Just one week to go until Election Day – and a few regions become the beneficiaries of the latest funding announcements
The busy bees have been out and about, feverishly dispensing largesse in the last-gasp days of the 2020-23 Labour government.
Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty has announced the government’s approval of new funding to boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Waikato, Thames-Coromandel, Manawatu-Whanganui, and Wairarapa.
The $11.2 million from $100m of funding announced as part of Budget 2023 will go towards practical flood protection infrastructure like stop banks as well as other local measures that can protect communities from flooding, he said.
Works in the Wairarapa will get $3.5 million.
Is it relevant to note that Kieran McAnulty is MP for Wairarapa as well as Minister of Local Government?
Housing Minister Megan Woods has announced plans to build 174 new affordable rental homes across New Zealand with the help of Government grant funding.
She is also drawing attention to the Affordable Housing Fund, which was set up to increase the supply of affordable housing with a priority on rentals, in areas with the greatest housing need but which may be scrapped under a new government.
“174 new affordable rental homes will be built across the country because as a result of this second round of the Fund, bringing to 266 the total number approved to date.
“The Affordable Housing Fund is making a real difference in bringing on more affordable homes for New Zealanders, which the National Party says it will cut, if it gets into government.”
Besides being Minister of Housing, Woods is MP for Wigram.
The second round of funding which she is publicising in her press statement will support –
The balance of the $100 million remaining for Round Two is expected be allocated to other applicants “shortly”.
Before the election?
McAnulty said:
“We are investing in future focused work such as modeling to identify where efforts for additional warning systems, evacuation procedures, and new physical flood protection infrastructure should be targeted.
“No one wants to see the same level of damage to their homes and businesses again. We want communities still recovering from the extreme weather to be able to move on with their lives, feeling safer.”
In her statement, Megan Woods said:
“This Government has pulled multiple levers to turn around the housing crisis we inherited, and we are starting to see the green shoots of change with record building consents and more affordable housing being built, as a result.
“These partnerships will support and grow the affordable housing sector, who are critical to addressing the needs of New Zealanders who struggle to meet the cost of a market rental, but for various reasons can’t access public housing,” said Megan Woods.
The Affordable Housing Fund focuses on increasing affordable housing provision (rental and home ownership) on land owned by iwi and Māori groups, Councils and community groups.
The “Note to Editor” says:
The $11.2 million from $100m of funding announced as part of Budget 2023 will go towards practical flood protection infrastructure like stop banks as well as other local measures that can protect communities from flooding, he said.
Works in the Wairarapa will get $3.5 million.
Is it relevant to note that Kieran McAnulty is MP for Wairarapa as well as Minister of Local Government?
Housing Minister Megan Woods has announced plans to build 174 new affordable rental homes across New Zealand with the help of Government grant funding.
She is also drawing attention to the Affordable Housing Fund, which was set up to increase the supply of affordable housing with a priority on rentals, in areas with the greatest housing need but which may be scrapped under a new government.
“174 new affordable rental homes will be built across the country because as a result of this second round of the Fund, bringing to 266 the total number approved to date.
“The Affordable Housing Fund is making a real difference in bringing on more affordable homes for New Zealanders, which the National Party says it will cut, if it gets into government.”
Besides being Minister of Housing, Woods is MP for Wigram.
The second round of funding which she is publicising in her press statement will support –
- 65 homes for Hawke’s Bay
- 64 homes for the Bay of Plenty, including 38 in Rotorua
- 16 homes for Northland
- 24 homes for Christchurch
- Five homes for Blenheim
The balance of the $100 million remaining for Round Two is expected be allocated to other applicants “shortly”.
Before the election?
And in which parts of the country?
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74 new affordable rental homes will built across New Zealand with the help of Government grant funding.
The Government has approved new funding to boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Waikato, Thames-Coromandel, Manawatu-Whanganui, and Wairarapa.
A breakdown of the $11.2m funding announced by Kieran McAnulty shows –
- Wairarapa: $3.5 million to remove blockages caused by the North Island weather events in Wairarapa’s Upper Ruamāhanga catchment. This work will reduce the potential for future wide-spread damage when rivers leave their channels and travel across land.
