the meatworks in Balclutha and Ōamaru." The up to $8.2 million loan for the Port Otago rail connection was earmarked from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, which is run by the government's Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit, Kānoa. Associate Regional Development Minister and local List MP Mark Patterson said only one project was formally proposed to the government in the end. It was frustrating there were two competing proposals when they could have worked together to create a cohesive proposal, he said. He described collaboration in the regions as "absolutely critical", and said the government was expecting that regions would coalesce around an agreed set of projects and priorities. The Port Otago option also had backing from Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms and KiwiRail so they were confident in their processes and in making the investment, he said. He believed they could be complementary projects, and said last week's funding announcement wouldn't prevent Calder Stewart from making a funding application in the future if it chose to. The Regional Development Minister has been contacted for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Competing Otago Port proposals 'frustrating', Minister says
The Associate Regional Development Minister says local leaders should have created a coordinated regional plan. Photo: 123RF Clutha's mayor says newly announced funding for an inland port proposal came out of the blue, despite his efforts to be transparent about a similar project just down the road. Calder Stewart debuted plans to develop a privately-funded inland port in Milburn just days before the government announced a multi-million dollar loan to develop a rail connection between Port Chalmers and a proposed Southern Link Logistics Park in Mosgiel last week. The Associate Regional Development Minister said local leaders should have created a coordinated regional plan instead of having two nearby competing inland port proposals - Mosgiel and Milburn are less than 50 kilometres away from each other. Dunedin mayor Jules Radich said he had repeatedly discussed the Mosgiel plan when Clutha's mayor was present. But Clutha district mayor Bryan Cadogan said he was caught off guard by Friday's Port Otago funding announcement, which was frustrating as his district had been upfront and transparent about the Milburn proposal. Photo: Supplied by Calder Stewart The Calder Stewart proposal was the district's "once in a lifetime project" and had been in the pipeline for at least a decade. Local leaders including Dunedin's mayor had discussed the project last year, he said. The Regional Development Minister hadn't been briefed about the Milburn proposal which could have impacted the government's funding decision as it didn't have the whole picture for the region, he said. Cadogan didn't have any issue with the Port Otago project and didn't believe Calder Stewart intended to seek government funding, instead he was concerned that those local leaders didn't disclose a competing proposal despite his efforts to keep them informed. He wanted the South to start working in unison. "If there is a conflict like this, just be transparent. If I put my cards on the table, could you put cards on the table the same way," Cadogan said Dunedin mayor Jules Radich agreed that it was important for regions to work together, but said he had talked about the Port Otago-Mosgiel plan repeatedly in the Clutha mayor's presence including at the Otago mayoral forum in Queenstown last year. "I asked for government support of a heavy traffic bypass for Mosgiel to complement the project," Radich said. "I also think the Mosgiel logistics hub would be a great asset to the meatworks in Balclutha and Ōamaru." The up to $8.2 million loan for the Port Otago rail connection was earmarked from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, which is run by the government's Regional Economic Development and Investment Unit, Kānoa. Associate Regional Development Minister and local List MP Mark Patterson said only one project was formally proposed to the government in the end. It was frustrating there were two competing proposals when they could have worked together to create a cohesive proposal, he said. He described collaboration in the regions as "absolutely critical", and said the government was expecting that regions would coalesce around an agreed set of projects and priorities. The Port Otago option also had backing from Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms and KiwiRail so they were confident in their processes and in making the investment, he said. He believed they could be complementary projects, and said last week's funding announcement wouldn't prevent Calder Stewart from making a funding application in the future if it chose to. The Regional Development Minister has been contacted for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
