Prime Minister Christopher Luxon backs fast-track process during visit to Whanganui

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stops by the 2PieNgatai cafe at the Whanganui Airport. Photo / Mike Tweed

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the Government makes “no apologies” for a controversial mining project being included on its fast-track list.

Luxon, in Whanganui to meet with farmers and tradespeople, said a fast-track application from Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) still had to go before an independent panel.

The project, which aims to extract up to 50 million tonnes of material a year in the South Taranaki Bight, has drawn opposition from various sectors, including iwi, Greenpeace, Te Pāti Māori, South Taranaki District Council and Whanganui District Council.

“We are determined that this country is going to grow, and our extractive resources and critical minerals are a really important part of that growth,” Luxon said.

“Yes, it’s in the fast-track project list, but it obviously has to go through an expert panel that looks at the economic and environmental benefits a lot closer.”

Transitioning to clean, green energy required access to critical minerals, which New Zealand had a lot of, he said.

“There will be difficult and contentious projects, I get it, and people have lots of different reactions to it, but the day of this country not growing is over.

“Whether it’s mining, roading, hospitals, housing, schools, we’ve got a lot of things to get going with.”

The Prime Minister said Whanganui District Council was in good financial shape, and he was pleased to see its progress around Local Water Done Well requirements.

“Three district councils [Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei] are coming together to form some kind of council-controlled organisation, and I think that’s gone very well,” he said.

“There is plenty of capacity for the Whanganui council to borrow for infrastructure projects.

“That’s a good use of debt. It’s a worry when you see debt being run up because councils are wasting it on frivolous and stupid stuff.”

A local example of frivolous expenditure was the council’s proposal last year to build a $50 million hotel and multi-storey carpark, he said.

The project was eventually scrapped after public consultation on the council’s long-term plan for 2024-2034.

“It was great to see that turned off. That is not what ratepayers pay the council to do,” Luxon said.

“It’s lovely and it’s a nice-to-do, it‘s not a must-do.

“The core business is to deliver services to ratepayers and do the basics brilliantly.”

He said all councils had submitted to the Government’s regional deal initiative, which aims to establish long-term agreements between central and local government.

“Let’s get on to the things that both parties can support, and it needs to be more in the hard infrastructure space.

“We are going through a process of looking at those submissions with our officials, then we’ll engage with the councils and get an agreement in place.”

Luxon said he had visited Whanganui “a few times now” and enjoyed being in the district.

His itinerary this week included a speech to Federated Farmers at the Fordell Hall and a visit to Mitre 10 Mega Whanganui to meet with tradespeople.

“We are trying to get houses built in this country. That has been a real challenge, and it’s been a challenge [in Whanganui],” he said.

“We want builders to self-certify, which we announced yesterday [April 29], and we want to be able to build granny flats up to 70sq m without resource consents.

“It takes too long and it costs too much to build in New Zealand, and we’ve got to try and get that open.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.