The Government will finally rebuild Whangārei Hospital, with $572 million from the last Budget and a business case being done to determine how many more millions will be needed.
The Government will finally rebuild Whangārei Hospital, with $572 million from the last Budget and a business case being done to determine how many more millions will be needed.
Northlanders are among the winners from Thursday's Budget, with millions of dollars in assistance - including a new Whangārei Hospital - set to come to the region.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson's fifth Budget provided some lollies for Northland.
But not everybody is happy about the Budget, with National's Finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis saying the Budget confirms Robertson's spending is out of control.
And Te Pāti Māori said it offered little more than crumbs for Māori.
Robertson announced new hospital funding for Whangārei - $572 million from last year's Budget would be added to, with millions more once Northland District Health Board submits a business case for the extra work needed at the ageing hospital.
The hospital does not meet building standards or requirements for clinical best practice and the district health board has been reporting "decay and dilapidation" to the Government for years. There have been reports of raw sewage leaking down the inside of walls of the hospital's medical wing.
Redevelopment talks began in 2015, but Te Tai Tokerau's population has boomed since the original designs were submitted.
There's also an $8 billion increase in national health spending, including $71m for Pharmac to buy more cancer drugs and more money for ambulances and the rebuilding of run-down hospitals. Schools will get $777m in capital investment for new classrooms and the decile system will be scrapped.
Robertson also announced funding to complete the feasibility study for a dry dock at Northport at Marsden Pt.
Northlanders will also benefit from other aspects of the Budget, such as the $350 payment for those who earn less than $70,000 a year and do not receive the winter energy payment - the average salary in the region is around $50,000.
Northport has welcomed the announcement that funding will be made available for a feasibility study into the development at Northport of a shipyard and dry dock for the New Zealand commercial shipping sector and the Navy.
''This facility will be both regionally significant and nationally strategic. The concept remains part of Northport's Vision for Growth. If built it will represent a massive win for both Northland and New Zealand as a whole, helping to diversify the economy and generating more than 400 full-time, meaningful jobs,'' the company said.
''Work into the physical and operational feasibility of this national infrastructure asset has already been completed. Our Vision for Growth website and video (www.visionforgrowth.co.nz) provide an overview of the dry-dock concept.
''Northport continues to engage meaningfully with all stakeholders on this project, specifically on the employment, community development and economic opportunities it presents.''
Northport has welcomed a Government commitment to fund a feasibility study for a dry dock at the Marsden Pt port.
Northport has also welcomed the move to assess the feasibility of a new port in the Manukau Harbour.
While some will welcome the extra spending, National's finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis took issue with Robertson's level of spending.
"Not content with a record $6b per year spending spree that he planned, Labour has raided future budgets – spending $2b from Budget 2023 and $0.4b from Budget 2024,'' Willis said.
"That's before you count climate spending and the cost of living payment – which are on top, taking the total spend-up to more than $9b per year of Government spending.
"At a time when unemployment is very low, Grant Robertson is running a deficit of $19b. Having announced by far the biggest increase in spending in any Budget, ever, Grant Robertson expects New Zealanders to believe that he will keep his increases to $2.5b for the next two years. That is hard to believe.
"Inflation is at a 30-year high of 6.9 per cent, will remain above 5 per cent next year and is expected to stay high for years, not getting back down to below 3 per cent until 2025.
"While Labour might want to blame inflation all on offshore factors, Treasury has confirmed that inflation is being driven by domestic factors.
"Today's forecast confirms that Labour's economic mismanagement means Kiwis, the economy and outcomes are all going backwards."
Co-leaders of Te Pāti Māori, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, said Labour's Budget announcement was another bunch of crumbs for Māori.
"Today's announcement is significantly below what was expected for Māori," said Ngarewa-Packer.
"Māori will receive less than a per cent of a total Government Budget of $157.5b on whenua that was 100 per cent ours. It just does not go far enough.
"Today was an opportunity for this Government to put their money where their mouth is and to learn off the success of Māori providers through Covid-19 when it came to protecting our whakapapa. The Government have not learnt off this success and have decided to withhold our unique Māori potential."
