‘Once again, Wellington misses out’ in funding
Wellington has lucked out ‘‘yet again’’ on securing funds to fix the region’s ageing infrastructure, the Chamber of Commerce says.
The Wellington region will receive $185 million from a $3 billion infrastructure fund to reboot New Zealand’s economy following the coronavirus pandemic.
Most of the projects included in the fund will be revealed over the next couple of weeks, with Wellington City’s only confirmed project so far being a $14m upgrade of its District Court.
The project is expected to create up to 350 jobs, with construction expected to begin early next year.
Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive John Milford said the announcement was another snub for the region, following years of under-investment and exclusion from the Provincial
Growth Fund. Local councils were also expected to contribute 40 per cent towards the $6.4b Let’s Get Wellington Moving (LGWM) transport programme, with the Government to fund the rest.
‘‘Auckland’s been allocated $500m, and Canterbury $300m. Yet, once again, Wellington misses out, receiving less than Otago [$260m], and only just a tad more than the Bay of Plenty [$170m] and Waikato [$150m].
‘‘We don’t accept the minister of finance’s assurances that the regions ‘hardest hit’ . . . have been prioritised, because that certainly hasn’t happened here.’’
Wellington was home to the country’s second-largest economy, with a population of more than half a million and more than 58,000 businesses, Milford said. It also had ‘‘seriously significant regionwide infrastructure deficits’’.
In April, Milford called for several projects to be at the forefront of the infrastructure drive, including an extra Mt Victoria tunnel, a mass transit system between Wellington
Airport and Wellington Railway Station, a $1b Petone-to-Grenada highway, and fixing Wellington City’s struggling wastewater system.
Wellington mayor Andy Foster was more diplomatic about the announcement, saying the council ‘‘looks forward to further information about the rest of the package’’.
The city council put forward a $1.3b-plus wishlist to the Government in April, including money for safety improvements to the Island Bay cycleway and a new convention centre.
The bid included $650m for 10 ‘‘shovel-ready’’ projects, $158m for pipeline upgrades and maintenance, at least $60m for projects that can begin in six to 18 months, and $490m to kickstart the LGWM programme.
The latter included $8m for temporary walking and cycling improvements, and $80m for permanent walking, cycling and bus priority infrastructure.
Wellington deputy mayor Sarah Free said without government assistance, many projects faced significant delays because of rising construction costs and a stretched council budget.
Wellington’s regional councils also submitted a joint funding bid of more than $1b.
The Automobile Association (AA) also called for a range of state highway safety improvements to be part of the package.
They included upgrades on State Highway 58 between Hutt Valley and Porirua – statistically the region’s most high-risk road; SH1 between Manakau and Ohau; and SH2 between Carterton and Masterton, and Upper Hutt and Te Marua.
Also on the list were improvements to SH2 at Mt Bruce, a Waihenga Bridge replacement on SH53, and advanced planning and design for an extra Mt Victoria tunnel in Wellington.