Emily Henderson: New Zealand's economy depends on regions like Northland

Te Warahi Hetaraka meets Stuart Nash at the Hihiaua Cultural Centre in Whangarei. Photo / Tania Whyte

FROM PARLIAMENT

Good things – as the old advert says – take time, and arranging for Minister Stuart Nash, the man in charge of Regional Economic Development, Tourism and Forestry, to visit Whangārei and look at some of our development dreams has been a good few months in the planning, so I was delighted to collect Stuart from the airport last Thursday, a (reusable) cup of his favourite tea in hand – to show him some of our sights and our potential.

First on my list was introducing the Minister to the proposed infrastructure plans for Northport. Northport is a world-class, multi-purpose facility and an important part of New Zealand's trade economy.

Many of us – including all te Tai Tokerau District Councils - think it could be even greater, incorporating a shipyard with a dry dock for large naval ships and ferries, as well as a container port for cargo destined for North-Auckland, providing not only great jobs for Whangārei but a vital piece of infrastructure for NZ.

Northport has put countless hours into the planning, backed by $1.3 million from the Labour coalition government in 2019, so I was keen to get Stuart out to the port hear directly from our local experts.

Later, we also met with the council, Northland Inc and members of the Chamber of Commerce which described their support for the project, too.

Next, we took the Minister back to his early days working in forestry (not a bad background for our Forestry Minister), at local Waipū sawmillers Northpine. A great discussion ensued, covering plans for the forestry industry and the Minister's passion for yet another of his portfolios, small and medium businesses.

As a bonus, Minister Nash's visit coincided with another long-worked-for plan directly relevant to his Tourism portfolio: Quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand – just in time for Anzac Day.

Opening the transtasman bubble will boost our tourism and hospitality businesses, which have been having a tough time over the past year. We're proud of our manaakitanga in Whangārei, and tourism plays a huge role in our local economy, and could play an even greater one.

We took the Minister to the award-winning Hihiaua cultural centre to showcase their plans for a major kapa haka performance stage, and put the icing on the cake by taking him up on to the roof of our Hundertwasser Art Centre, amidst what will be the largest forest roof in the southern hemisphere.

Whangārei put on a sparkling day, enabling the Minister to see the whole sweep of our arts precinct-to-be.

Northland has much to offer with its primary industries, arts and cultural heritage, tourism attractions, and specialist industry sectors like the port and its surrounds. I was proud to demonstrate some of that potential, in my role as Whangārei's advocate in chief.

With transtasman travel begun, our Government is planning the next steps in opening up our economy, starting with our Pacific cousins. We'll only move when we are certain it is safe, and with appropriate safety processes in place.

It will take time, but I'm hopeful that in the not too distant future, we'll safely welcome the world back to Aotearoa and Whangārei. And what a beautiful, rejuvenated city they will see. Not only that, but one whose industries can support NZ's long-term economic future, too.

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