Wellington Anniversary Day is always bittersweet for me each year – it’s me and Jenna’s wedding anniversary, but it also almost always marks the day when the summer break is basically finished and politics (AKA my job) starts up again for the year. This year was no exception – I spent Anniversary Day in Auckland with the Prime Minister at his “State of the Nation” speech and in the following couple of days we had our annual National caucus “retreat” (in reality, a day and a half in a hotel) in Christchurch. So it’s definitely time to get back into the swing of things and so this is your first Bishop Bulletin for the year. I’ve been doing these every fortnight since 2015 and I’ll continue again in 2026. As always, happy to get feedback about what you do and don’t like – just fire me an email. Thanks for reading!
 
(In case you’re wondering about celebrating our anniversary – number 7 by the way - Jenna and I are yet to celebrate but we’ve marked some time for a nice dinner next week. I have some making up to do after choosing the PM over her on Monday!)
 
Before I get into some political news – I hope you had a restful and relaxing summer and a chance to spend some time with your loved ones. Jenna, Jeremy, Matilda and I have spent most of it in the Hutt, and it’s been a really great break. We did have a week in Riversdale where the weather was absolutely glorious. Jeremy declared he wants to move there and live there forever!
 
To politics. The election will be on November 7 later in the year. The PM followed recent tradition, established by John Key, of announcing the date nice and early to give everyone certainty. Between now and then though, we’ve got a huge and ambitious agenda to progress, including in Parliament. My focus for the year will be on passing our two Bills abolishing and replacing the Resource Management Act, making progress on our Major Transport Projects Pipeline (including a decision on a second Harbour crossing in Auckland), getting new legislation into the House establishing new funding tools for infrastructure for housing, implementing our new housing investment system, and publishing New Zealand’s National Infrastructure Plan.
 
I can assure you that while the media focus on the fun and games of dates, who’s in and who’s out, who’s up and who’s down, we’ll be grinding away on the important reforms we’ve got underway that will set New Zealand up for a better future. That’s ultimately why I got into politics and that’s actually what matters.
 
The economy will of course be at the centre of the campaign this year, and it does feel like we’re turning a corner after two very tough years. We inherited an economy in recession, with high inflation and high interest rates, caused by a massive increase in government spending and government borrowing. I think sometimes people forget just how badly the previous government ran the economy. We’re still dealing with the effects today.
 
We’re now starting to see very positive economic news come through. GDP was up 1.1% in the September quarter, ahead of expectations. Business confidence is at its highest level since 2014. Manufacturing is growing stronger than at any time since December 2021. Building consents are rising, up around 20 per cent in the last six months. Job advertisements in construction have risen by around 30 per cent in the last year. The list goes on.

So a recovery is underway - but it can't be taken for granted. Sticking with the economic plan that's beginning to work will be more important than ever before. You'll hear a lot more about that this year We're making good progress on fixing the basics - now it is time to build the future!

A couple of really positive announcements you may have missed recently - just before Christmas we concluded Free Trade negotiations with India. The agreement eliminates and reduces tariffs on 95 per cent of New Zealand’s exports – among the highest of any Indian FTA - with almost 57 per cent being duty-free from day one, increasing to 82 per cent when fully implemented. This is just fantastic for New Zealand. People said it could never be done but we've delivered in just two years.

Second, last week our new granny flat rules came into effect! You can now build a 70 square metre minor unit on a property without resource or building consent - as long as you follow the rules. I know this will make a difference in terms of housing options for people.

Finally, on Hutt matters - how good is it to see progress underway at Melling? The work is really underway. Melling station is now closed, there's road closures galore, and diggers getting stuck in. It's going to be disruptive, but worth it in the end!

I'm excited about the year ahead and I hope you are too.

Have a great weekend.

Chris