Restoring New Zealand’s law and order: Vanessa Weenink, MP Banks Peninsula

Every New Zealander deserves to feel safe in their homes, businesses, and communities, but in recent years, that feeling has turned to fear for too many. Here in Canterbury this issue is no different.

That’s why this Government made a promise to restore law and order and we’ve taken decisive action in our Q3 Action Plan. In the last quarter alone, we passed four major laws designed to crack down on criminal activity and give Police stronger powers to tackle gangs. We also introduced reforms to ensure that offenders face tougher sentencing, alongside stronger measures for serious youth offenders.

These changes will make Christchurch safer for everyone. Alongside tackling crime, we need to rebuild the economy, so the Government has announced the projects to be included in our one-stop-shop Fast Track Approvals Bill.

This means 149 projects with significant regional or national benefits, including 22 key projects in Canterbury, can be fast-tracked for approval under the Fast-track Approvals Bill. In the Canterbury region alone, there will be ten housing and land developments, four infrastructure projects, and five renewable solar energy projects which will supply electricity to the national grid.

Nationally, the list includes 43 infrastructure projects, expected to deliver up to 180km of new road, rail, and public transport routes. Additionally, 44 housing developments will help address the housing crisis, enabling the construction of up to 55,000 new homes in key growth areas. 22 renewable electricity projects across the country will collectively add up to 3 gigawatts (GW) of generation capacity – for context, Auckland’s peak demand is around 2 gigawatts. This will strengthen the electricity grid and contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable future. Each project will be reviewed by an expert panel, which will assess its environmental effects. If the environmental impacts are deemed excessive the panel can decline the project. This initiative is about creating jobs, addressing long-standing housing shortages, and closing infrastructure gaps.

Kiwis in Canterbury can be confident in a Government that continues to deliver on its promises, making New Zealand safer, stronger, and more prosperous.