The Napier City Council and the Hawkes Bay Regional Council approached me to see what could be done.  I agreed that there needed to be air quality standards around New Zealand but thought that there had to be a way to implement the standards at minimal cost. At the time Napier had recorded just five exceedances per annum and given this small number of breaches it seemed ridiculous to force massive change so quickly.  This was especially so when it was predicted Napier would meet the standard as a City simply by requiring new home builds and home sales  to meet the standard over a longer time period.

As a result Craig Foss and I met with Minister Nick Smith and also asked him to meet with the respective councils to understand the issue we faced. Fact was that in cities like Christchurch, they’ve known they had a problem for decades and have had the chance to change.  Quite frankly Napier didn’t know we had an issue until we measured it (I certainly didn’t) and as a result the time frame given for us to meet the standard was unworkable.

Our meeting and others around the country convinced the Minister to review the standards.  The upshot of this is a discussion document proposing amendments to the National Air Quality Standards.  As the Minister rightly said “The existing standard of only one exceedance a year is unrealistic and would require banning home log burners and industries in communities where air quality is generally very good”.

The Technical Advisory Group has recommended the standard be increased from one to three exceedances a year, which is consistent with the World Health Organisation Air Quality Standard. In addition to this the group has recommended the period within which councils must comply be extended to 2018.

These changes are about improving air quality but in a pragmatic and realistic way. I am confident that under these changes Napier will be able to meet the standard within the timeframe and at a much smaller cost to our city.

Chris Tremain

Transport Minister Steven Joyce, who today turned the first sod to officially mark the start of construction, says the southern extension will bring significant safety and time savings to travellers.

”Work towards the Hawke’s Bay Expressway southern extension was not scheduled to start until next year, but the government recognised its importance and was able to bring the project forward as part of the government’s $500 million Jobs and Growth plan.

“This is the second major Hawke’s Bay roading project to benefit from the plan, with the Matahora Gorge realignment project between Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay starting earlier in the month.

”When construction is in full swing, the $12 million expressway project will employ about 30 people, with more involved in supplying materials and providing supporting services.”

The Matahora Gorge realignment is expected to employ a further 100 people.

”It is our expectation that the majority of suppliers and subcontractors for these projects will be regionally based, using regional workforces and material so local contractors and the community will benefit from the increase in work,” says Mr Joyce.

The Hawke’s Bay Expressway southern extension will run between Hastings City and Flaxmere, providing a direct link between the roundabouts at Longlands Road and York Road.

It will remove a bottleneck and crash blackspot, providing a safer, more direct route for highway traffic, freeing up local roads and providing a long-term, sustainable solution which will support future growth in the region.

The threat of regional airport control towers being closed because of the law would have had a significant impact on Napier Airport.

Air New Zealand had signalled that at least four flights each week to and from Auckland would have been removed from the schedule.

“Aside from the loss of flights, we would also be at a greater risk of cancellations and delays as flight times would need to revolve around set breaks,” Chris Tremain says.

“It would be a mess, with the public and local businesses the big losers.”

The move to introduce greater flexibility to the law was simply common sense, Craig Foss says.

“Everyone is entitled to a break and that won’t change, but now they can arrange it to suit their schedules and not be dictated to by legislation.

“Airports, pharmacies and schools have always had workable arrangements in place so staff can take breaks and they should be allowed to decide what system works best for them.”

Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson will introduce an Amendment Bill to the House later this month.

Chris said that “Nationally we’ve made $8.8 million available to critical social service groups under pressure due to the recession. Locally this has had a direct boost for local social services “

“The Community Response Fund is a targeted, short term fund which provides one-off grants of up to $50, 000 to providers of critical social services for families, children, young and older people” Craig explains “And this can only be good for families who are struggling presently.”

This first round opened on the 8th of June and closed on the 3rd of July. There were 293 applications considered, including 6 from national organisations. Twelve panels with regional representation considered the applications against clearly stated criteria.

164 applicants from all around New Zealand met that criteria. That included;

• Severe financial difficulty due to the impact of the recession, resulting in an inability to maintain service levels,
• Significantly increased demand for services from families struggling as a result of the economic downturn,
• Innovative approaches in meeting service demands with substantially new initiatives such as working in collaboration with other critical social service provide

In this round, the average amount granted was $40,995. Our Hawke’s Bay region received $ 419,671.00 which will be of huge benefit to those in need.

Unsuccessful applicants can apply again in the next funding round as long as they meet the criteria. A series of regional briefings will be held in September to help organisations better understand what evidence they need to supply.

Both MP’s expect a higher number of applicants in the second funding round, which closes on 25 September 2009 and encourages all local social services to apply for the fund.

In the morning the Minister will be attending a Law and Order meeting at the Waipawa Town Hall and visiting Mangaroa Prison, while in the afternoon she intends to call into both the Hastings and Napier Police Stations and later visit those officers who were injured in the recent Napier siege.

“The Minister is here supporting the Hawke’s Bay community with their calls to push back against those who don’t respect the law and order boundaries of a decent society,” said Tukituki MP Craig Foss. “ She is also here to reinforce her support and gratitude to those who performed their duties so diligently in recent events; both in Central Hawke’s Bay and Napier.”

“We are delighted at the support we are receiving from Minister Collins,” says Napier MP Chris Tremain. “  Not only is she supporting those that gave so much, but at a parliamentary level the Minister has shown that she is working hard to give the Police the tools and manpower they need to get the job done”

“The hard work is borne out in the recent raft of legislation that has been passed.  Our election promise to get tough on crime is being strongly adhered too, and we won’t stop here,” adds Mr Foss

The Honorable David Carter is in Hawke’s Bay tomorrow to meet with representatives from the Agricultural and Horticultural community. 

Along with Tukituki MP Craig Foss and Napier MP Chris Tremain, David will be meeting in the morning with representatives from the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Assocation, Pipfruit New Zealand and the Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers’ Association while in the afternoon they will be talking with Central Hawke’s Bay Farming Group ‘Grasshoppers’.

It is an informal visit to talk about local issues affecting primary production in Hawke’s Bay.  It is also a chance for the leaders of these groups to welcome David as their new Minister.