Election 2020: Grant Robertson says velodrome will come down to feasibility

Labour candidate for Whanganui Steph Lewis with Grant Robertson on Guyton St on Monday. Photo / Bevan Conley

Finance Minister Grant Robertson says a Government contribution to the Whanganui velodrome roof would come down "feasibility".

Robertson was in Whanganui on Monday and said that was something Whanganui District Council had been looking at.

"We're happily working with them," he said.

"There had been a number of looks into it in terms of priorities for Whanganui and more broadly for sport priorities around the country.

"We'll take our time to see where they end up, but we're happy to keep the conversation going."

Robertson said he would be meeting with Sport Whanganui.

"From a New Zealand point of view, we have to look at the balance of where facilities are and what kind of state they're in," he said.

Whanganui sports clubs would have benefited from the government's $260 million sports recovery package, Robertson, who is also Minister for Sport and Recreation, said.

"The first phase of that was real grassroots stuff, so there'll be clubs in Whanganui that have used it to make sure they can keep going.

"Covid-19 has affected those clubs badly, they've lost sponsorship, and they've struggled to get membership fees for their members, so we're now doing a second round of funding because the need is still there."

Grant Robertson in Whanganui on Monday. Photo / Bevan Conley

Robertson said he was proud of his party's economic record, ahead of October's election.

"Traditionally, we know that the National Party has been able to have this rhetorical claim that they can run the economy better, but actually the evidence doesn't support that.

"Now we're seeing that more small business people supporting us, and there was a MYOB survey the other day around small businesses, and for the first time in the history of their survey, more of them were supporting Labour."

The government's small business cashflow scheme had provided $10.1 million to 590 Whanganui firms, Robertson said, and in Manawatu-Whanganui the wage subsidy had seen $393 million go to supporting 73,000 jobs.

"That's a significant amount of support that has gone into the Whanganui area, and I think those businesspeople are seeing that we've been consistent and we've stuck to our plan."

Robertson said he hoped the upcoming general election would be a "contest of ideas".

"Clearly Covid-19 is the backdrop for the whole election, and our ability to respond to recover and rebuild is at the centre of it.

"It's also an important election for talking about what we want in areas like housing and job creation, and how we're going to meet our climate change goals.

"As long as we can keep it to that kind of contest it's good.

Robertson said that he was confident Lewis could win the Whanganui seat from incumbent National MP Harete Hipango.

"I've got massive confidence in Steph to take Whanganui, and she got very close last time around," Robertson said

"I'm not complacent, but I'm optimistic that we'll be back in government here."