Prime Minister Christoper Luxon made a fleeting visit to Nelson on Thursday to visit the Waimea Community Dam.
When asked by Nelson App how the government was going to stop the Hope Bypass from turning into another Southern Link that never happened, he said the 10-year timeframe to construct it still stood.
“The great news is that the Hope Bypass is one of the 15 Roads of National Significance... the fact that it’s locked into that plan is a really important and a very necessary thing... we’re going to spend half a billion dollars doing it... there’s quite a lot of planning to undertake on the project.”
When Nelson App asked whether Rocks Rd, a State Highway that is forced to close if high tide coincides with stormy weather was significant, his response was that there are many challenges up and down the country.
“I can take you to many regions of New Zealand and everybody’s got real challenges because we’ve got a massive infrastructure deficit across New Zealand... I appreciate it’s frustrating for people.”
As he was shown around the dam project, he was impressed.
“What has been achieved here has been incredible, and the number of people in this community that have enabled this to happen and stuck at it,” he told delegates from Waimea Water and local horticulture.
“It has been tough and difficult, and I’m sure painful at times. But to have an asset like this is pretty profound and pretty special.
“We are going to be a government and a country now that needs to get things done.”
He said National was “committed” to upgrading Nelson Hospital.
“The budget’s not changed, the bed count’s not changed, but what is changing, I think, is probably the phasing of the development rather than doing one big bang piece.”
