City no longer a SITting duck
January 30th, 2008, 8:57 am Hobbies News
The war over SIT funding has also given us the opportunity to tell the New Zealand public the full story of a small provincial city that fought tooth and nail for its survival and reconstruction.
We stopped the population decline with hard work and innovation.
Correct me if Im wrong, but I cannot recall a single Cabinet minister coming down to Invercargill during the 1990s and proclaiming that %26quot;its shocking that you are the fastest declining city in New Zealand or Australia and our Government intends to take immediate action to help you%26quot; .
Southland and Invercargill may have a small population but we are a highly fertile and productive province.
The Government could have formed a powerful Southland Development Commission to support us.
It could have given immigrants applying to live in New Zealand special bonus points if they chose to live in Southland.
It could have offered Invercargill students extra incentives such as the North Island horticultural students who get a free trip to Amsterdam to look at tulip growing or a free trip to Australias Hunter Valley if they studied viticulture.
I dont recall a senior member of the Government lifting a single finger to help us out of our demise.
Instead, we had to watch with awe and astonishment as this Government rushed to the assistance of Auckland.
First it gave the Auckland City Council $80 million to buy all the council flats so they wouldnt be a burden on Auckland ratepayers.
Then it rushed in with a $100 million package to buy Aucklands railway corridors to help with public transport because Auckland was growing so fast.
There were still traffic jams everywhere so the Government raised a special petrol tax levy aimed at helping Auckland with its roading problems.
In the meantime, we lay bleeding and dying in the gutter and absolutely nothing special was done for Invercargill.
It finally dawned on us that there would be no cavalry detachments to save us. We were going to have to save ourselves or die. The options were simple.
The combination of many initiatives saved us.
Marketing our land for dairy farming at Mystery Creek.
The brilliance of Tiwai Smelter in producing 99.98 percent pure aluminium.
The golden promotional opportunities provided by the success of the Sting and the reconstruction of the citys sporting and cultural facilities all helped to rejuvenate the city.
However, our biggest commitment was in the field of education.
We invested $7 million in Zero Fees, $3 million in high-tech whiteboards and millions of dollars every year goes into educational scholarships.
Per head of population we invest more community money in educational scholarships than any other city in New Zealand.
It took a long time but eventually we were triumphant. The only city in New Zealand or Australia to stop the rot and stabilise a downward population spiral.
A 0.08 percent increase in population may not seem like much but it was a huge victory for the city.
Finally the Government has stepped in. And, why, may you ask? Perhaps to increase our funding because of our success? No, youd be wrong.
Perhaps to simply pat us on the back and congratulate us for achieving such as incredible internationally recognised standard? No, youd be wrong again.
The Government has finally intervened by kicking us in the kneecaps as hard as it can with a $6.2 million to $8 million funding cut to SIT.
Also, to add insult to injury, the Minister of Tertiary Education has come to our city and told us he has absolutely no control or influence whatsoever over the Tertiary Education Commission. It is an independent body.
All I ask for is this: The country to have a Minister of Tertiary Education who IS responsible for tertiary education.
Best wishes for 2008 everyone. Its shaping up to be an incredible year for Southland.
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