'Our asks' for the Manawatū over the next parliamentary term
Published on 08 September 2023
Palmerston North City Council and Manawatū District Council recently issued an invitation to the 4 top-polling political parties to engage with us on Our Asks, a summary of the things we’re most keen to prioritise and progress over the next parliamentary term.
We know it’s a very busy time for these parties as New Zealand enters the final phase of the election cycle. To help them understand the things most important to both Palmerston North and Manawatū District, we’ve taken this joint initiative to communicate our priorities for the area, and how we’d like to work with our next government.
Manawatū region is prospering
Manawatū region has experienced a period of strong economic growth over the 5 years to March 2023 with gross domestic product GDP) increasing by 19.9% compared to 14.4% growth nationally. But we have done this largely by ourselves, with little government investment. We've received almost no shovel-ready funding, acceleration or targeted government assistance in recent years. We’ve done well from our own efforts but now seek much needed investment in the upcoming new term of government.
We believe it’s helpful for our next leaders to know what our region’s priorities are
The issues highlighted in this summary are a result of thorough consideration. The areas where we’re asking for targeted support are intended to be relevant and achievable for the incoming government. Many of the key priorities set out in the document are of national relevance, building on our region’s strengths to foster projects that will result in positive outcomes for New Zealand’s whole economy.
So, we’re asking all political parties seeking election to become the incoming government a series of investment questions on what they’ll specifically do for Palmy and Manawatū region over the next few years.
We’re looking forward to hearing each party’s plans for the regions over the coming political term, and specifically how they’ll support us here in the Manawatū with some long overdue strategic investment.
Read Our Asks(PDF, 3MB)