Stop the Baloney Over Rural Roads

Northland rural roads are being left to fall apart because the Government will not provide subsidy funding, New Zealand First Leader and Northland Member of Parliament Rt Hon Winston Peters says.

“Road funding has dropped seriously in real terms since 2009 while in the last six years rural roading support money has gone to Roads of National Significance (RONS).

“In the latest issue of the Mangawhai Focus (March 21, 2016) Kaipara commissioner and former National MP John Robertson said:

‘Council receives requests from time to time to seal metal roads. We rarely do so. Roads cost a lot to seal – around $500,000 per kilometre.

‘The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) used to provide a subsidy to assist with such work. They no longer do.’

“What is fascinating about Mr Robertson’s statement is he did not say why the NZTA stopped funding rural roads and when.

“He knows full well that rural roads subsidies stopped in 2009 under the new National government.

“If Northlanders don’t react to that misinformation and half-truth then we will never get the fair share of resources this province deserves.”

Mr Peters said while the government had pushed the money into RONS, not a cent had been spent on the promised Puhoi to Warkworth highway.

“Also, in that article Mr Robertson said he and the other commissioners were considering a policy whereby a property owner or property owners who want a road part-sealed would have to pay for it at a cost of $500,000 plus GST per kilometre.

“Who will be able to afford that?

“Mr Robertson says council would organise the sealing and once sealed it was proposed council would maintain the road.

“The fact is the Government should be providing rural roads subsidies and Mr Robertson knows that,” Mr Peters says.

ENDS

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