Home and heart in Wairarapa

The fact is that my focus is not on just being an MP. It is on being the MP for Wairarapa. I am standing in Wairarapa because it is my home and has been all my life.

Last week I announced I will not be seeking a position on the Labour Party list. It is a bit of a risk, but it was a decision I made long before I was selected as the Labour Candidate for Wairarapa last year.

I describe it as a risk because, with perception being everything in politics, there was always a chance that I could be misinterpreted; that I wasn't serious about being an MP because I was not trying all avenues.

The fact is that my focus is not on just being an MP. It is on being the MP for Wairarapa. I am standing in Wairarapa because it is my home and has been all my life.

I am not opposed to other electorate candidates standing for a list, nor am I opposed to those who stand only for a list. We need the list system to fill the gaps that so often appeared under First-Past-The-Post. In pre-list days there was a significant failure to adequately represent certain sectors, particularly women, but also rural and provincial voters.

List MPs also have a specialised role because they don't represent an electorate. In a way New Zealand is their electorate, and so often they are selected for their potential to pursue matters of national interest.

Nevertheless, for too long Wairarapa has gone without a strong, local voice in Parliament. This region needs an MP who is utterly dedicated to this region. Not standing for Labour's list is my way of showing that dedication.

So I am now committed to winning Wairarapa the old-fashioned way. That means getting out and listening to as many people as possible. I am attending as many events as I can. My team and I are knocking on doors at every opportunity because people here want an MP that understands their views. It hasn't surprised me that the comment I most hear is I've never had a candidate knock on my door before.

It's encouraging that from the door-step discussions I have had, people are most passionate about the future of the region's young people. It is encouraging because that is what you would hope for in any society. It's depressing because no society should ever have permitted a provincial economy that cannot sustain its youth. But it is also hopeful because there are answers.

As the Regional and Rural Representative on Labour's Policy Council, I know that Labour has developed policies that address the big issues facing provincial New Zealand. Key to this is a commitment to invest in regions like Wairarapa; in businesses, jobs, services, apprenticeships, roads, education and health. At various times in the last six years all have suffered funding caps or cuts, while large urban ventures got the cream.

I totally reject the notion that a purely market driven economy is the answer to Wairarapa's problems. Trickle-down economics has got us nowhere, so I will continue to present Labour's Economic Upgrade Package a vision of Jobs and Growth because I believe it is what is needed for Wairarapa to reach its potential.

It is a package that has been developed in part from conversations with those we are trying to help. So I will continue to go out and listen to voters here in Wairarapa list or no list.