Regional initiatives to receive $80m in funding
MORE than $80 million from the $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund will boost rural broadband, expand a drivertraining centre near Feilding, and look into building a new freight hub near Palmerston North.
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones was in the ManawatuWhanganui yesterday to announce a number of new initiatives, most of which are for ManawatuWhanganui region.
About half of the funding — $40 million — will be used for a new regional freight hub near Palmerston North, a key staging point for domestic, imported and exported freight in the Lower North Island.
About 2.4 million tonnes moved through the Palmerston North rail facility in the last year, and freight demands are expected to increase by 60% in the next two decades.
The money will be used by KiwiRail to complete planning and concept design for the hub, and secure land required for the project.
Mr Jones also announced funding for other sectors in the ManawatuWhanganui region, including:
$2.8 million to expand the National Driver Training Centre based at Manfeild, near Feilding, to train 700 drivers and machine operators annually
A $400,000 investment to fund the first stage of an Advanced Aviation Hub at Whanganui Airport
$100,000 to investigate FoodHQ’s development to assist food exporters
$100,000 to assess alternative land utilisation choices in the Tararua District
$98,000 towards Kaitahi Food & Innovation Factory
$95,000 towards establishing an education, training and employment programme at the former site of Turakina Maori Girls’ College
$60,000 towards the Tararua Tourism & Trails Strategy $50,000 to investigate education to employment pathways within Horowhenua. — NZME