Abigail Dougherty/Stuff
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has met the Iwi Chairs Forum in Waitangi.
Politicians have arrived in Waitangi, and they’ve brought promises and funding for the Far North.
On Friday, the Government promised $13.3 million for initiatives in Northland – including housing investments and support for the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
Arts and Culture Minister Carmel Sepuloni said the Government would provide $3 million to the Waitangi National Trust Board, so it could continue despite low visitor numbers – and lost revenue – due to the pandemic.
“The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are a taonga that we should protect and look after,” she said, in a statement.
READ MORE:
* Great music, great kai and vibes – it’s all on at Waitangi
* Housing Minister acknowledges ‘frustration’ in Rotorua, says new homes on the way
* Covid-19: Waitangi Day celebrations at Treaty Grounds canned for 2022
Sepuloni said it was important culturally, but also economically, to maintain and build the Treaty Grounds. Before Covid-19, she said tourism had accounted for 10% of employment in Northland.
Housing Minister Megan Woods also announced plans for Northland.
She said an investment of $10.3 million, from the Government’s $1 billion Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, would eventually open up construction opportunities for 3000 homes.
The money would be spent in Whangārei and Kamo.
“The projects in Whangārei include a new bridge to replace a single-lane timber bridge in Kamo, which has stalled development plans to date, and a new roundabout on State Highway One with an arterial road and shared user path, connecting sites in Springs Flat,” Woods said.
The goal of the funding was to build infrastructure to support 160 hectares of green field land to be developed into housing near Whangārei.
Government MPs started arriving in Waitangi earlier in the week, ahead of the Iwi Chairs Forum hui on Friday – and Waitangi Day itself on Monday. Across the weekend, a series of events have been planned from entertainment to political discussions across Te Tii Marae and the Treaty Grounds.
