GOVERNMENT COMMITS FURTHER FUNDING TO MILLENNIUM

The Government will provide a $396,000 grant to the Gisborne District Council to assist with Millennium infrastructure, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley announced in Gisborne today.

Following a meeting with Gisborne Mayor John Clark, Mrs Shipley said Cabinet had approved the grant as "a contribution towards the additional costs of managing infrastructure risks, especially those relating to water, sewage and public conveniences associated with the Millennium."

The decision follows a review by the office of Emergency Management and Civil Defence to assess the risks associated with additional visitors to the region
for the Millennium.

"Having considered that report the Cabinet decided that while the long term benefits to the Gisborne region from the Millennium warranted investment by the Council, we should also recognise that the region's resources were not unlimited. Part of the grant is targeted towards the costs of a Project Manager to ensure good overall infrastructure risk management, " Mrs Shipley said.