Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Govt Brags But Ratepayers Stuck with Tourism Costs

Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
Member of Parliament for Northland
26 OCTOBER 2016

GOVT BRAGS BUT RATEPAYERS STUCK WITH TOURISM COSTS

If tourism is producing massive income for New Zealand why are John Key and Bill English putting it in their “back pockets” and distributing just a few “coins” to the real earners?

“That’s exactly what they did this year by giving local councils just a paltry total of $12 million funding over four years to support their infrastructure costs,” says New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“Meanwhile, the government has collected GST from international tourism of $1.1 billion.

“The government is out of touch with the burden put on ratepayers. In small town NZ tourist coaches, rental cars and campervans are parked up at the toilet blocks where they don’t pay a cent, and too few spend in the town on food and drinks.

“Tekapo has an $800,000 cost for its toilet project, Hot Water Beach at Hahei used paid parking to fund toilets and Kaikoura is now wondering how to pay for toilets near the popular seal pup waterfall north of the town.

“Last year, a local government working group revealed that they spent $140 million on the tourism industry mostly in funding promotions, events and I-Site visitor centres. That excluded toilets, sewerage costs, extra water costs and bylaw enforcements.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“Why isn’t a slice of the government’s take being diverted to communities to help pay for infrastructure that support tourism?” says Mr Peters.

“A Lincoln University study estimated that in 2015 councils spent $37.90 per head of population on the tourism industry, that rose to $59.60 per head in areas with less than 10,000 people and in some councils, such as Mackenzie and Waitaki, it was over $80 a head.”

ENDS


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.