A funding top up of $60.7 million for emergency roading repairs has been announced in Budget 2023.
The money will be allocated for 2023/24 and will target rural communities.
“Rural communities are at risk from being severely impacted by extreme weather events, it’s so crucial that emergency services have road access through to remote communities,” rural communities minister Kieran McAnulty says.
“The financial support that we have provided to Waka Kotahi so far has meant that in the last year teams of roading contractors have been able to repair critical roads in areas such as Northland, Coromandel, Tararua District, Wairarapa Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson and Marlborough.
“It has also meant that Waka Kotahi has been able to carry out over 2,300 lane km of renewals and fix over 54,000 potholes across the state highway network.
“The additional funding for emergency works announced will ensure that Waka Kotahi can continue to respond rapidly to extreme weather and repair the roads for rural communities as quickly as possible,” McAnulty says.
EV chargers
Budget 2023 also funds between 600 and 1000 EV chargers in smaller rural communities with $30 million approved for this purpose out of a total of $120 million from a broader electric vehicle charging initiative.
“With increased charging infrastructure, rural communities will be able to harness the benefits of EVs as urban centres are able to and bring visitors to their region,” McAnulty says.
“We don’t want charging to be a barrier in rural communities for adapting to EVs, this funding will ensure more kiwis are able to make the switch to an EV,” he adds.
The funding also provides 23 additional electric vehicle journey charging hubs along key arterial routes and resourcing for government agencies to support delivery of the Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy.
