Little seen in South from fund— Walker

Hopes the South will benefit from the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund are fading fast, Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker says.

Speaking to the Otago Daily Times, the first-term MP said Clutha-Southland was not a priority for the Government.

The fund, administered by  Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones, had allocated very little to the region and there was not much likelihood of more being allocated.

"Out of a total of $111 billion, a mere $230,000 is going to Southland for rail freight opportunities focused on South Port, in Bluff.

"If you want to talk forestry, it simply is not going to happen. We have record low levels of unemployment in Clutha-Southland and currently businesses do not have the workers to keep our businesses functioning at the moment."

Farmers, in particular, were struggling to find enough people, Mr Walker said.

About 60% of the fund’s spending so far had been distributed to Northland, giving rise to a new name — the "New Zealand First survival fund", he said.

The MP was disappointed at what he called  the lack of foresight by Mr Jones in presenting a growth fund effectively excluding Clutha-Southland from any regional development funds.

"For Mr Jones to ask our locals to essentially ‘pretty up’ our proposals in order to win bids from the PGF is just ridiculous."

National also continued its criticism of Mr Jones and his One Billion Trees project.

Forestry spokesman Alastair Scott said the project was behind target even though a quarter of the PGF was being spent on it.

The Government said it had secured only 1000ha to plant one million trees in the current planting season, from a budget of $245 million allocated from the PGF for forestry.

"The minister also says he believes pine is the future of forestry in New Zealand as natives cannot play an effective role in carbon sequestration and climate goals.

"His Green party colleagues will be bitterly disappointed."

Only 13% of trees planted to date under the project had been native, he said.

There was no evidence to say any thought or scrutiny was going into the One Billion Tree planting process.

"We all want health, diverse forests, strong logging and local wood processing industries and progress on reducing greenhouse gases.

"But these things don’t happen by chance."

Mr Jones, who is also Forestry Minister, announced yesterday  the PGF would provide nearly $1 million to help 1.35 million trees planted on private land this winter in the Manawatu-Whanganui region.

The 1000ha designated  for planting was erosion-prone farmland in the region.

The Horizons Regional  Council would work with up to 40 landowners through their sustainable land use programme to get trees into the ground in the next few months,  he said.

Mr Jones and Associate Forestry Minister Meka Whaitiri launched a new forestry scholarship at the National Fieldays this week.

The new scholarship aimed to expand the capability of the forestry sector and increase the number of women and Maori in the industry.

The scholarship — Nga Karapihi Uru Rakau — provided $8000 a year to Maori and female students enrolling in either  bachelor of forestry science or bachelor of engineering (hons) in forestry engineering degrees at the University of Canterbury.

It also provided paid internship with Forestry New Zealand and other forestry employers, Mr Jones said.

Four scholarships would be awarded for the 2019 academic year, increasing to a total of 18 over the next three years.

"The One Billion Trees programme is a key focus for this Government. "We want to ensure our young men and women see forestry as a sustainable and exciting career."