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Southland has done “well” with the Provincial Growth Fund, but compared to other regions, the investment is millions of dollars behind it elsewhere.
In terms of investment, Southland received $ 72.16 million in project funding, slightly less than Otago’s $ 80.86 million. By contrast, Northland received $ 553.20 million in funding.
The biggest winners in Southland were the ICT and digital connectivity sector, which received $ 22 million in funding, and regional projects received slightly less with $ 21.26 million.
In Southland, data shows that the plan created 290 jobs in the three-year period. There are currently 219 people working on PGF supported projects, 71 had worked on PGD supported jobs and 983 are expected to do so in the future.
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That’s slightly better than Otago, which only gained 280 jobs in three years, with 249 jobs expected going forward, and it’s much better than Canterbury with just 96 jobs created and 146 expected going forward.
The biggest winner in the job bets was Jones’ home province of Northland, where 3,074 jobs were created and 3,231 more are expected.
Southland District Mayor Gary Tong said the province “did well” in funding his district.
“I am reasonably comfortable with the funding we receive. There have been some areas that have been concerned about funding being population based, but any funding requests that did not meet specifications have been the applicant’s fault, in my opinion.
“We [the Southland District Council] applied for and received funding for projects that would otherwise be funded by taxpayers, such as toilets, which are used by visitors, and improvements to the Southern Scenic Route. ”
In terms of job creation, Tong said it didn’t take long for the number of people employed to add up and predicted that projects like the Southern Hydroponic Growth Fund Proposal, which received $ 2.5 million in funding but had not yet started. , would create jobs. .
That was going to be important in Southland, where jobs had been lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic and “would get people off the couch,” he said.
“We did better than other provinces and when you look at it, we got a pretty good amount here.”
In Gore, the council received $ 900,000 in funding for the Maruawai Center Development and $ 730,000 for the remodeling of the Hokonui Moonshine Museum and Distillery and $ 2.09 million for its Hokonui Highway project, which ensured local youth had the skills to accept jobs.
But funding was also lost, twice, for his $ 4 million indoor equestrian arena and eco-lodge project called Manaaki Eco Village.
Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks said that while it was nice to have the funds, it would always have been nice to have more.
“The big challenge now is getting the work done and getting the projects going … as time goes on, there will have to be more stimulus funds as people are displaced from their jobs.”
He said it was definitely more important now that the region has overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.
“ Any project that has been approved has gained momentum as its funding has been approved and from the perspective of the Gore District Council, the funding that came from the Hokanui Highway project has really started to show that it is worth it and is they’re making a lot of connections. ”
Kavinda Herath / Things
Invercargill Labor List MP Dr. Liz Craig, Invercargill Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones, HWCP Director Scott O’Donnell and Block Project Manager of CBD, Geoff Cotton, visiting the Invercargill Inner-City Development site in 2019.
Gore District Curator Jim Geddes said that if it weren’t for the Provincial Growth Fund, the redesign of the Hokonui Moonshine Museum would have been “very basic.”
“Some of the exhibits would have been renovated and that would have been it.”
When it reopens, the new location will have its own distillery and can host tastings and corporate events.
“It’s going to be great,” he said.
“We would have had a remodeled museum but not a distillery on site, so it has given it a completely different life.”
The project was being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but when it opened, it would employ two new full-time distillery employees, use local catering services, and sell locally produced merchandise.
The project was also being built with local merchants, Geddes said.
“In terms of jobs, quite a few have already been provided and will provide more as we move forward, which is fantastic for the district.”
At Invercargill, the PGF invested in one of the city’s largest projects in recent years, with funding of $ 1 million for the Inner City Development Feasibility Study. A completed project, the Airport Terminal and Cargo Development, received $ 500,000 in financing.
Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt could not be reached for comment.
Data from the Provincial Development Unit show that as of July 29, 2020, a total of 12,936 people had worked on projects supported by the PGF throughout the country in the three years of operation of the fund.
An additional 15,062 people were expected to work on projects funded by the PGF in the future, and 11,090 participants have enrolled in the He Poutama Rangatahi and Te Ara Mahi projects, which were supported by the fund.
