The Coalition Government has announced its latest quarterly workplan, covering Q2 2025. Of the 38 promises, a handful might be of particular interest to Hawke’s Bay.

Launch the Tourism Growth Roadmap, the second phase of the Government’s plan to boost tourist numbers and drive economic growth. [#6]

The Gov’t recently announced another $2.45 million for its contestable Regional Events Promotion Fund. Applications for that are now open, with decisions expected to be made in May 2025. But on the other hand, Tourism Minister Louise Upton has ruled out any consideration of a ‘bed tax’, which has been a lifeline funding hope for regional tourism agencies.

Agree the first Regional Deal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive economic growth and improve the supply of housing and infrastructure. [#16]

“Regional Deals” are a Gov’t initiative to negotiate longer-term (ten-year) funding deals with regions primarily aimed at addressing infrastructure needs. They do not necessarily entail new funding, but are intended to better package existing funding programmes and give the regional entities more funding certainty and more flexibility in how funds are expended to meet the ‘Regional Deal’ objectives. 

Hawke’s Bay submitted a proposed ‘Regional Deal’ via the HB Regional Recovery Agency, but these are required by the Government to be kept confidential while it is making its decisions. Ours purportedly ‘deals’ with “economic growth, infrastructure and housing”. 

There is no certainty that HB will be among the first deals approved. The Gov’t has previously announced that three would be in place by 2026, so don’t hold your breath.

BayBuzz reported on this here, HB’s ‘Regional Big Deal’ tease.

Introduce legislation to limit farm-to-forestry conversions from entering the Emissions Trading Scheme to protect productive land. [#24]

With so much pastoral land in Hawke’s Bay, potential widespread conversion to commercial forestry is worrisome to the sheep & beef sector. A number of overseas purchases have been announced recently in HB. For example. the 1500ha Waipuna Station in Elsthorpe has been sold to Kauri Forestry Limited Partnership, owned by German and Swiss interests.

Deliver 10,500 additional elective procedures through the Health NZ electives boost. [#31]

The surgical capacity of HB Hospital is an ongoing issue, ameliorated in part by offloading elective procedures to our private Royston and Kaweka Hospitals.

Take Cabinet decisions on scaling up the New Zealand biodiversity credit market to incentivise the protection and restoration of native wildlife. [#38]

Not entirely clear what this will entail, but presumably is responding to farmer interest in being financially incentivised or rewarded for biodiversity work they undertake on private property. Hawke’s Bay has a strong, active constituency engaged with biodiversity throughout our region. Stay tuned on this one.

The complete Q2 2025 workplan is here.