I’m not asking for much – just a new state highway south of Taupō - and north too, if that’s not being too greedy. Oh, and a new Polytech campus, but that doesn’t count because it was promised years ago, and never delivered – presumably lost somewhere in the balance sheet of Te Pūkenga.
Luxon already had some gifts in mind and immediately offers more renewable energy generation.
That’s a bit like getting undies in your stocking, but the day’s parade had taken them through Contact’s $818 million Tauhara geothermal power station which is under construction just a couple of kilometres out of Taupō.
“It’s pretty awesome and special, 89 young people being trained in that facility as well. The partnership with iwi and Contact has been exceptional,” Luxon says.
He wants to double the amount of renewable electricity generation in New Zealand and National will speed up the resource consent process.
“That’s where we need to move with greater urgency if we are serious about sorting out climate change and getting to our goals that we want to deliver.”
They also visited Taupō Pathways, which is a partnership between employers, iwi, youth services, schools and other training providers to get young people into careers.
Luxon says it is exactly the kind of organisation they want to support.
“I want to move the money out of Wellington and get it to those community organisations so they can do more work like that because they are getting good outcomes.”
This seems like a good time to bring up the new Taupō Polytech campus.
This is a subject dear to Upston’s heart. She was involved in the transfer of land to the then Toi Ohoimai when National was in Government. The idea was for the new campus to be built along Te Heuheu St, between Titiraupenga St and Kaimanawa St.
“One of the concerns I have always had with Te Pūkenga [the recent merger of all the country’s polytechs] is that smaller regions like ours completely miss out, it goes off the radar, doesn’t become a priority and our young people miss out,” Upston says.
“At that time, our percentage of young people going into tertiary education was significantly below the national average and with even less capacity now, that is going to become even more of a problem, so I think that is the challenge.”
Luxon says there will be more to say on tertiary education in the future but the Te Pūkenga merger has been a “disaster” and National’s education spokesperson, and former Southland Institute of Technology ceo Penny Simmonds was working on “unbundling” it.
“We are a party that believes in localism and devolution and those closest to it – government, community, local government or business - should work together to solve those problems.”
Time to bring up the main present – a new SH1 that bypasses the torturous stretch of highway surrounding Bulli Pt.
Luxon highlights the Waikato Expressway as an example of what National will do for roads.
“It changes everything, you go at 110k, it’s safe, it creates more economic activity.
“Whether you are in hydrogen trucks in the future or in electric vehicles, you need great roads and when you build great roads like Louise and the last National Government did – the Waikato Expressway – it changes everything.”
However, the conversation takes a very grown-up turn as Luxon cautions that money is tight so we might not get everything we want this Christmas.
“We have some major things to sort out. First and foremost, the number one task in this country is we need to get a grip on inflation. Inflation causes huge pain and suffering to people up and down the country.
“If you talk to Kiwis up and down the country, that is the thing they are freaked out about.”
So, no highway then? I said, trying to squeeze tears out of my big eyes.
“No, we just have to be really intentional about what we want to do because if we don’t have an economic engine that’s enabling us to do all the things we want to do, like infrastructure and better public services and environment and all that good stuff, we have to get that sorted.”
I’ll take that as a yes then.
