We’re in the final stages of this current Parliament before the General Election is held in November. Parliament will rise on 24 September and we’ve got a lot of work to do before then.
The long-awaited changes to the Resource Management Act are an absolute priority. You can expect to be hearing more about that in the next week or two.
Another important milestone for this Government is our proposal to cap rates at an annual increase within an initial target range of 2 to 4 percent. That target is designed to help keep rates affordable, while also ensuring councils are focused on delivering the services ratepayers rely on.
You might ask, why is there a minimum level of rates increase? This is to support councils to continue delivering essential services and focusing on core business.
This is another step in our local government reforms which are aimed at getting councils back to basics and delivering better value for ratepayers.
It’s also been a busy time for local news, with the Government announcing a further $400,000 investment in our local Hauraki Rail Trail to support its recovery from storm damage. This funding will ensure the trail remains a drawcard for regional tourism in our area, and it will make sure cyclists can keep pedalling their way around the Coromandel for years to come.
There was also an update that construction of a new two-lane bridge on State Highway 25, north of Whiritoa, will begin this month. This new bridge will replace the existing single-lane Ramarama Stream Bridge, which is nearly a century old. At least one lane of the new bridge is expected to open to traffic by August 2027.
I’m thrilled that there’s plenty of work being done on replacing the Pepe Stream Bridge in Tairua. The site was full of action when I passed by last week and it’s really exciting to see this much-anticipated two-lane bridge taking shape.
