Government’s focus on infrastructure investment to deliver key projects such as roads, Manihiki Airport upgrades, and Aitutaki’s water project has been proposed in the 2024/2025 Budget.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Mark Brown, who is also the Minister for Finance, tabled the Appropriation Bill 2024 in Parliament where Government has proposed $328million for the 2024-2025 Budget.

In his budget speech, the Prime Minister said the key budget initiatives are capital investments.

Brown said he had spoken about the importance of capital expenditure, about its ability to employ workers and stimulate the economy, particularly while investment from private companies is limited.

“In this Budget, Government has focused on projects that are either already in progress or in development in order to complete existing projects with importance to the Cook Islands.”

Brown said the projects are designed to employ local contractors and labour, such as for the Te Tau Papa O Avarua – the Avarua Town Plan project, which is funded by the Infrastructure Trust Fund.

“This project, and indeed many in the infrastructure space, are geared toward ensuring both that we build the infrastructure we need, but also that there is activity for local construction firms, engineers and tradespeople – as without that pipeline of work, the skilled labour involved in this sector will probably leave.

“The Government is continually in discussion with development partners around financing of work in this sector to ensure there is work ongoing – especially while our private sector repair their balance sheets. As these discussions bear fruit, announcements will be made, but rest assured, we keep a very open dialogue with partners.”

Brown said  Infrastructure Cook Islands (ICI) would continue their important work on physical infrastructure on Rarotonga and the Pa Enua, with an ongoing focus on bridges and roads on Rarotonga, and marine and air infrastructure works in the Pa Enua, including on Nassau and Manihiki.

He said the work on Manihiki Airport will pilot a new approach to infrastructure development in the Pa Enua.

“We know that the cost of building things in our outer islands is prohibitively high in many respects, so to deliver key projects, a ‘public-works’ style model is being undertaken.

“This project will be used to show how such a model can work, and learn from it to be able to implement in infrastructure projects for the future – keeping them as affordable as possible.”

Brown highlighted that Government is actively discussing additional capital investment proposals with donor partners as they continue to work with New Zealand on proposals to fund projects through the Infrastructure Trust Fund, with a strong emphasis on shovel ready projects that will keep people employed and help to retain skilled labour.

“The budget is designed to keep us moving forward, to keep us on track and to ensure that our recovery is complete and benefits all Cook Islanders.”