Wellington, Feb 11 NZPA - Five new schools and 69 additional state houses will be built as part of the Government's almost $500 million infrastructure package announced today.

The package, intended to help New Zealand through the economic recession was worth a total $483.7m.

It included $216.7m for education, $142.5m for transport and $124.5m to be spent on housing.

About $100m is for projects due to begin before June 30.

Most of the projects were already planned and have been fast-tracked to boost the Government's economic stimulus plan.

Last week, the Government announced a tax relief for small and medium enterprises and earlier a recovery programme for people who lost their jobs due to the recession.

Prime Minister John Key has described the Government's approach as an ongoing response.

About 2000 jobs were expected to be created and retained over two years due to the extra infrastructure spending.

Construction on the five new schools -- Mt Wellington Primary, Papamoa Primary, Kerikeri Primary, Hingaia Primary and Papamoa Secondary -- is due to start by April 2010. Almost $69m has been allocated for them.

Papamoa is in Tauranga, Kerikeri in the Far North, Mt Wellington in Auckland, and Hingaia in South Auckland.

In addition, $114m has been allocated to help build and renovate existing school structures.

Broadband in schools will get a boost with $34m to get broadband to the schools with the "greatest need", Education Minister Anne Tolley said.

She said did not say which those were.

The 69 new state houses are to be built within six months and cost $20m. This was in addition to the 450 new homes already planned.

Up to 10,000 existing state houses will get a makeover worth $104.5m.

Five major transport projects have been fast-tracked, at a cost of $42.5m.

These include the Kopu Bridge, near Thames in the Coromandel, and Muldoon's Corner on the Wellington side of the Rimutaka Hill Road, just below the summit.

Up to $100m will be invested in smaller road maintenance and renewal work, $34m to be used on projects set to start before June 30 and $66m in the following two years.

The projects have a "geographical split" aimed at "getting New Zealanders back to work and into work quickly", Mr Key told reporters.

"The aim of these projects are very much projects the Government wants to complete, wants to complete quickly, they've been brought forward. Many of them are consented.

"I think it's a good first step at making sure that the construction industry, which is suffering badly from the recession, will have extra work on its plate."

Mr Key stressed this was not the Government's only plan for infrastructure.

Further announcements will be made in relation to broadband, housing, roading, schooling, he said.

"These are projects that were ready to go today, or very shortly."

The package has been funded entirely through borrowing and is just $500m of a "total envelope" of $5 billion, Finance Minister Bill English said.

"It doesn't amount to new debt as of today, it's already there in the track. Now we're starting to draw down the cash into projects."

The package includes the projects that were easiest to bring forward, he said.

"This is simply what can be done now".

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