Emily Henderson: Jacinda Ardern birthday reason for Whangārei schools to celebrate

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with Ruakākā School pupils on July 26, her 41st birthday. She was at the school to announce a $100 million fund for roll growth classrooms including two for the school. Photo / Julia Czerwonatis

FROM PARLIAMENT

You get some great questions on school visits but on a recent trip to Whangārei Primary I hit the jackpot. "What's the best country to live in to survive a zombie apocalypse?" Well, this one, obviously, given that we've already proven our ability to manage a global pandemic (of the non-zombie variety).

Not only are we keeping the virus away but our economy is thriving, unemployment is below 5 per cent, and Northland is one of the fastest-growing, best-performing economic regions.

However, a glance across the ditch provides a strong reminder of why we must keep our guard up: the Whangārei Primary kids were well-versed on the drill of wash hands, stay home when you're sick and scan.

For adults, perhaps the most important protection for ourselves and our whanau is vaccination. A huge thank you to the Northland DHB and partners, like Ngati Hine Health and Te Hau Awhiowhio O Otangarei.

They are exceeding targets, and everyone I meet who has had their shots says what a welcoming professional environment they're providing.

If we keep this up, we can hope to manage the survival side of our zombie apocalypse, but the goal is not just surviving but to come out thriving.

Last week the Prime Minister chose to spend her birthday with the kids of Ruakākā Primary. Ruakākā is one of the country's fastest-growing areas, so it was an appropriate place for the PM and Minister Kelvin Davis to announce a $100 million fund for short-term roll growth classrooms for rapidly expanding schools, including two new classrooms for Ruakākā School itself.

Kamo High School will also get an almost $7 million top-up to redevelop the main teaching block, installed in 2015.

It is the first school to benefit from a new $150 million top-up fund for shovel-ready school building projects that need a boost to get started because of cost escalations or other pressures. The project replaces two elderly teaching blocks with a single two-storey block of 22 classrooms. And shovel-ready is exactly what this is: Kamo expects to open the new building as early as 2023.

This adds to the existing school investment package allocating between $50,000 and $400,000 for most schools.

In Whangārei, 34 schools were eligible for funding, with more than $814,000 of projects completed, and a further $1 million under way.

Later the same day, the Prime Minister and Health Minister Andrew Little blessed the second-stage of the Bay of Islands hospital upgrade, replacing run-down buildings to give people in the mid-North access to services closer to home, and reducing the load on our bursting Whangārei Hospital.

Little's office has also confirmed the new health reforms won't affect plans for capital investment, including rebuilding Whangārei Hospital, which has been identified as a priority.

I continue to advocate for this: the minister toured the hospital with me in May (coincidentally on his birthday).

These announcements aren't just about new buildings. The school projects alone are estimated to create more than 200 job opportunities.

Over the next five years, we're planning on investing a record $57.3 billion in major public works like these, tackling long-neglected projects, creating jobs and strengthening regional economies like ours. Certainly something to celebrate.

• Emily Henderson is the electorate MP for Whangārei. She can be contacted at Emily.HendersonMP@parliament.govt.nz .