Opinion: What is Government doing for Waikato?

National MP for Hamilton East, David Bennett. Photo / File

Hamilton is a great place to live and work.

We have a strong economy based on the infrastructure investments of recent years. We need to ensure that this investment continues to keep this pace of growth progressing.
Some governments are pro-growth and investment, whereas others are more for re-distribution of resources.

We are currently experiencing a government very much focused on re-distribution.
The current Government wants to increase taxes on the productive sectors of the economy to enable more spending on beneficiaries.

Its coalition partners have the same desire. We can see that through recent announcements on a capital gains tax.

The NZ First Provincial Growth Fund is often touted as their investment vehicle when in reality it's actually their political slush fund aimed at the Northland electorates.
Sadly, Hamilton won't qualify for much of this funding.

When previously in government the National Party had a deep commitment to the infrastructure needed to grow Hamilton.

This included:
■Completion of the Waikato Expressway at approximately $2b cost
■Funding for Hamilton Ring Road
■Advancement of a loan to develop the Peacocke subdivision
■Hamilton as a first city to get ultra-fast fibre rollout
■A $500m redevelopment of the WDHB campus
■New schools; Endeavour, Sylvester, Rototuna Junior and Senior High
■A velodrome for the Waikato

All of these infrastructure investments built the confidence of Hamiltonians. Now we have an aspirational forward thinking city with burgeoning technology and industrial sectors.
This, added to an existing strong manufacturing and agricultural base, has put our city and its people in a great position.

However, the infrastructure momentum needs to continue. A failure to continue to make significant investment in the region will hamper Hamilton's potential growth.

The next two major infrastructure investments that Hamilton would have been in the running for under a National government would have been:

■Extension of the Expressway from Cambridge to the Kaimais, and Cambridge to Tirau with the Cambridge to Piarere section approved to start in 2020

■A medical school at the Waikato University

These projects have been stopped by the current Labour-Greens-NZ First Government.
All we have in return is an ineffectual rail option and the promise of some yet to be seen Provincial Growth Fund, neither of which if they ever eventuate, will be game changers for Hamilton or the region.

Hamilton is missing out under this government and that hurts the hopes and aspirations of our city and its people when we had a decade of investment that has created the positive environment our city currently enjoys.