- Manawatū-Whanganui: $3.7 million to the Horizons Regional Council for upgrading flood forecasting and communication resilience equipment, including sustained power supplies for sites inaccessible during events. The project will bring communication in-house for critical river and drainage management infrastructure, removing the reliance on cell phone communication. The project also includes modeling work to identify where efforts for additional warning systems, evacuation procedures, and new physical flood protection infrastructure should be targeted.
- Also in Manawatū-Whanganui: $640,000 to support the design, modelling and physical upgrades to areas in the Pohangina catchment as the councils and community works through longer-term risk mitigation options.
- Port Waikato: $2.4 million for work to prevent floodwater from entering homes during heavy rainfall events. Pools or flood gates will hold excess water, gradually releasing to avoid future flooding events. Stabilisation and rehabilitation work will prevent slips and further degradation of the steep slopes in the town. In addition, new flood modelling will support proactive management of flood risks, vital information for the deep-well pump station for efficiently removing excess floodwater in the town.
- Thames-Coromandel: $708,000 for gravel management and obstruction removal from within streams. This will reduce flood and erosion risk as well as the risk of bridge and culvert blockages. The natural capacity of rivers to retain and move water will be improved, reducing the frequency and impact of damage.
The Grahams Creek catchment, which runs through Tairua township, is susceptible to flash flooding and debris flow in the streams and surrounding land, with little or no warning. The Government will contribute $331,000 to remediate damage caused during the cyclone; redesign and upgrade the weir to increase resilience to future weather events and improve flood scheme performance. The spillway and weir will divert flooding away from the residential areas into a designated floodway over and through the floodplain and estuary.
McAnulty said:
“We are investing in future focused work such as modeling to identify where efforts for additional warning systems, evacuation procedures, and new physical flood protection infrastructure should be targeted.
“No one wants to see the same level of damage to their homes and businesses again. We want communities still recovering from the extreme weather to be able to move on with their lives, feeling safer.”
In her statement, Megan Woods said:
“This Government has pulled multiple levers to turn around the housing crisis we inherited, and we are starting to see the green shoots of change with record building consents and more affordable housing being built, as a result.
“These partnerships will support and grow the affordable housing sector, who are critical to addressing the needs of New Zealanders who struggle to meet the cost of a market rental, but for various reasons can’t access public housing,” said Megan Woods.
The Affordable Housing Fund focuses on increasing affordable housing provision (rental and home ownership) on land owned by iwi and Māori groups, Councils and community groups.
The “Note to Editor” says:
The National Party’s housing policy says it will get rid of the $235 m Affordable Housing Fund (pge 8).
Affordable Housing Fund
- The $350 million Residential Development Response Fund, originally established to support the construction industry through Covid-19, was repurposed to support the delivery of more affordable housing options for rent and ownership.
- The Affordable Housing Fund focuses on increasing affordable housing provision (rental and home ownership) on land owned by iwi and Māori groups, councils, community groups and private developers, through the Crown sharing some of the cost and risk.
- Rents for the homes are expected to be less than 80% of the median market rent for the type of home.
- Budget 22 converted $200 million of existing funding to be non-recyclable funding and secured a $21 million interest concession for up to $50 million in interest-free loans, to better support housing developments for low to moderate income households.
- Round One of the Affordable Rental Pathway offered $50 million of grant funding in six locations with the greatest need for an increased supply of affordable rentals for those on lower incomes. There were 92 homes funded across the following regions:
* Auckland
* Tauranga-Western Bay
* Rotorua
* Napier-Hastings
* Wellington metro (including Wellington, Porirua, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Kāpiti), and Nelson-Tasman.
- Round Two of the Affordable Rental Pathway launched in February 2023 with $100 million available and applications open to not-for-profit entities nationwide.
- These nine projects were selected for early progression as part of the Round Two shortlisting process. The remaining shortlisted projects are in the final stages of assessment.
- $57 million in funding allocated to these nine approved projects will deliver a total of 174 additional affordable rental homes. The balance of the $100 million remaining for Round Two is expected be allocated to other applicants shortly.
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