Mayor: Government must ‘come to the party’

Taranaki’s future after oil and gas is starting to take shape, but the New Plymouth mayor is calling for more support from the government.

Neil Holdom was speaking after councillors discussed a report on the Tapuae Roa: Make Way for Taranaki action plan, which was approved earlier this year to guide the region’s economy through to 2050.

The report lists the projects already under way, including a feasibility study on a new energy development centre, the development of hydrogen-based energy, and other initiatives covering food, investment and tourism.

Holdom said they were preparing submissions to the Ministry of Innovation, Business and Employment for more funding to see the region through.

‘‘We released our Tapuae Roa Action Plan and then in less than a week we had the oil and gas announcement, and it changed the entire outlook for the regional economy,’’ he said.

‘‘We’ve had $200,000 government funding for three years; as you can see from the numbers and scale of work, NPDC has put in close to $300,000 in four months.

‘‘We need the government to come to the party.’’

Putting the plan in action has been sped up following the Government’s decision to end future offshore oil and gas exploration, the report says.

‘‘We’re really pleading for the government to continue to help us,’’ Holdom said.

‘‘Some financial contributions towards this work would assist us in developing the plan to take our city through to 2050.’’

The projects in Tapuae Roa formed part of the answer for Taranaki’s future, but 45 per cent of the fundamentals in the plan changed with the oil and gas announcement, he said.

‘‘Our vision is for Taranaki to continue to be the energy centre but it’s going to require a partnership, us working with the government.’’

Deputy mayor Richard Jordan told Thursday’s meeting of the council’s Performance Committee that Taranaki is the energy province.

‘‘We’ve been in oil production for 110, 115 years.

‘‘We now need to turn our minds to becoming the energy province in other ways.

‘‘Taranaki’s income and its wealth is built on energy,’’ Jordan said.

‘‘We will have to convince the government that we have the infrastructure and the businesses that we can do this at the pace they want it.’’

The quarterly performance report from the Guardians of the Perpetual Investment Fund (PIF), an update on how the income from Saturday parking fees is being spent in New Plymouth’s city centre, and the annual financial report of New Plymouth Airport operating company Papa Rererangi i Puketapu were also presented to council.