Taupō and Tūrangi's voting stations are open from now until October 14. Photo / Bevan Conley
Voting has started in 2023′s general election and will close at 7pm on Saturday, October 14. The Taupō and Tūrangi Herald asked all the Taupō electorate’s MP candidates the following question:
What is the biggest issue currently facing the Taupō region, and how would you solve it?
Here are their answers.
Zane Cozens - Act Party
Education, health and crime all need attention, and swiftly, if we are to develop a better New Zealand.
However, one overarching issue is our roading network - it’s appalling.
Last week, another truck fell into Lake Taupō at Bulli Point, highlighting once again our substandard infrastructure.
Poor roading connectivity has many impacts - the slower the traffic moves, the greater the economic and environmental costs are to the region.
People are in cars longer, trucks are held up, tourists detour, children miss school, health outcomes are reduced, businesses are impacted and people’s incomes suffer.
Our lake is special. Let’s protect her.
Act will supercharge the expansion and improvement of State Highway 1 between Taupō and Tūrangi (and elsewhere).
Once in government, we will open the roading schedule, prioritise resolving safety issues and traffic flow bottlenecks, and commence meaningful discussions with landowners to reconfirm permissions.
George O’Connor Patena - Green Party
A paramount issue for Taupō is the Bulli Point black spot safety and efficiency concern.
As large parts of Aotearoa recover from two of the worst climate disasters we have ever experienced, any potential government must prioritise climate action in future transport investments. Now is the time to be building climate-resilient, affordable, inclusive communities with clean and reliable transport connections at their hearts.
The bypassing of Bulli Point promises immediate benefits: fewer accidents and loss of life, time saved for regional commuters, mitigation of further environmental impacts, and a boost in local and national economic productivity.
A Bulli Point bypass enhances access to education and health, more so for the southern region of the electorate. It makes public transport accessible and reliable, aligning with our climate-safe communities and transport policies. This is vital for youth, families and the elderly, ensuring equitable access to all services. The Green Party supports our councils to achieve this via the replacement of the Public Transport Operating Model, allowing councils to provide public transport directly, making it a genuinely feasible and accessible public service.
Bypassing Bulli Point promotes driver and road safety, economic productivity, access to quality education and equitable health services, echoing our vision for climate-safe communities and sustained community well-being. Let’s shape a sustainable future - party vote Green!
Aladdin Al-Bustanji - Labour Party
There are various issues facing locals living within the Taupō electorate, from Tūrangi in the south to Cambridge in the north, from infrastructure and roading to housing and development, biosecurity challenges and challenges facing local businesses, but the main issue concerning most people in our region remains the rising cost of living.
Labour has a 10-point plan to help our people, like the Winter Energy Payment; free dental for everyone, starting with under-30s; GST off fruit and veggies; scrapping the $5 prescription charge; free transport for under-13s and half-price fares for under-25s; extending [a weekly] 20 hours of free ECE [early childhood education] to 2-year-olds, introducing four weeks’ paid parental leave for partners and big boosts to Working for Families. These things all add up.
National’s Louise Upston has been Taupō's MP for 15 years, among them nine years under National’s power, and admittedly, our region still doesn’t receive the attention and support from Wellington that we all need and deserve. It’s very clear our region deserves better advocacy. That’s why I’m asking you to vote for Labour and, if elected, I will listen, advocate and fight for you in every way I can.
Louise Upston - National Party
People in Taupō and Tūrangi tell me the biggest issue they face is the cost-of-living crisis. We all feel the effects of inflation at the supermarket, the petrol pump and on housing costs.
We will provide immediate relief by reducing taxes.
We need to grow the size of the economic cake so we can all have a bigger slice. This means growing our export economy. That includes selling more primary produce like dairy and timber, technology solutions and tourism.
Taupō's main industries are farming, forestry and tourism, and it’s critical that we have policies that enable these businesses to grow.
We need to be ambitious and outward-looking. National’s policies reflect that.
We need to remove red tape hobbling businesses which provide local employment, and we need to support those on welfare into work.
To drive economic growth, we need people with education and skills. Technology is a key to competitive advantage. We must focus on education so our people can invent and utilise technology.
We need to build infrastructure to support growth and make the most of our renewable energy resources.
Growing the economy will generate funds for services like health and education. A healthy, educated population is desirable and necessary for future growth and prosperity.
Tira Pehi - New Zealand First
The cost of living is the biggest issue facing the Taupō region. This is how I will address the issue to lift the Taupō region’s wealth through the primary sector, which underpins our quality of life:
More wealth, more jobs, more homes, more food on the table, less crime, safer communities, better health, happier Kiwis!
Let’s take back our country. This is my challenge, this is our challenge, the wero that has been thrown down. I am here to ask you to vote for Tira Pehi and party vote NZ First.
Gordon Wilson - New Zealand Loyal
There has been a slow and steady creep of central government and international influence that has tied the hands of elected councillors and mayors; that has broken the link between your voice with the councillors in the Taupō electorate.
As an MP, my biggest priority will be to decentralise the Government’s power and cede that power back to you. What will that look like? Review all central government legislation influencing regional councils, and dismantle financial and legislative hooks that make councils beholden to central government to allow councillors to respond more appropriately to their respective residents.
There is a new conversation started by Liz Gunn that demands that everyone must be heard and consulted. It will be my job to facilitate that conversation, from the small tight-knit communities and marae in the Taupō electorate.
Geographically, the Taupō electorate is large and diverse. I intend to visit as many towns and villages as I can so that I make your voices heard. Each of us speak, listen, and act. Each of us has an unalienable right to do so, as long as we don’t infringe the right of others to do the same.
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