Turning the Warts of Auckland into a Jewel for Northland

Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader
9 MARCH 2014

9th March, 2015

Winston Peters

Speech in Cameron Street Mall

Whangarei

This speech is being made in Whangarei because it concerns a Northland asset in this city.

Our campaign is but a week old but already it’s having a profound effect.

It’s long been the case that Northland and the Northland electorate make up a forgotten area of New Zealand. Whatever the excuses the National Party might give all the economic and social evidence of neglect by them is obvious.

When we say we are having a profound effect it describes the real shock the National Party has got. All of a sudden National is darkening the skies with Cabinet ministers and MPs flying to Northland to convince you they’ve always been on your side. You are going to hear National’ make promise upon promise to fix what they haven’t fixed in the last 50 years.

All the things you have been asking for like building two-lane bridges in your electorate that has second highest number of one lane bridges in the country, new economic plans, new social policy are now happening because of our campaign.

A week ago they had never given any of these things a thought, now, all of a sudden they are Top Priority.

We’re winning already because this campaign has brought a real focus for the first time in decades on Northland.

And if we can achieve this in just one week imagine what a total turnaround we could achieve in the next 130 weeks or two and a half years.

But to make National keep their promises you need someone looking over their shoulder every day, every week, every month of the next two and a half years. You are going from being jilted to the most loved voters in the country.

You have been asking since the by-election was announced “what’s in it for me?” and “is there a future for me and my children here?”

Well there could be an extremely bright future in Northland but not with the present policies and attitudes of central government.

Northland has the second highest of one way bridges in this country. For decades you have been asked to be fixed up.

Surprise, surprise this morning National announced it will fix 10 bridges in Northland. All of a sudden something is being promised.

These are promises that National has made countless times before. They were in the Northland Regional Transport Plan in 2009. They were taken off when Steven Joyce shrunk rural road funding to meet his pet ROADS OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE PLAN. It all happened between 2008 – 2011. Soon, to quote a former Russian leader, Krushchev , “they’ll be promising to build a bridge where there is no river.”

For the north to grow there has to be real vision, a cohesive economic and social plan, and total political commitment.

Take for example your port here in Whangarei. Marsden Point has the maritime and adjacent land assets to become a leading New Zealand port but we won’t get that outcome unless there is a central government commitment to fully develop this port and build a railway link to it as well as upgrade the railway to Auckland.

The National candidate on Saturday said that a bullet train from Auckland to the north was a great idea. A bullet train wouldn’t make it past the first corner either way. The goods train takes four hours from Whangarei to Kaukapakapa and must slow to five kilometres an hour in some areas. That’s how out of touch and forgetful of their neglect to build appropriate infrastructure this candidate and his party are.

You will have heard of the huge controversy around secret decisions to expand the Ports of Auckland into the Waitemata harbour. A growing number of Aucklanders have become alarmed. For environmental and cost reasons they want these plans stopped.

You may ask what on earth has that got to do with Northland? That controversy has everything to do with Northland.

Aucklanders are hopelessly trying to solve an infrastructure problem smack in the middle of our biggest city.

Meanwhile, sitting right under their noses is the solution. Modern development of the Port of Whangarei.

Whangarei has the maritime and land resources that Auckland does not have and gross short sightedness encouraged by Wellington, is standing in Whangarei’s way.

National has represented Northland in Wellington for 77 years.

Northland has voted in National MP after National MP.

John Carter worked his butt off for Northland and he didn’t get listened to in Wellington.

Lockwood Smith MP drove over the Matakohe one-way bridge weekend after weekend and yet it was never fixed despite the countless accidents there. Described by the locals as a death trap, nothing happened.

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The Northland electorate has not had a Cabinet Minister for 50 years.

Recently an ANZ bank economist said something that should have caused a riot in this city and in the North.

He called Whangarei “Zombie Town”. That’s rich.

ANZ, along with the other three big Australian banks, make over 4 billion dollars profit from New Zealanders and cities and towns like Whangarei every year… then their chief economist calls Whangarei Zombie Town. That’s why I am asking you to “Send them a message!”

When Air New Zealand said recently they were going to close flights to and from Kaitaia what did National do?

When Air New Zealand said they were going to close the direct Whangarei to Wellington flight what did National do?

You’ve got it. Donuts.

They have taken you for granted, you know it’s no different to child neglect and abuse.

Today we have to decide as Northlanders that the decades of political neglect are going to stop and stop now.

That’s why I am announcing my party’s intention to stop the plans for the two large wharf extensions by Ports of Auckland and bring further container port development to its natural place - to the Port of Whangarei.

And we will upgrade the Auckland to Northland railway line and build the rail link to your port, this policy we have argued for a number of years but we need your support now to make this happen.

Before the National party starts shouting out about the cost ask them to explain how they lost hundreds of million in recent months on five computer programmes.

Stopping the unsound Auckland port expansion and upgrading maritime and railway infrastructure here will see Northland as the huge beneficiary.

With this plan Northland wins and Auckland wins

With this crucial development Northland will become much less reliant on seasonal opportunities, because the beneficiary of recurring revenue into the city and province, week after week, month after month, year after year. And a great number of Aucklanders will love you for it.

Aucklanders will not have their harbour ruined and you will get the infrastructural investment in your port. It’s a win/win.

Auckland’s future and Northland’s future are interlinked.

Auckland’s harbour is being constantly dredged. The current wharves are not big enough or inoperable.

The Auckland council won’t have to resort to sneaking through approvals secretly behind the backs of its ratepayers.

If you want real change in the fortunes of the North then, you have to vote for that change.

The time for sitting and complaining and not voting is over.

The time for complacency and trust in the present political representation is over.

The time of being lulled into a sense of security by endless repetitive promises from National is over.

Vote and help me turn the warts of Auckland into a jewel for Northland.

And remember, if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got!

ENDS

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