Mayoral candidate Jeff Ryan won't apologise for "being a straight shooter" after having to concede his campaign to seek "RUC for roads" after Finance Minister Nicola Willis ruled it out. Photo: LDR / Jonathan Leask
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has ruled out an Ashburton mayoral candidate's campaign pledge on funding local roads.
Jeff Ryan has been promising to push the government to keep road user charges in the region of origin.
The money would be used to fund local roading instead of councils relying on rates.
Ryan approached Willis at an event in Ashburton on Thursday for an impromptu discussion on his request and the answer from Willis was no.
Willis confirmed she informed Ryan that RUC revenue is used on roading projects across the country.
"We are a government with an ambitious program, to create new state highways, to ensure that we are building the roads for New Zealand's future growth.
"Without that revenue, we would have to scale back those plans and we are not going to do that.
"We do already, through the national land transport fund, provide significant local road funding to this region, that will continue."
The response left Ryan having to concede it was time to pump the brakes on his "RUC for rates" plan.
"She pretty much said no, you will not get that through," he said.
The night before Ryan's encounter with Willis, his mayoral rival Russell Ellis had told him as much.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis, with South Island Minister and Rangitata MP James Meager, during her visit to Ashburton last week, has ruled out mayoral candidate Jeff Ryan's push for road user charges staying in the region of origin. Photo: Ashburton Guardian / Julie Moffett
"With all due respect to Mr Ryan, we need to live in the real world, not the fantasy one," Ellis said at the meet the candidate's event.
"We are not going to get money from the government for RUC."
Ryan described Ellis' comments as a cheap dig.
"He was speculating.
"I never said it was going to be a certainty.
"Sometimes the information will change and my decision will change, but that's the way I am, I am a straight shooter.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and if we took Russell's approach, we wouldn't be doing anything."
Ellis, who has had three terms on council, said he was "totally unsurprised" by the answer from Willis.
Ellis also said his "fantasy world" comment wasn't solely focused on Ryan's RUC recovery plan.
"Making promises of reducing rates while at the same time suggesting delivering Christmas presents along the way, like a bowling alley, trampoline park, hydro-slide, and a new I-site, is just not possible."
The other two mayoral candidates also weren't surprised by the response from Willis.
Liz McMillan, also in her third term on the council, said getting more RUC funding has been raised before by the council "and the answer has always been no".
"It's great to have big ideas, but the reality is the government is saying councils need to focus on the core services and there isn't any extra funding coming our way that isn't through rates.
"We all want progress, but we need to balance that with affordability."
Mackle said that Ryan "had a good point driving for it, and it would be good for the district, but it was never going to happen because of how the government is funding roading".
"The government is spreading what money they do have thinly across the network on wherever they see the main need, and here it's the second bridge, and that will be our spend for some time I feel."
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
