Peters backs provinces
Government turns spotlight on ‘neglected’ provincial cities
The new Government is hoping to boost provincial cities which had formerly been neglected, Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters says.
Peters was in Invercargill yesterday to speak about Southland regional development opportunities at a dinner hosted by Venture Southland.
About 150 people attended the dinner at Ascot Park Hotel.
He believed the regions had been neglected by previous governments and should be held in higher regard.
‘‘It’s been made clear that the provinces have been ignored over and over again,’’ Peters said.
Last time Peters was in Southland, under the former government, he called for more government measures to be introduced to keep money in Southland, including a takeover of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.
‘‘We’re down here because we have a provincial growth fund that seeks to assist in the key areas of Southland’s infrastructural development in the future based on things where the investment now will be around 20, 30, 40, 50 years and we are inviting the Southland interest groups and businesses and personalities to look at what is needed here that government has not been giving them.’’
The fund’s priorities are to enhance economic development opportunities, create sustainable jobs, enable Ma¯ ori to reach full potential, boost social inclusion and participation, build resilient communities, and help meet New Zealand’s climate change targets.
The government was ‘‘open for business’’ and Peters asked the meeting attendees to come with ideas and plans to benefit Southland.
All farming – including fishing and land-based maritime industries – were the cornerstone of the country’s future economic wealth, he said.
When asked if Southlander’s healthcare was considered as of equal importance to the rest of the country, especially considering the impending closure of the Lumsden Maternity Centre and Te Anau rescue helicopter, he said: ‘‘Our slogan is that the provinces have been ignored and this is evidence of that’’.
While he had looked at information and figures about the two services, he did not have enough information to develop further, he said.
Before the event, Venture Southland chief executive Paul Casson said the dinner would showcase Southland and highlight initiatives being carried out to grow the region.
‘‘Southland is an innovative and proactive region, with many opportunities to encourage further regional development,’’ Casson said.
Earlier in the evening, Peters addressed about 200 people from the three racing codes at Ascot Park racecourse saying he was ready to throw a lifeline to the racing industry.
However, its participants had to be prepared for change, he said.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Bernard Saundry, of Wellington, and Harness Racing New Zealand chief executive Edward Rennell, of Christchurch, were in attendance.
Peters, who is the racing minister, told the gathering he would soon receive a report on the state of the racing industry and recommendations to improve it.
The report is being compiled by top Australian racing administrator John Messara who turned the once struggling New South Wales’s racing industry into Australia’s most profitable racing state.
Peters was confident Messara’s recommendations would breathe new life into the three racing codes and hoped its participants would accept the findings and be willing for change. ‘‘Racing is terminal unless something happens now ... if we don’t fix it, it will dramatically decline.’’
Peters said he was well aware of the tough times in the industry. ‘‘I was shocked to see figures on how bad it is.’’