Page 4 - Provincial Development Unit News Today

Proposed Marton industrial zone appealed 15 Apr, 2021 05:00 PM 3 minutes to read Consultants were assessing the proposed site for a Marton rail hub in February. Photo / supplied Laurel Stowell is a reporter for the Whanganui Chroniclelaurel.stowell@whanganuichronicle.co.nzWhangaChron A plan change that could convert 40ha of rural land to a site for timber processing and a large rail yard has been appealed. Rangitīkei District Council wants to rezone 217ha of land between SH1, ...

Deidre Otene, chief executive of Ngāpuhis Te Kotahitanga E Mahi Kaha Trust, explains why Te Kona is so important in Kaikohe. An iwi-led digital, business and learning hub has been launched with the aim of combatting poverty and the digital divide in a small Northland town. The purpose-built hub, Te Kona, opened in the Far North’s Kaikohe on Friday with a pōwhiri. It is the work of Ngāpuhi’s Te Kotahitanga E Mahi Kaha Trust, which provides training, employment and business leadership to...

If the study confirms the project is workable, the PDU will provide a further $3.7m of loan funding to help pay for the construction of new water storage infrastructure. “Effectively any public financing (Crown and Local Government) that supports construction and ongoing operation would be ultimately funded by water users,” Hawke’s Bay Regional Council water security director Tom Skerman​ said. “This objective of the scheme is to offset the cumulative impacts of water users.” �...

Source: New Zealand Government South Island regions hardest hit by the closure of international borders are the focus of a visit by Tourism and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash over the next two days. Mr Nash will visit Southland and Central Otago to discuss challenges facing regional economies. He will travel to Te Anau, Invercargill, Queenstown, Arrowtown and Cromwell. “I would like to hear first-hand from local mayors and councillors, small businesses, employers, community organis...

Northland news in brief: Boxer to fight for national title; and pair arrested over burglary 11 Mar, 2021 04:00 PM 4 minutes to read Kaitaia lightweight boxer Mea Motu will fight for a national title later this month. Northern Advocate Motu in the ring Kaitaia boxer Mea Motu, who is based in Auckland, will face Taranakis Tania Reid for the NZ Professional Boxing Associations Lightweight title on March 26. For Motu, who trains out of Peach Boxing and is 5-0 as a professional, this will be the tou...

“Rural communities, local employers and at-risk rangatahi are all set to benefit from a $2.96m investment into five employment and skills programmes working with 193 at-risk rangatahi and their whanau,” Carmel Sepuloni said. “He Poutama Rangatahi funding will enable the Employment Pathways Programme and the Manawa Ora Rangatahi Life Skills Programme to provide rangatahi with holistic pre-employment training. This will be underpinned by intensive pastoral care, which will support rangatahi...

Kaumātua Tame Pokaia has successfully lobbied to unlock whanau-owned Māori land at Oparau, near Kawhia. A kaumātua who spent years lobbying Government agencies for access to his family’s property is now in demand from others looking to unlock the economic potential of Māori freehold land. The Pokaia Whanau Trust was awarded $305,000 by the Provincial Development Unit to build a bridge across the Oparau River near Kawhia, providing access to land which had been cut off since the 1970s. T...

Thursday, 4 March 2021, 12:24 pm Development of the Taranaki Crossing has entered a new phase, with work beginning on construction of new boardwalks across the Pouakai Tarns and the Ahukawakawa wetland. The upgrade consists of 720m of 1.2m wide boardwalks from the Pouakai Hut Down to the Pouakai Tarns, and 650m of 1.2m wide boardwalks across the Ahukawakawa wetland. These will replace the existing track, which has been deteriorating, resulting in visitors diverting off the path and onto the fr...

Island residents pay about 175 to 200 per cent of mainland electricity prices, the mayor said. Given Stewart Island is mostly a National Park, a Dark Skies Sanctuary and was aiming to be predator free, running on diesel was not a good look, Tong said. As well as land access issues, it materialised that there was not enough wind on the island, Tong said. “The final nail was the wind readings.” The project was in a pre-development design and feasibility study stage. Putting three turbin...

Southland district Mayor Gary Tong said council and central government have worked alongside the Rakiura community for several years to investigate sustainable energy options. “Unfortunately, the latest work has identified that wind generation is not an option at this time. Alternative energy generation such as hydro, marine and solar have all previously been considered and assessed as either lacking efficiency or not as economic when compared with wind. “This will be a disappointment to...