From the House: New route connects us to US

Times Square is back in full swing, and Air New Zealand's direct route from Auckland to New York has taken off. Photo / NZME

Earlier this month I travelled to the United States, on Air New Zealand's inaugural direct flight from Auckland to New York.

With a distance of 14,215km, and just over 16 hours, it's actually the world's fourth-longest flight. There was a great buzz on board with a genuine enthusiasm for this new route, and it was clear to me that it will create significant tourism and trade opportunities for New Zealand.

The significance of this new route cannot be overstated. With international passenger travel recovering after two years of the pandemic, this is a moment we have been waiting for - for Kiwis wanting to reconnect with the world, and for all the American tourists who have been itching to get to New Zealand.

This is a huge step towards stimulating tourism, trade and business connections between Auckland and the biggest city in the US.

The US is our third-largest trading partner and tourism market – a major source of foreign direct investment, and a key innovation partner.

Just this week Auckland Airport announced that United Airlines and American Airlines will resume flights to Auckland in October, adding nearly 14,000 seats, or around 20 per cent seat capacity, month-on-month between New Zealand and North America.

Come November, Auckland will have five airlines operating direct flights to eight destinations, making it the most connected Australasian city to North America.

It's fantastic to see New Zealand reconnecting with the world at pace – for the first month since March 2020 the number of overseas visitor arrivals exceeded 100,000 in July, with more than 134,200 overseas visitors arriving.

While in New York, I launched a new global investment drive we're calling "Do Good, Do Well". This initiative aims to attract a new generation of investors and investments into New Zealand, with a bold yet simple motivating principle: Good values lead to good business.

New Zealand has fostered a sustainable, inclusive, and innovative business culture, which has subsequently created an environment that delivers both societal and financial benefits.

We believe that good business stems from caring for our land and planet.

This is a values-based investment approach, and it will showcase our belief that sustainable, inclusive and innovative business is the key to driving economic growth.

It was fantastic to be out in the world promoting New Zealand, and really encouraging to see just how much enthusiasm there is for visitors to travel to this little slice of paradise we all are fortunate to call home.

Stuart Nash is Napier MP