[Missing Credit][object Object]NASA/CAWTHRON INSTITUTEThe golden goose . . . the South Island. The South Island rocks. We know that. It would take some convincing to make many of us shift to that other island on the far side of Cook Strait. Inter-island parochialism is bound to be a thing in a country with a small population like New Zealand. Having two main islands rather than a single piece of land, due to the quirks of geography, only exacerbates provincialism. We have argued several times before that this government has been overwhelmingly one of the North Island and focused on it. The debacle over the Cook Strait ferries was a great example in which the optics appeared to be that the South Island was of far less importance than Wellington and places further north. Grumblings over highway funding, with the lion’s share going to the top half of the North Island, have only strengthened that view. Yet, the National Party insists that is not the case. Even just a few days ago, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was reminding us we have a dedicated minister in James Meager, even if he is not actually in Cabinet. Economic figures show what most South Islanders already know, that our contribution to the national economy is, per capita, almost as significant as that of our North Island friends, given the South Island makes up just less than one quarter of the country’s population. More pertinently, however, our GDP growth in recent years is almost twice that of the North Island. Other statistics released in recent days reveal government spending on roading in the South Island does not reflect this position. A report by regional economist Benje Patterson highlights how out of skew this funding has become. Despite punching above its weight, the South Island only received 11% of the national land transport fund roading spend last year, in other words just $1 in every $9 of nationwide disbursement. That figure looks even worse in light of the fact the South Island accounts for 27% of national vehicle kilometres covered, 22% of GDP, one-third of goods exported and 40% of all international tourist spending. No wonder there has been renewed annoyance at the uneven distribution of money, catalysed this time by National bringing a growth plan for the South Island to a Christchurch conference organised by southern business chambers. Mr Luxon said the party had a ``comprehensive’’ plan for the South Island, knew it was a powerhouse of national growth, worth around $100 billion annually, and said nobody could doubt its ``deep, deep commitment’’ to the island. As well as asking other parties to sign up to South Island GDP reaching at least $130,000 per capita by 2035, National’s plan included road and rail connections at Rolleston, road improvements near Queenstown, potentially supporting a gondala mass-transit system there too, and 96 extra beds at Christchurch Hospital. While we perhaps should be pleased our island hasn’t been forgotten, the lack of funding for Dunedin infrastructure has irked civic leaders. City councillors Jo Galer, Andrew Simms, Mickey Treadwell and Steve Walker have all expressed exasperation over plans which seem to bypass Dunedin. While Cr Walker, in his words, nearly fell off his seat laughing, Cr Treadwell said it was clearly electioneering. Cr Simms said it appeared Aucklanders being more quickly able to get to their holiday homes was more important than essential work on roads in Otago. Cr Galer called the plan a ``breathtakingly brazen snub’’ and said the government had tried to leave Dunedin off the map, wondering if it was because the council was more left than right. The Labour Party was of course scathing about National’s plans, campaign chairman Kieran McAnulty accusing the government of sluggishness and treating the South Island as an afterthought. His comment about them finding some loose change behind the back of the sofa is not far off the mark. Labour leader Chris Hipkins was sceptical of National’s offerings, saying pork-barrel politics would not be Labour’s approach, which instead would commit to a long-term pipeline of work, he said. That’s easy to say but not so easy to deliver. And when it comes to what Mr Luxon announced, Southerners will need a lot more convincing members of the current government are serious about what lies beyond the south coast of Wellington.
