If I was Planning Minister doing my part in Recession Busting!

Let’s face it Aotearoa, our towns and Metropolitan Centres are in sore need of some investment and refreshment after decades of being run down by LOW RATES, and Slash and Burn Budgets across the board. Coupled with record population growth and the fact we are in a Recession, it is time to engage in some actual economic orthodoxy and begin a Public Works Program under the guise of Recession Busting.

Because what gets people back into work and spending again? Certainly NOT National’s nuke and hope budgets that put people OUT of work and consequently shutting their wallets meaning major consequences downstream and businesses lose sources of income (from said consumer no longer spending). What does get people back into work and spending against is some good old fashioned public works! The consequences of public works are two fold:

1. Investment into infrastructure and amenities for the next economic Boom cycle
2. People spend as a result of said investment
3. Spending = activity = Businesses expand
4. Aotearoa leaves the recession quickly back into recovery mode
5. Rinse and repeat the above until we hit the Boom phase and we go into SAVE mode!

Not once did I see slash and burn, or nuke the place in that list as National are doing now. I did see SAVE but last I looked Aotearoa was not in a Boom phase of the economic cycle!

Urban Renewal Works: My Plan to (re) Build Strong Towns

Where this idea came from was the news article about urban renewal in Dunedin attracting businesses WANTING to return or come into the City Centre: Redeveloped CBD attracting business interest

In that story:

“Staff involved in the George St upgrade have fielding a number of similar enquiries from prospective tenants looking to move to the city’s main shopping street.
That included from elsewhere in Dunedin, as well as from out of town, including Mecca, the spokesperson said.”

Redeveloped CBD attracting business interest

Urban Renewal Works!

Thus if I was Planning Minister I would be working with the Transport Minister to set up an Urban Renewal Fund Scheme as part of the Recession Buster Program:

1. If your town has a State Highway that is bypassed under a 2+1 scheme you qualify for $70m to use in urban renewal for that town where the old State Highway ran.
   • Towns that have had it done recently like Huntly and Ngāruawāhia would also qualify as a consequence of the Waikato Expressway*
2. Council’s that put forward a viable Urban Renewal or Upgrade Program that met the definitions under S15-18 of the old Spatial Planning Act would qualify for $1.50 of Central “money” for every $1 Council’s put in.
   • Access to international expertise would be made available such as bringing in a World Master like Japan or Singapore if you wished to engage in a Public Private Partnership based Transit Oriented Development.
   • For every $1 the Private entity also put in (to the Council’s $1) an extra 50c per Private dollar invested would be available bringing the total to $2 from Central for every $1 Council Spent and $1 the private entity spent

You see and again, I believe in good old fashioned Public Works in times of Recessions like now unlike the pathetic and pitiful slash and burn budgets from New Zealand National Party which will only deepen the recession further.

*Views are of my own and DO NOT represent the organisation I work for

Strong Towns, Job Creation, Infrastructure and Amenities invested in again, Economy lifted out recession into Recovery Mode. Combine it with my Transport proposals (How would I write Transport Policy for the 2026 Elections) and Aotearoa would be well on its way reinvesting and re-believing in itself as it drags itself out of the 1960s and into the 21st Century!

As for the money spent at Central level for these renewal programs is repaid via increase Tax take and the standard repayments/depreciation over the life of the various assets! Because you need to SPEND money to MAKE money otherwise it would not be called INVESTMENT.