1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:00,240 Speaker 1: Well. 2 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,880 Speaker 2: Infrastructure is that the heart of the government's latest quarterly 3 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 2: action plan. Across the forty three actions they want to 4 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 2: take in the fourth quarter, it wants to pass the 5 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 2: Fast Track Approvals Bill, the first of its RMA reforms, 6 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 2: and establish the National Infrastructure Agency. But the government is 7 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 2: also promising to quote take cabinet decisions on allowing greater 8 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 2: use of road tolling. So I think it's safe to 9 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 2: say we can all expect a few more toll roads 10 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 2: around the country. Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop is or weather us. 11 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: This evening Kilda, Good afternoon. 12 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 2: Let's start with number one on the list. The Fast 13 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 2: Track Approvals Bill is set to be passed. So when 14 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,599 Speaker 2: will we see project actually getting underway? 15 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 3: Hopefully next year. We've got to get the bill into 16 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 3: law by the end of the year. It gets reported 17 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 3: back from the Select Committee in a few weeks time, 18 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 3: and we'll get into law by the end of the year. 19 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 3: And obviously we're going to select a range of projects 20 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 3: as part of that to be the first in the 21 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 3: queue that will be in the legislation to go off 22 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 3: and go to the expert panels for consenting, so they 23 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 3: will that will take place, you know, in the first 24 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,320 Speaker 3: few months of next year, and you know, depending on 25 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 3: the project, hopefully we'll see some spades in the ground 26 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 3: next year. 27 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 2: Why does New Zealand need to toll roads? 28 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 3: Well, tolling is about new ways of financing roads to 29 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 3: make sure we can bring forward projects that you might 30 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 3: otherwise wait a large number of years to actually fund. 31 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: You know, think people think about to Wronger. 32 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,399 Speaker 3: They've had toll roads there for many years now, and 33 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 3: you know, so that's a tried and true part of 34 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 3: the transport landscape and torong and we've made a commitment 35 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 3: to explore the use of tolling and other roads around 36 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 3: the country because it provides a revenue stream that you 37 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 3: can then use to help fund the road. And you know, 38 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 3: people think about other countries, you know, toll roads are 39 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 3: very common and you know, say Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, many 40 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 3: parts of Europe, toll roads are standard practice and we 41 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 3: don't use them enough. 42 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: Here is our view, so we're going to use them. 43 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 2: Massive pushback though in parts of regional New Zealand. Is 44 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 2: that going to be a problem for you? 45 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 3: Look, I think I've said publicly before that it won't 46 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 3: necessarily be popular with everybody, but The simple reality is 47 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 3: that we need to use different tools like tolls and 48 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 3: other mechanisms in order to get the infrastructure that we 49 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 3: need built. And I think as long as there's an 50 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 3: alternative that people can use, you know, people are prepared 51 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 3: to do that. And if you say to people, look, 52 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 3: you're going to pay a certain amount of money and 53 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,399 Speaker 3: it's going to speed up your journey time, I think 54 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:29,519 Speaker 3: most reasonable people go, yeah, you know what, Actually, just 55 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 3: get on with it. 56 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: Get the road built, you know, and it's. 57 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 2: A critical part of it, right, There has to be 58 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 2: an alternative. There has to be a free alternative for 59 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 2: one of these toll roads to be put in place. 60 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 2: How much of the actual capital outlay though, does a 61 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,679 Speaker 2: toll road cover, like does tolling cover the initial construction 62 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 2: costs or is it just the ongoing maintenance. 63 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: Well, it depends on the road. 64 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 3: So there will be horses for courses, and it will vary, 65 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 3: and it will obviously depend on trific flows and things 66 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 3: like that, and so I couldn't give you generic answer 67 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 3: because it really depends on the road. But that's why 68 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,079 Speaker 3: you know, we're going to pass legislation to do that, 69 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 3: to take cabinet decisions to support the greater use of 70 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 3: toll roads and it will just depend on this particular project, 71 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 3: but you know we've made a commitment to do that 72 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,079 Speaker 3: and you know you'll see that over the course of 73 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 3: the next few months. 74 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 2: One of the other things in the action plan is 75 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 2: a call on the future of the greyhound sector. Is 76 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 2: there any possibility the government will continue to allow greyhound 77 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 2: racing into the future. 78 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: I don't want to get ahead of cabinet on that one. 79 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 3: That's an issue for Winston Peters and his Minister of 80 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 3: Race and Role. He's doing a bit of work on that, 81 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 3: I know, and so it's part of the Action Plan. 82 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 3: And so once we've got a cabinet decision on that, 83 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 3: you know there will be an announcement around that. 84 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 2: And another one cabinet decisions on getting councils back to basics. 85 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,800 Speaker 2: Is that just getting them to focus on the rubbish, 86 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 2: the pipes, the roads. 87 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, that flows from the speech of the Prime Minister. 88 00:03:57,440 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 3: Gave it to Keena down and Wellington, you know a 89 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 3: few weeks ago saying look, you guys have got to 90 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 3: cut your cloth. We've gone through line by line and 91 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 3: cut our cloth and reduced our spending. You guys have 92 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 3: got to do the same and very widely received speech, 93 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 3: not so much on local government land, but I think 94 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 3: most people around the country agreed with that, and so 95 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 3: you know, we signaled in that speech that there will 96 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 3: be legislation coming around that, and so you'll see that 97 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 3: over the next the next quarter as well. 98 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 2: Thanks for your time, We appreciate that, as Infrastructure Minister 99 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 2: Chris Bishop. For more from Hither Duplassy Allen Drave, listen 100 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 2: live to news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, 101 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:33,280 Speaker 2: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.