The regions will get an economic boost that'll bring "jobs, pūtea (finance) and more household stability" within 100 days, Shane Jones has vowed.
While the Regional Economic Development Minister wouldn't go into specifics of his new projects - they're subject to sign-off this week - Jones vows they'll arrive by July.
He says the projects are driven by "a deep level of angst and concern for local and small businesses in the regions", many of which have been hammered by the demands of the Government-imposed coronavirus lockdown over the past month.
"The most important thing is not simply getting back to work, but getting the transmission of pūtea around the economy so people can pay their bills," he told Peter Williams on Magic Talk on Tuesday morning.
"I know that Business NZ is working very closely with [Finance Minister] Grant Robertson as to what additional interventions might be made, but until such time we've worked through the pros and cons of those, my focus is on standing up projects that are shovel-ready and capable of being delivered within May, June, July - virtually 100 days.
"In fact I'm following for my regional development a 100-day plan, and at each step I'm wanting to demonstrate to Kiwis this is not political plaque. It's actual economic activity - meaning jobs, pūtea and more household stability."
Earlier this month, the Government confirmed some money originally allocated to the Provincial Growth Fund that Jones manages would be repurposed in New Zealand's fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
However it appears he's still got enough to work with. Jones says "a number of projects" that are part of his 100-day plan are awaiting sign-off from Cabinet this week, before getting underway when New Zealand moves to alert level 3 at 11:59pm on Monday.
He says he's motivated to get the projects rolling because he's "a great believer in the ability of the economy to regenerate itself".
"We're talking not just about the economy in a theoretical way, we're talking about men and women - we've got to back our fellow Kiwis," he said.
"Where the Crown finds there's a genuine market failure and the economy cannot heal itself, that's where we need to direct our attention fiscally and politically, and provide durable outcomes."
