8. Question No. 8—Regional Economic DevelopmentJENNY MARCROFT (NZ First) to the Minister for Regional Economic DevelopmentQuestion No. 8—Regional Economic Development8. JENNY MARCROFT (NZ First) to the Minister for Regional Economic Development: What recent announcements has he made in relation to the Provincial Growth Fund?Hon SHANE JONES (Minister for Regional Economic Development): Recently the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) that was announced will loan $7.5 million to support the development of Ōpuke Thermal Pools and Spa complex in Methven. It will create 120 jobs directly and indirectly and it is fiscal evidence of the meaning of ōpuke": to expand and swell.Jenny Marcroft: What announcement has he made to help provide other alternatives to 1080?Hon SHANE JONES: Naturally the $19.6 million which was announced by me and Minister Sage is an overdue step to enabling the Crown to encourage and incentivise other interventions which go beyond the 1080 practitioners. This will not only lead and reward people who entrepreneurially or technologically come up with alternatives which either can boost the prospects of ridding the landscape of such pests but also generate in time foreign exchange earnings. Jenny Marcroft: Can the Minister confirm claims that only 54 jobs have been created so far through the Provincial Growth Fund?Hon SHANE JONES: I can confirm that the miserable inaccurate amounts that were flung around earlier this year have now been eclipsed by the truth. The reality is that we are well beyond that figure: 10 times; 560 jobs created and not only are they rising; they are being counted. Jenny Marcroft: How many projects has the PGF so far supported?Hon SHANE JONES: To date the Provincial Growth Fund has supported 229 projects. Seventy of those admittedly are for matters that require further viability and feasibility and business cases but such a standard is required in order for me to fulfil the good governance stewardship requirements of being the champion of the regions and the steward of the fund.Jenny Marcroft: What recent updates and feedback has he received about the PGF?Hon SHANE JONES: Naturally there is an echo chamber from Murihiku to Muriwhenua Invercargill to Kaitāia and nowhere was it seen more vividly than when I was recently in mid-Canterbury where the list member for Epsom was attacking mid-Canterbury but the sitting member was leaking early the results of our deliberations and celebrating this amount of money given to the Ōpuke thermal pools.Hon Paul Goldsmith: If the Minister is so sure that he has now created 560 jobs why did he say in this House before Christmas that he'd created 9000? And given that wide variety how can we have any confidence in any figures that he provides?Hon SHANE JONES: Without a doubt thousands of jobs have been both identified by my good self and are the subject of high-quality feasibility and viability studies. But as the member knows the machinery of the State moves from time to time painfully slowly and it requires us to tick all the milestones. But rest assured the figure of 560 is not only authentic but it is growing and swelling as we speak. And over the next 18 months he can celebrate along with me the many thousands of jobs flowing from this incredibly important initiative."