Nelson MP Nick Smith has asked for a ‘please explain’ from Nelson City Council after it failed to apply for funding to extend the region’s cellphone and broadband coverage.
Nelson Weekly reported last month that Nelson had not applied for the $50 million in available grants, while Tasman District Council used the help of the Nelson EDA to prepare its bid for a slice of the cash.
Of the 67 territorial authorities in the country, Nelson was one of only four that didn’t apply for the funding, because the application “would come at some cost to council”.
In a letter to Nelson mayor Rachel Reese and Nelson City Council CEO Clare Hadley, Nick says he is concerned that the council had “missed the boat” in regards to the funding.
“My concern is that we do have significant issues with both the rollout of broadband to more isolated areas as well as mobile blackspots, and that for a region like Nelson improved connectedness is vital to the region’s future.”
In the letter, Nick says the ministry and residents prompted the council to apply “but these were ignored”.
“Is it that the council is unaware of these deficiencies in our communications, or is it that council does not appreciate the strategic importance of these issues to our community?
“My frustration is that I work hard as an MP and cabinet minister to try and ensure funds of this sort are established to support provincial areas like Nelson, and I am disappointed when these opportunities are not taken up in my own area,” he says.
Clare Hadley, in a letter back to the MP, says Nelson’s blackspot issues are minor compared to other regions and the cost of applying for the fund would be significant if some of the funding wasn’t granted to Nelson.
“Whilst Nelson has some mobile blackspots, these are really service provider issues and not a matter for council,” she wrote in a letter provided to the Weekly. “We felt that this was one time that our participation was not a priority.”
