West Coast wants share of Shane Jones' provincial fund

Friday, 1 June 2018

The Buller District Council wants Government funding to upgrade the tourism facilities at Punakaiki.

The West Coast is vying for a share of the Government's $3 billion regional fund to create more jobs for locals.

Development West Coast (DWC) has teamed up with the three West Coast district councils to lobby the Government's advisory panel tasked with dishing out $1b a year over three years.

Buller Mayor Garry Howard is keen on a 54-kilometre walking and cycling heritage trail from Westport to Charleston, estimated to cost up to $7.5m.

Established as part of the Labour-NZ First coalition arrangement, the Regional Development (Provincial Growth) Fund covers the capital cost of planting 100 million trees a year, 'significant' investment in regional rail, and a feasibility study of options for moving the Ports of Auckland.

The Buller District Council has drafted its wish list for funding it hopes will create new jobs. More than 1000 people in the district have lost their jobs since 2013, with the collapse of the coal mining industry and the cement plant closing.

The West Coast is organising to lobby Regional Development Minister Shane Jones for a slice of the Provincial Growth Fund.

* Shane Jones could have a problem - spending $1 billion a year is hard**

Buller Mayor Garry Howard said the top of the list was a $15 million upgrade of tourism facilities at Punakaiki. The Dolomite Point restoration project aims to improve the experience of tourists visiting the resort's famous Pancake Rocks.

Howard said his personal favourite project was a 54-kilometre walking and cycling heritage trail from Westport to Charleston, estimated to cost up to $7.5m.

The Kawatiri Coastal Trail would attract about 10,000 visitors and create 43 jobs every year, he said.

'It will offer new business opportunities to local people and will showcase our fascinating cultural history and stunning landscapes. It will also form a part of proposed West Coast wide cycle trail from Golden Bay to Haast,' he said.

Other proposed projects include a $140m hydroscheme at Ngakawau using acid mine drainage from a coalmine on Stockton Plateau, a zipline at Denniston, creating a technological 'centre of excellence' in Westport, and building a container mall in Granity.

Howard said DWC would host a meeting for all three West Coast district councils on June 13 to create an economic development strategy and prioritise a list of regional projects that could be given funding.

DWC would then assess the projects for funding through the Provincial Growth Fund, other government funding channels, DWC funds and private investment, he said.

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has already secured $61.7m of the fund for various projects already in the works before the last general election.

An eight-person advisory panel helping steer the Government's $3b regional fund includes a former army engineer who led a project in Afghanistan, and leaders from Southland and Northland.