OPINION:
Anyone driving on roads around Taranaki knows what a pothole is and has probably heard of the debate that follows about whether it is the local council or the Government’s problem. With the pressure Cyclone Gabrielle will put on already-stretched infrastructure spending and the Labour Government’s inability to deliver anything but, in my view, higher costs, the forecast isn’t looking good.
Having spent many years travelling back and forth to Africa, I can’t help but think if we do not get this right, I will be back to making safari-type road trips, slowed down more and more by potholes and the inevitable flat tyres. The negative impact this lack of investment has on our driving times and the additional cost increases to business, which we will ultimately have to pay for as consumers, is just the start.
In my opinion, we are going to hear more from Labour about how everything else is to blame for its inability to deliver infrastructure, like roads, including here in Taranaki. It is also a “good cover” for Labour to try to justify why roads should not be the priority, when the reality is that even an electric vehicle needs something to drive on. If we are not careful, we could even begin to accept this defence as the “reality”.
We need proactive investment into roads to grow New Zealand’s productivity, not just activity, and take a long-term view, requiring our planning rules to be enabling.