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New Zealand infrastructure plan raises questions over pollution

Xinhua, October 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

More than 100 billion NZ dollars (71.68 billion U.S. dollars) will be spent on infrastructure projects over the next 10 years, the New Zealand government announced Friday.

The figure was revealed by Finance Minister Bill English when he release the government's Ten Year Capital Intentions Plan (CIP), which brings together the infrastructure investment intentions of central and local government, state-owned enterprises, and public and private companies.

Of the 3,823 projects in the 2016-2025 pipeline, 219 belonged to central government and were valued at 40.5 billion NZ dollars (29.03 billion U.S. dollars), 3,559 belonged to local government and were valued at 51.1 billion NZ dollars (36.62 billion U.S. dollars), and 45 projects belonged to the private sector at a value of 9.2 billion NZ dollars (6.59 billion U.S. dollars).

"Publishing this information offers transparency and provides businesses with greater certainty about current and future infrastructure provision," English said in a statement.

However, the opposition Green Party called the plan irresponsible and short-sighted, saying it completely ignored the reality of climate change.

The report showed that all central government transport spending between 2016 and 2025 had been earmarked exclusively for highways, with nothing for rail infrastructure, said Green Party transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter.

"We have just ratified the Paris Agreement, which says we will reduce carbon pollution. How can Kiwi families and businesses do that if we don't build modern, clean transport systems?" Genter said in a statement. Endit