THE WINNER: National's candidate for the Northland by-election, Mark Osborne, with wife Jodi moments after he won the candidacy on Saturday.
THE WINNER: National's candidate for the Northland by-election, Mark Osborne, with wife Jodi moments after he won the candidacy on Saturday.
The National Party chose former Te Ahu manager Mark Osborne as its candidate for the Northland by-election.
Mr Osborne, who was selected at a large meeting of party members in Kerikeri on Saturday, undertook to work to maintain a strong voice for Northland in John Key's National-led government.
"National isworking hard and delivering for the North," he said.
"It's focus on investment and growth helped to create 7500 more jobs in Northland last year, and Northland is currently one of the fastest-growing regions in the country."
He highlighted ways in which National's plan was lifting the electorate's growth rate and helping people into work, namely building the Puhoi to Wellsford motorway extension, investing $255 million over three years in local roads and highways across Northland, backing primary industries via the $750 million primary growth partnership, attracting investment and job growth via the Northland regional growth study, reforming the Resource Management Act to address the costs, delays and frustrations that were hindering the regions, rolling out much faster broadband, introducing the Maori and Pasifika trades training initiative across Northland, providing free doctors' visits for children under 13 and investing more than $134 million to improve and expand the school network since 2008.
"These are vital initiatives for Northland's future. I'll work hard to see them delivered, and build on that momentum by keeping Northland's strong local voice in the John Key government," he said.
Based in Taipa, Mr Osborne was until Saturday an asset manager for the Far North District Council. The one-time Northland public servant, former general manager of Te Ahu Charitable Trust and Mangonui School trustee, he and his wife Jodi own the Mangonui business Doubtless Beauty.
