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Fresh off of our major transport policy announcement, I am excited to host Simeon Brown, National's Transport spokesperson, for a public meeting in Ōhāriu tomorrow to explain how these plans will benefit Wellingtonians. 

Last week, National announced that we would deliver the following for the Wellington Region:

• Petone to Grenada Link Road and Cross Valley Link
• Second Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve upgrade
• Lower North Island Rail upgrade
• Melling Interchange
• Ōtaki to North of Levin (O2NL)
• SH58 Safety Improvements – Stage 2
• Wairarapa Rail Upgrades
• Wellington Station Safety

Petone to Grenada will be transformational for Ōhāriu. This new four-lane route between Tawa and the Hutt Valley will provide improved access and reduced travel times for motorists traveling between State Highway 1 and State Highway 2. This new road will also enable more than 5000 greenfields homes to be built. 

It would be great to see you at my public meeting tomorrow night to discuss these proposals:

When: Wednesday 9 August, 7:00pm

Where: Tawa Anglican Church, 1 Lyndhurst Road, Tawa, Wellington 5028

I would love to see you there!

Read on for updates on my work inside and outside of Parliament.

Ōhāriu Campaign Launch 

National’s campaign for Ōhāriu is officially launched!

Thanks to my family, our incredible team of supporters and volunteers, Tawa’s The Borough for hosting our launch party, the Young Nats and Superblues for all your help, and Chris Bishop for kicking us off.

If you want to help out our growing campaign squad, please sign up at the link below. Whether it’s delivering to letterboxes, putting up signs, or knocking on doors there are lots of different ways you can help be part of our movement to change the Government and help make me the next MP for Ōhāriu.

Back on Track Tour - Public Meeting with Chris Luxon 

Superb public meeting with Christopher Luxon at the jam-packed Johnsonville community centre a few weeks ago.

Heartfelt stories from local people, great questions, and lots of support for a change of Government to get NZ back on track.

Thank you to everyone who came out!

Labour puts politics over parents

This one is a bit emotional. Last week Labour spitefully voted against my pragmatic Bill to modernise NZ’s paid parental leave rules, despite all the other parties in Parliament supporting this no-brainer of a change.

My Bill would have allowed parents and caregivers to divide their leave between them, to take their leave at the same time, one after the other or in overlapping installments, whatever best suits your family. It would have come at no extra cost to the taxpayer.

Labour seems to think it knows better than parents what leave arrangements they should choose. I’m gutted they opposed it and put politics ahead of parents.

If National is elected we will make this change, so that modern families can choose the paid parental leave arrangements they want.

Out and about around NZ

I'm really enjoying geting out and about across the country with our fantastic National Party candidates. Recently I spent a great day with Dana Kirkpatrick in the East Coast electorate.

Born and raised in Gisborne, Dana gained qualifications in broadcasting before spending several years as a local journalist and communications executive across Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty. 

Dana lives in Gisborne with her two teenage children. She is a true community champion and would be an outstanding representative for the East Coast.

Upcoming events

9 August 2023: Back on Track Tour Transport Public Meeting with Simeon Brown, Tawa Anglican Church, Lyndhurst Road, 7:00 pm.

If you have any issues you think I may be able to support you with in my role as a List MP, or have ideas on where we can improve as a city, I would love to hear from you.

I’m continuing to enjoy getting out and about in the Ōhāriu community and I’m always keen to be involved in local events. If you know of any local community events I should attend, please do not hesitate to let me know.

In the meantime, please feel free to contact me if I can be of any assistance to you.

Kind regards

Nicola Willis