Big spend to benefit West Coast
The Government has announced a multimillion-dollar plan for tourism infrastructure and mining research on the West Coast.
Funding will go towards improving roads, tracks and toilet facilities in tourist hotspots and a new minerals research institute in Greymouth.
The spending was the result of the West Coast Economic Development Action Plan, launched in Hokitika yesterday.
It was created by a governance group comprising regional leaders. It sought to lift incomes and grow employment in the region, which has struggled through the decline of the coal industry and wavering dairy prices.
Most of the funding was committed to roads, including an $18.5 million spend to replace two single-lane bridges on State Highway 7 – Ahaura Bridge, between Greymouth and Springs Junction, and Stony Creek Bridge.
It included an already underway strategic case for a road connecting Buller to Tasman through Kahurangi National Park. The case is expected next month.
It floated – but did not provide funding for – a similar strategic case for a toll highway connecting Haast to Milford Sound, which would cross three conservation areas, two national parks and a UN world heritage site.
‘‘The Government is committed to supporting the West Coast economy to grow and become more resilient,’’ Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges said in a statement.
The action plan included $11m for a research institute, which would ‘‘unlock the potential of New Zealand’s minerals resources’’, Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith said.
The institute would look at ways to better extract value from mining processes to make the industry more viable. ‘‘Mining is and will continue to be an important part of the West Coast’ economy, its history and its DNA.’’
The seven actions mainly aimed to encourage tourists to stay longer and travel further. They included improving the Hokitika Gorge walk, which could become one of the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) Great Short Walks.
Another was development of the Oparara Arches near Karamea. A feasibility study would look at how to develop the experience, which in the long-term could include a cafe or visitor hub.
A so-called ‘‘moa town’’ was posited for the site, but no plans were confirmed.
Conservation Minister Maggie Barry said yesterday the idea was to enhance the area, not create ‘‘some kind of tacky multimedia thing’’.
Other priorities included improving infrastructure at Punakaiki and Franz Josef, both under strain from visitors and natural hazard risks.
Punakaiki would get a $1.8m spend on car parking and toilet improvements in the short term. For Franz it meant looking at ways to prevent flooding and earthquake damage.
A business case would be funded for the planned Kawatiri Coastal Trail, connecting Charleston and Westport, as well as funding upgrading a road near Blackball, where the new Paparoa Great Walk begins, for access to the Pike 29 Trail.
Funding would go to developing a Maori tourism strategy to connect Maori and iwi-led tourism experiences.
Beyond the seven actions, other ideas could be included in the plan later. The most significant was a strategic case for a toll road connecting Haast to Milford Sound, which would cut the travelling distance by 350km.