Editorial: Regions have waited long enough

John Maslin

The lolly scramble that is a general election has come and gone and now a new government is on the cusp of getting down to business.

While the horse-trading between NZ First and both the National and Labour parties held centre-stage, it was some comment made by NZ First leader Winston Peters last week that should have had regional ears pricking up.

In his campaigning, Mr Peters talked up the prospect of Auckland's port decentralising northward to Whangarei. He argued that it would be good, not only from an infrastructure point of view but, more importantly, would be the sort of economic injection the Far North needed.

But he didn't restrict his policies to his stamping ground. It was a policy mantra NZ First pushed through the campaign, one that was also picked up by Labour and echoed by the incumbent National government.

National had made a regional commitment to this area through its Accelerate25 programme, and while that is still in its early stages, it has been growing legs and exploring options for economic growth.

The election campaign was the ideal vehicle for other parties to push regional economic growth, and it was heartening to hear that call.

While party policy advisers see the overwhelming number of MPs and votes in our country's biggest city as being vitally important to their success, those living outside Auckland and some other metropolitan centres can be forgiven for thinking they were again being ignored.

So it was refreshing to hear the parties talk up the need for turning the economic temperature up in regions such as Whanganui.

Regional New Zealand is usually the first to feel the impact of an economic malaise and the last to receive the benefits when the economy regains its health. It can be a long time between drinks for places like ours.

Running the country is a bit like a test match, rather than a limited-overs bash-and-dash cricket match, so we're prepared to give the new government time to settle into its work. But we will be watching.

Promises have been made, and it's time for the country's new leaders to deliver on them.