Scott and Sylvia Wood, National Party President at the National Party Conference.
As part of a wider package to upgrade bridges across the country, the Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced that the bridges at Pepe Stream, Ramarama Stream, and Ohinekaua Stream will be replaced. This is a massive investment in our region and will help ease the congestion residents experience on daily basis, as well as during the peak summer season.
It won’t solve every issue. There will still be pinch points at other one lane bridges around State Highway 25, but it is a step in the right direction and very welcome sign that the Coromandel Peninsula is getting its fair share of funding. I’ll continue pushing NZTA to prioritise work on replacing other one-way bridges across the electorate but as far as I’m concerned getting a new Pepe Bridge is good news.
No doubt the community will question why NZTA doesn’t just replace the one-lane bridges at Graham’s Creek and Hikuai River while they’re working on the Pepe Bridge. Although I agree that upgrading these bridges will be necessary in the future, I take the view that some improvement is better than no improvement.
In more good news, the Transport Minister also confirmed $21 million has been allocated to repair state highways in our region which were damaged during last year’s weather events. This funding allows NZTA to fix under and over slips, repair culverts and drainage, and ensure there is clean fill capacity on either side of the Coromandel Peninsula. These projects are expected to be completed by mid-2025.
Finally, we have delivered on our commitment to shift the personal income tax thresholds which in effect provides tax relief for anyone earning over $14,000. Across the country, the changes to income tax combined with increases to the in-work and independent earner tax credits and the Family Boost payment will put an extra $3.7 billion a year back into the pockets of New Zealanders.
In my book, letting hard-working taxpayers keep more of what they earn is never a bad thing.
For households across the Coromandel, especially those with young families, it means there’s a little bit extra to spend on essentials like food, gas, and other necessities. This tax relief is confirmation that our government is focused on getting New Zealand’s economy back on track and helping Kiwis get ahead.
