✨ Government Policy Announcements
5112 NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 193 12 DECEMBER 2008
This will involve a stepped-up programme of Crown infrastructure investment, with many overdue projects brought forward.
This infrastructure programme will in the short-term create much-needed jobs and economic stimulus, while in the medium-term it will help unclog the arteries of the New Zealand economy and improve economic productivity.
Of particular focus will be the development of new roading and public transport projects, the improvement and expansion of school property in a 21st Century school-building programme and the accelerated roll-out of an ultra-fast broadband network across New Zealand.
The development of this ultra-fast broadband network will be critically important to New Zealand’s growth prospects, as it will provide New Zealanders with high-speed, real-time Internet connections to the world, and will give rise to new enterprise and innovation.
In this area of infrastructure investment, as in others, my Government will work constructively with the private sector in order to maximise the impact of public investments.
In parallel with this commitment to infrastructure investment, my Government will undertake a two-step reform of the Resource Management Act.
The first stage of this reform will be focused on improving the consent process and will include amendments to streamline and simplify the Act, including priority consenting for projects of national significance.
The second stage of this reform will focus on improving decision-making around infrastructure, water and urban design.
The goal of both stages of reforms will be to reduce the costs, delays and uncertainties in current law that my Government believes are holding back development and job creation.
My Government is acutely aware that despite the measures I have just outlined, the enormity of the economic challenges that New Zealand faces today are such that unemployment is forecast to rise in the months ahead.
It believes that the economic crisis will not be averted by cutting government spending and social support, but rather by backing the everyday New Zealanders who, through their hard work and resilience, will power New Zealand through this recession.
In what may be particularly tough times, my Government is determined to "stay the course" with New Zealanders, by giving those who have lost their jobs the support they need to get back on their feet.
Before Christmas my Government will announce the details of its transitional relief, "Re-Start", package to help those New Zealanders worst hit by redundancy.
This package will be carefully targeted and designed to help people who have worked hard and who have big aspirations for the future but who will be, through no fault of their own, coping with a big financial blow.
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NZ Gazette 2008, No 193
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
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Speech from the Throne at the State Opening of Parliament
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🏛️ Governance & Central AdministrationGovernor-General, Parliament, State Opening, Economic Growth, Government Formation