Dear John,
It's been an exciting couple of weeks of positive progress around the Hutt and around the country. There's been a few highlights for me which I thought I'd take you through.
First off on a Hutt matter - I'm really pleased that the Ava Rail Bridge walkway closure has been delayed. It was due to close permanently last Sunday and there's been a huge amount of community concern, as it is a very well used community asset and other places to cross the river are quite a distance away. Over the past few weeks I've worked with Mayor Campbell Barry and KiwiRail on a solution. I'm really pleased that the closure of the walkway has now been pushed back until the end of the year. This will allow time for KiwiRail and the Council to design a solution for the walkway.
The backstory to all of this is a complicated one but basically the bridge is owned by KiwiRail and it needs upgrading. The walkway attached to the bridge is owned by the Hutt Council. The bridge work does need doing but it will now happen at the end of the year. In the meantime KiwiRail and the Council will work together so that the bridge and walkway work can potentially happen together, and funding arranged.
All in all this is a positive outcome and one of those satisfying outcomes that can be achieved when people focus on getting things done, working together, and being sensible. If only it were that easy all the time!
I've also been hard at work in my Ministerial portfolios. On Friday last week I gave a big speech to the Committee for Auckland, talking about our plans to help build an Auckland that is a world-class, international city. I described myself as an "urbanist", which got a few headlines. As I said in the speech, well-functioning urban environments with abundant housing, transport that gets people where they need to go quickly and efficiently, and functional infrastructure, will do more to create a brighter future for Kiwis than just about anything else government can do. So we are investing in level crossing removals to help realise the benefits of the City Rail Link, and I've gently opened a debate about the viewshafts that protect views all over Auckland but which stymie economic development.
If you're not an Aucklander, you might be reading this thinking, "who cares?" The point I would make to you is that Auckland's success is New Zealand's success and we are all better off if our biggest city does well. When Auckland fails, we all suffer as well. So we should all be backing Auckland to be a world-class city of talent, aspiration and prosperity. Don't worry, I'll never forget about the Hutt, Wellington, and our wonderful regions (just a couple of weeks ago we announced funding for the Waikare Gorge realignment project, a critical project for SH2 out of Napier up towards the East Coast).
Infrastructure Funding: As you read this, I'll be giving a speech to Local Government NZ Mayors and officials about the changes we're going to make to infrastructure funding and financing for housing. This is one of those insanely complex but extremely important topics which I've spent a lot of time on as Minister. It is now widely understood that our housing crisis as a country is fundamentally caused by a shortage of houses, driven by planning policies (like the RMA) that make it difficult to use land. Let's face it, we're not short of land, but we are short of houses. Last year I announced a series of changes to unlock land for housing in our cities and this latest announcement is the next part of the story - making sure we can get infrastructure built to support the new houses. Put simply, we're creating a more flexible supply of land for housing and more flexible tools for councils to recover the costs of growth-enabling infrastructure. The changes will mean fewer demands on ratepayers for new housing development and ensure "growth pays for growth". Watch out for the coverage of the speech and I'll put it in the Bulletin in two weeks time too.
Around the traps: How good was the Petone Fair a couple of Saturdays ago?! We made over $300 for the Kitten Inn - thank you to everyone who came and bought a blue ice cream.
Have a great weekend.
Chris
P.S I helped open the new Auckland Uni Rec Centre last week with a "celebrity" netball game - what do you think of my skills?
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The closure has been pushed back until the end of the year, allowing time for KiwiRail and the Council to design a solution for the walkway. It’s a complicated story but basically the bridge is owned by KiwiRail and it needs upgrading. The walkway attached to the bridge is owned by the Council. The bridge work does need doing but will now happen at the end of the year. In the meantime KiwiRail and the Council will work together so that the bridge and walkway work can potentially happen together, and funding arranged.
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Visit to Wainuiomata Marae
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Took my mate and colleague Tama Potaka out to the Hutt to visit Wainuiomata Marae and get a briefing on their ambitious plans. Very exciting stuff. With some government funding they’re doing a twelve unit papakāinga development (mix of one, two, three and four bedroom units) on the land we are standing on in the photo. Construction is expected to start later in the year once consents have been sorted with the council.
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Waikare Gorge realignment project!
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Visiting the bailey bridge on SH2 with Katie Nimon MP to announce that funding has been confirmed for the Waikare Gorge realignment project. A new 4km stretch of road and a new arch bridge. A critical project for the region, two years to the day since Gabrielle. Consents and designs are being finalised and NZTA will appoint a constructor in the second half of 2025 and then it’ll be all go.
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Rare night out for Valentine’s Day down at ESSC Eats at the Eastbourne Sports and Services Club.
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Make sure you book your tickets for the Harmony for Hope Charity Concert run by the combined Hutt Valley Rotary Clubs. This initiative will support Lifting the Lid which provides a range of mental health services to Hutt Valley college students.
Support a good cause and attend a fabulous concert, a two-for-one deal!
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Serving up blue and white soft serve ice creams for a donation at Petone Fair last Saturday! $313 was raised for the Kitten Inn.
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How does yearly WOFs for vintage cars sound?
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We've started consultation on WOFs for vintage cars becoming yearly instead of six-monthly  Submit here. |
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Wee boy watching Dad on the telly!
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Tune in to my regular spot on Breakfast Thursday mornings
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Speech to the Committee for Auckland
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Our challenge as a country isn’t just about the last few years, or even the last decade.
Stagnation and mediocrity is not our destiny.
Not if we make the right choices and not if we have courage.
Going for economic growth means saying “yes” to things when we’ve said “no” in the past.
It means taking on some tough political debates that we’ve previously shied away from. I’m going to talk about one today.
It means bold decisions which may look difficult at the time but which in hindsight will be regarded incontrovertibly as the right thing to do.
Managed decline is only inevitable if we let it be
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New Recreation Centre for Auckland University
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As Associate Sport Minister I helped open the brand new Auckland University Recreation Centre last Friday. We got to see some great sports including some fabulous diving by Frazer Tavener. This is a brilliant new facility that I’m sure students at Auckland University will love.
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It was great to join many of my colleagues at the Bluegreens Conference over the weekend. This is the National Party’s advisory group on environmental issues. I talked about an important topic, RMA Reform. This year we will introduce new legislation to fully replace the RMA and make it easier to get things done!
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Art Deco weekend in Napier
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I loved quickly stopping by Napier CBD during their Art Deco weekend with Katie Nimon.
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New Abbeyfield housing complex for seniors
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On Friday I joined Minister for Seniors Casey Costello and Rima Nakhle to open a new Abbeyfield housing complex for seniors in Manukau. 12 new one bedroom units, all affordable rentals, part funded by government. Abbeyfield does a great job around the country.
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Clubs Day at Victoria University
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With the NZ Young Nat up at Vic on Wednesday for Clubs Day.
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