New Zealand First leader Winston Peters did not pull any punches at a breakfast meeting in Rotorua.
Touted by some as the "kingmaker" for September's general election, Mr Peters warned those at the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Prince's Gate Hotel today that while the Government was tryingto paint a pretty picture about the regional economy the bubble could easily burst if locals did not work hard to shift its focus from metropolitan to regional New Zealand.
Chamber of Commerce president John McRae began the meeting by touching on Rotorua's recent economic success and asking whether that success would be short-lived or ongoing.
"We are seeing a lot of people and their families are now here to stay...we need growth that's sustainable and that is our challenge.
"By working co-operatively we can do this...we don't want to see this growth tail off in two to three years."
However, Mr Peters said although recent increases in Rotorua's gross domestic product had been good at almost 3.5 per cent, the previous nine years had seen marginal increases of less than 2 per cent.
He said regional New Zealand had always been the driver of the economy, but a significant proportion of that monetary success was going offshore.
"Regional New Zealand is being utterly ripped off...you have to say that you want your share of the nation's wealth.
"Timber is a huge industry in this part of the country, but did you know that within five years your mills will be struggling to get logs because the Chinese will outbid them for supply, because that's what's happening up north...and our guys can't match it."
Mr Peters also criticised the Government's infrastructure investments saying Rotorua needed more investment in tourism and roading infrastructure, pointing to traffic problems on Te Ngae Rd.
He also questioned the Government's commitment to front line policing.
However, Rotorua MP Todd McClay later told the Rotorua Daily Post the Government had invested, or had committed itself to invest, $41 million into Rotorua's roading, cycling and road safety infrastructure in the past few years - $24 million for the upgrade to Te Ngae Rd and the Tarawera Rd roundabout and a further $17 million for the Hemo Rd/Old Taupo Rd roundabout, cycling infrastructure and road safety improvements.
"We remain committed to upgrading the eastern corridor, but we can't fully commit to that until the Rotorua Lakes Council has completed its spatial plan, which should be in the next few months.
"We've now also seen the Bay of Plenty's GDP growth leading the country five quarters in a row and this is good news for Rotorua."
Mr McClay said there was always going to be more work to do as more tourists were attracted to New Zealand.
"We are coping well with the increased number of visitors, but we need to focus on yields with people who stay longer and spend more."
Mr Peters was joined at the breakfast by his party's list MP based in Rotorua, Fletcher Tabuteau, who he said was shaping up to be a fantastic MP.
Mr Peters also visited Crankworx, the Central Mall for a meet and greet, Toi Ohomai to meet forestry students and the Rotorua races.
Mr Peter and Mr Tabuteau visited Toi Ohomai's Rotorua-based wood processing plant, including the horticulture and agricultural trade training operations also onsite.
Fletcher Tabuteau (far left) and Winston Peters (third from left) at Toi Ohomai. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
For Mr Tabuteau, the visit represented an eye-opening return to his previous employer.
"I'll quite happily say that I worked for three years up at the central Rotorua campus and didn't know the breadth and depth of what was on offer here. I was literally blown away today," he said.
Mr Peters ended the tour by voicing that the institute's trade students would benefit from an Aotearoa which refocused on building with wood and its more earthquake-proof properties.
"Christchurch taught us that we had all those years to train and upskill our own in carpentry, plumbing and electrical trades, and we didn't.
"Now there are far too few institutions like this one, while there are far too many bureaucrats in Wellington who reduce themselves to relying on imported labour for skills and jobs that we should have trained our own people for first."
