Election 2023: Rotorua Labour candidate Ben Sandford launches campaign with investment dig at National

Rotorua Labour candidate Ben Sandford launched his electoral campaign on Sunday at El Mexicano Zapata Express. Photo / Laura Smith

Labour’s investments in Rotorua since 2017 total 150 times those of the previous National government’s nine years, the electorate’s Labour candidate claims.

Ben Sandford made the claim at the launch of his electoral campaign on Sunday night.

But his rival, National Party MP Todd McClay, has disputed the information and said his party invested “significantly” during its terms.

Speaking to an audience of about 30, Sandford - a lawyer and former Olympian - outlined why he and Labour should be voted in come October.

“When I grew up here we had a lot of social issues, and we continue to have those same social issues here in Rotorua.

“It’s about continuously striving to reduce those issues.”

He said the make-up of communities in Rotorua meant it often felt social issues sooner than other areas, and he would be a good advocate for the city.

As such, investment was needed, he said.

“A little bit of taking you back in time here - we go back to the last National Party government. They were in government for nine years.”

He claimed during that time, it invested less than $4 million into the city.

“I honestly can’t even fathom that.”

He said since Labour was elected in 2017, it had invested more than $600m.

In his view, the previous National government had focused on Auckland to the detriment of the regions and had “failed to transform the economy in any meaningful way”.

Sandford said this had resulted in the housing crisis and New Zealand having the worst levels of homelessness in the OECD.

“But we are building our way out of that,” he said.

Sandford said the Labour-led Government had built 200 homes and had another 500 in the pipeline, and had also invested in the likes of the Rotorua Lakes Council lakefront redevelopment and the QE Health redevelopment, as well as putting $85m into infrastructure to build more homes.

He said there was lots more to do and Labour needed to win the election.

Climate change, the cost of living and inflation were all challenges that could not be ignored, he said.

“We need to keep dealing with these head-on.”

The National Party was sent Sandford’s comment for response, and Rotorua MP Todd McClay said the investment claims were “unfortunately not correct”.

He said National “invested significantly” in Rotorua when it was in government.

It was a “long list” which he said included the new police station, major Te Ngae Rd, Lake Rd and Fairy Springs Rd roadworks, opening two new schools, funding the Children’s Health Hub, investing in Rotorua’s cycleway network, ultra-fast broadband and putting money into Crankworx to keep the event in Rotorua.

McClay said the three roadworks totalled $45m, the police station $18.3m, Crankworx $1.7m and broadband in Rotorua $40m. Investment into Rotorua cycleways was about $3.5m.

National Party Rotorua MP Todd McClay. Photo / Laura Smith

McClay said he also introduced a member’s bill that changed Easter trading laws and another that banned gang patches in schools, hospitals and government buildings.

He said it was “clear the Labour Government has turned its back on Rotorua” and had used it as a “dumping ground”.

Meanwhile, Rotorua-based Labour list MP Tāmati Coffey was named on Sunday as the party’s East Coast candidate, replacing Kiri Allan.

He had previously said he planned to retire from politics at the end of this term.

Prime Minister and party leader Chris Hipkins also unveiled Labour’s list on Monday. Coffey was ranked number 36, up from 39. Sandford was ranked at number 69.

Laura Smith is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. She previously reported general news for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express and has been a journalist for four years.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air.