Cancellation of rural school bus services ‘devastating’
Rural Women New Zealand’s (RWNZ) new president, Sandra Matthews, says the cancellation of rural school bus services could have devastating consequences.
Budget 2023 saw the announcement of top up funding for emergency repairs and renewals to the transport network caused by the severe weather events that have dominated early 2023.
“Rural communities are at risk from being severely impacted by extreme weather events, it’s so crucial that emergency services have road access through to remote communities,” McAnulty says.
He says the financial support provided to Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) so far has meant that in the last year, teams of roading contractors have been able to repair critical roads in Northland, the Coromandel, Tararua District, Wairarapa, Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson, and Marlborough.
“It has also meant that Waka Kotahi has been able to carry out over 2,300 lane km of renewals and fix over 54,000 potholes across the state highway network,” he claims.
The Budget also saw the announcement that up to 1,000 new EV chargers would be installed in smaller rural communities.
“With increased charging infrastructure, rural communities will be able to harness the benefits of EVs as urban centres are able to and bring visitors to their region,” McAnulty says.
“We don’t want charging to be a barrier in rural communities for adapting to EVs, this funding will ensure more kiwis are able to make the switch to an EV.”
Additionally, McAnulty says education in rural communities will see a boost from the budget, with 175 rural schools added to the Ngā Iti Kahurangi programme which upgrades small, isolated schools’ properties with $63.1 million.
“Rural schools face different property challenges from central city schools, such as the cost of building contractors as the requirement to travel significant distances is often unattractive to contractors and invokes significant expense on the part of the school,” McAnulty says.
The programme is designed to help rural schools improve lighting, noise, temperature, and energy efficiency.
Improvements include LED lighting, acoustic panels, and thermal insulation in ceilings. The programme also installs residual current devices and support for state primary schools to update their Asbestos Management Plans.
“The programme helps rural schools meet Government’s 2030 target school standards, but also create the best environment for children to learn in.
“Teachers in rural locations play such a crucial part in their community. The school is often the heart of the community and I’m glad we are able to help those schools create the best physical environment possible for their children through Budget 2023,” McAnulty says.
