Northland needs commitment and investment, not charity - Editorial

The Northland Expressway project includes a four-lane alternative route over the troubled Brynderwyn Hills. Photo / NZME

Editorial

THE FACTS

• Northland’s GDP per capita is 30% below the national average.
• The earmarked Northland Expressway route will go from Warkworth east of SH1 and over the Brynderwyn Hills, then through to Whangārei.
• A recent NZIER report commissioned by Northland Corporate Group found Northland could become a $60-billion-a-year economy by 2050.

Reading through recent headlines, you could be forgiven for thinking Northland is nothing but crime, poverty and drugs.

With nine alleged homicides so far this year, police from around New Zealand are being redeployed to the region to help out.

Combined with one of the highest methamphetamine usage levels in the country, ongoing doctor, nurse and teacher shortages and concerns over its failing infrastructure – perhaps most apparent in the state of the region’s roads – the average Kiwi might assume the region is a good place to avoid.

However, as NZME has reported, community spirit is alive and well. There are many people doing many incredible things to support all those in need.

But they cannot do this work alone.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Northland is often overlooked.

Herald senior investigative reporter Michael Morrah succinctly summed up the region’s challenges in a discussion with RNZ’s The Detail.

“There is a view, and I think there is some validity to this, that over many, many years, Northland has been neglected by consecutive governments. And it is not a powerhouse, like Wellington and Auckland, and I think in many cases, Northland is sadly forgotten.

“And I think that politicians could be doing more to assist in the development of places like Northland to make it a great place to live, go to school, and work,” he said.

It is hard not to agree with this. Every few years, as election time rolls around, politicians make their way north from Wellington, full of promises to provide all those things they believe Northlanders want or need.

During Covid – and particularly during the extended Auckland lockdowns, Northland was also cut off and isolated. Collateral damage.

The geography of the region sees it bordered by water on three sides and cut off from the south by our largest city.

Making it tougher is the fact Northland is a destination. It is not simply an area you pass through on your way to somewhere else. It stands alone at the top of Aotearoa.

A commercial dry dock, a rail link to Marsden Point and new fuel storage tanks - all within a special economic zone - are the plan to grow Northland into an economic powerhouse for New Zealand.

New Zealand First’s Winston Peters and Shane Jones announced earlier this month that these significant developments are either under way or about to start.

The planned Northland Expressway will provide a vital road link between Auckland and Northland. The project includes a four-lane alternative route over the troubled Brynderwyn Hills.

Northland Inc chief executive Paul Linton wrote recently that “Northland is not just a region with potential, it’s a region with capacity. We have the land, water, ports, people and investment pipeline to grow productive sectors that are good for the economy and good for the environment.”

Opening up Northland and investing in it will ensure it can grow and diversify, offering hope and practical solutions for people and businesses across the region.

Northland should not be considered the poor cousin; it has the potential to be a powerhouse region.

This is not the time to abandon Te Tai Tokerau but to uplift it. What it needs is investment and commitment, not handouts.

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