Thank you to all the voters that turned out in the recent local elections, which have shown a higher turnout from Hamilton voters than in recent years. Thank you to all the wonderful candidates that put their names forward for election. We had many new faces standing as candidates, so thank you for your participation in this process.
Congratulations to the successful candidates, we appreciate your passion and enthusiasm for our great city and look forward to your contributions. Commiserations to the unsuccessful candidates, thank you for your commitment to Hamilton and particular thanks to those who served our city in various roles.
One thing that we hadn't seen in the election was a general approach to projects for growth of the city. Contrast this with Wellington's areas of focus which have been prioritised by its new mayor — transport, housing development, airport infrastructure and further city facilities.
When previously in government the National Party had a deep commitment to the infrastructure needed to grow Hamilton. This included completion of the Waikato Expressway, funding for Hamilton Ring Road, new schools (eg Rototuna High Schools, Endeavour School), and a velodrome for the Waikato.
Hamilton needs to keep pace with the other growing cities around the country and to do so, we need to focus on big picture transport initiatives. First, in Hamilton we need the road from Cambridge-to-Piarere that was cancelled under the current Government.