Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

From the House: Still plenty of pep in the economy

By Stuart Nash
Hawkes Bay Today·
14 Feb, 2020 07:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Stuart Nash says there's still plenty of reasons to feel good about living on these islands. Photo / File

Stuart Nash says there's still plenty of reasons to feel good about living on these islands. Photo / File

Mahia to Masterton: careful economic management

There are plenty of advantages to living in an island nation a long way from the world's trouble spots.

But in economic terms, we are not an island. Here in Hawke's Bay, the most remote beach settlements of Mahia peninsula know this very well.

Whether you are in Mahia or Masterton, your community is affected by the coronavirus outbreak in China.

The coronavirus is taking a big toll on ordinary Chinese people. Millions cannot go about their usual routines because of the need to minimise health risks and observe restrictions on movements and gatherings.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Chinese New Year celebrations between January 25 and February 8 were particularly affected.

Exporters traditionally sell large numbers of rock lobster to China during this period, but most orders have been cancelled. In Hawke's Bay, Kahungunu's profitable fisheries business is directly affected. It has operations at Mahia, and yes, in Masterton.

As Fisheries Minister I decided the Government would step in to help crayfish exporters minimise the disruptions. Up to 180 tonnes of live crayfish were being held in storage. I agreed that fisheries officials would allow a limited release of rock lobster back into the wild.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But it's more than just fisheries. Primary producers in other regions, tourism operators and tertiary education providers, are also anxious about the economic impact of China's public health emergency. We are working across all government agencies to help respond and ease the impact.

Thankfully, we are prepared for this. Grant Robertson has built a solid reputation as Finance Minister for his careful management of the economy.

Our economic growth is outperforming that of our trading partners, and at 2.7 per cent, is higher than the previous government's average of 2.1 per cent. Our debt is at historically low levels – lower than the debt we inherited when we took office. Our wages are growing.

However, what is really keeping the accelerator to the floor in our economy is the Government's capital spending. We are a Government of infrastructure. We build things, we fix things, like schools, hospitals, roads, cycleways, public transport and other assets.

Discover more

Power out and fire started after car crashes into power pole in Napier

16 Feb 01:32 AM

That is the compelling background to the good news we heard from the country's top banker this week.

Adrian Orr was upbeat when he announced the Reserve Bank's decision on the Official Cash Rate – he's kept it steady at a low 1 per cent. He can see there is still plenty of pep in the economy.

He expects the economy will take only a small and short-term hit from the coronavirus, because our fundamental settings are so sound.

To be the Government of infrastructure, we have to be the Government of training and education.

We simply cannot deliver this infrastructure without this focus. When we came in, we moved swiftly to implement fees-free.

That not only has reduced the burden of debt for our young people for generations to come, it's meant that those moving into apprenticeships for those first two years pay nothing. We've also dropped NCEA fees and increased funding support for schools so they don't need to ask for donations from parents.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I am proud of this Government's record when it comes to the management of the economy, but more than just the numbers, I am proud that we've seen unemployment go down in Hawke's Bay, Northland, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Manawatū, Whanganui, Otago, and Southland.

That is no accident, it happens because of deliberate investment: 530 Provincial Growth Fund projects across the country, making a huge difference.

In Gisborne and Hawke's Bay, we're seeing unemployment rates that were once as high as 8 per cent now down to 4.1 per cent. That is a huge difference.

Overall, the Government's economic plan will ensure we're adaptable and resilient to future shocks. We are future-proofing our infrastructure, creating jobs, and providing certainty.

With regard to trade with China, as the Reserve Bank said, it remains early days. However, it's nice to know there's still plenty of reasons to feel good about living on these islands.

• Stuart Nash is the MP for Napier and the Minister of Police.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Family ties as Joe Helmore art features in HB auction

Premium
Opinion

Elastic is anything but trivial: Wyn Drabble

Hawkes Bay Today

Motorist dies after four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Family ties as Joe Helmore art features in HB auction
Hawkes Bay Today

Family ties as Joe Helmore art features in HB auction

Artist follows in his grandmother's footsteps to craft a piece for Bay wine auction.

17 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Premium
Elastic is anything but trivial: Wyn Drabble
Opinion

Elastic is anything but trivial: Wyn Drabble

17 Jul 06:00 PM
Motorist dies after four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay
Hawkes Bay Today

Motorist dies after four crashes in 40 minutes in Hawke's Bay

17 Jul 06:02 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP