No simple solution to stimulate economic growth
Photo:
RNZ / REECE BAKER
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Minister for Auckland Simeon Brown says there isn't a simple solution to stimulating economic growth across New Zealand.
It comes as the government is being urged to inject stimulus into Auckland's economy after dismal unemployment figures for the city were released this week.
Auckland saw the worst unemployment rate in the country at 6.1 percent - roughly 1 percent higher than the national figure.
On Thursday, Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Simon Bridges told RNZ
most of the government's plans for Auckland were long term.
But Brown rejected that, and said the government were doing a range of things in the short term.
"This year's Budget Investment Boost was in there to help businesses directly go out there and buy new kit, new equipment, new plant - that is about expensing that equipment so that they can actually go out there and invest with confidence," he told
Morning Report.
"We're doing things around tourism - Louise Upston has a huge number of events attracting tourists to New Zealand with different visa changes, digital nomads, investment rules changed through immigration with Erica Stanford.
"All of these are about the now and also, Fast Tack, that is not only about the long term, making it quick and easy to get consents.
"The first consent is going to be an extension to the ports of Auckland which is a $200 million project ... the good news about that is that it starts before Christmas ... those types of projects would have taken six, seven, eight years without Fast Track."
Brown conceded there were still significant challenges which he said were responses to a high inflationary environment and the high interest rates.
"There is no one simple solution to making sure we're stimulating economic growth across New Zealand," he said.
"There are multiple things that have to be done across multiple government departments.
"Whether that is immigration (and) making it easier to come here on a visitor visa."
Brown said while the government hadn't made countries such as China visa free, the government had made several other changes to make it easier for tourists.
"One of the changes coming that's coming in I think December is about the transit visa for Chinese visitors, that's going to make a big difference," he said.
"There's going to be a new flight connection between Auckland and South America with Chinese visitors being able to transit through Auckland - that's happening later this year.
"A lot of the changes are happening. Those are all going stimulate demand in the Auckland economy."
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