Regions deserve a fair share, says Peters

SNIP: Winston Peters cuts the ribbon to Ron Mark's new Masterton office with secretary/treasurer Shirley Groombridge and party chairman George Groombridge. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

It's time regions like Wairarapa got their fair share, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters told party members and well-wishers gathered for the official opening of Ron Mark's new office in Masterton yesterday.

Mr Peters said the opening of the party's first office in Wairarapa was part of its commitment to ensuring regional development.

"We are opening an office here to let them know that we intend to ensure that regional New Zealand, which is the greatest contributor to wealth in this country, gets its fair share. We will do our best to get on top of the issues. We are in Wairarapa because we want to see this part of the country, that used to be a massive powerhouse in the good old days, get its fair share of the economy."

Opening a Wairarapa office made it "very clear that we seriously mean political business in the Wairarapa".

"It's time for the provinces and the regions to say you can do what you like there, but we are going to get our fair share of the action here ... we are going to give a message to Wellington that we've had enough and we want a fair go."

Wairarapa deserved better infrastructure and transport and one area that needed improvement was the trains, Mr Peters said.

"This train should be going at a far better speed than it's going up to Wellington and it should have the IT connections so that people can work on the train. This is not new-age, this is what other countries are doing."

"There's no need to take second best any longer and what happens with bad service or neglect is that people get numbed down over time to accepting second best, and why should they?"

Mr Peters also took the time to thank long-standing party members and Wairarapa chairman and secretary/treasurer, George and Shirley Groombridge.

"They have been unbelievably great servants for the Wairarapa and indeed for New Zealand First. They've been on board since we started this 22 years ago and I extremely value their contribution. I was delighted when Ron stood in 2014 so we could get a presence here."

Mr Mark said he was looking forward to working to support the district.

"It's a small beginning, but from here we take all the Wairarapa."