Election 2020: Shane Jones prepares for biggest spend from Provincial Growth Fund

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The Regional Development Minister Shane Jones is understood to be planning his biggest spend yet from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF).

The New Zealand First Minister will announce a spend of around a hundred million dollars in Kaikohe, the heart of the electorate he's standing in, for the upgrading of marae around the country.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be campaigning in the area when the announcement is made but won't be there even though the money has been signed off by her Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford.

The money will be spent on more than 300 marae that have applied for it to upgrade facilities.

It is believed that the work will create 3000 jobs.

This will be the last handout from the PGF before the election.

The PGF was another area where the Coalition Government clashed while on the campaign trail.

Labour leader Ardern and Economic Development spokesman Phil Twyford said in September they would axe the PGF if re-elected.

At the time, Deputy Prime Minister and NZ First leader Winston Peters accused Labour of abandoning the regions by discontinuing the PGF.

The proposed replacement regional fund was a "straight cop-out" and a "sad commentary on Labour's priorities when they are by themselves", he said.

Ardern disagreed, saying the PGF was only ever designed to be a $3 billion project over three years.

Labour said that if it is re-elected existing PGF projects will be progressed over the next term, with unallocated PGF sector funding to be considered for redistribution to new regionally developed plans.