He said there were opportunities for the region in the next term, including the completion of the Ngā Ara Tūhono Mountains to Sea Trail.
“We will have a continued focus on housing, health and education, with key government infrastructure that will come together in our city.”
That included Whanganui’s new justice hub Te Puna Hapori, Bates said.
The Whanganui electorate will almost double in land size before next year’s general election, with about 5100 people and 5200sq km from the Rangitīkei electorate added.
Bates said he was looking forward to the challenge and would continue to be present across the electorate.
“It will mean a few more miles and a bit more driving time, but I’m really lucky to have great support from [wife] Candice and the family, the team in the office and volunteers.”
Bates beat Labour’s Steph Lewis by more than 5000 votes to become Whanganui’s MP.
In a statement, Whanganui electorate chairman Jeff Phillips said Bates had shown “enormous energy” since becoming the party’s candidate in February 2023.
“He has the ability to relate to people across the spectrum and a fierce determination to represent our electorate in Wellington,” Phillips said.
Bates is being investigated by the Registrar of Pecuniary and Other Specified Interests of Members of Parliament, after it was revealed trusts linked to Whanganui first-term National MP Carl Bates and his family own 25 properties, which are not disclosed on Parliament’s list of MPs’ property and financial interests.
Bates said he could not comment on the status of the investigation due to Parliament’s standing orders.
Whanganui Labour Electorate Committee chairwoman Jude Lydia said a candidate would not be named until next year.
“There are two tranches [of candidates], with the first in October,” she said.
“We are in the next one, which means people have until February 1 to put forward their interest in being a candidate.
“After that, the process begins. We would expect that to take a couple of weeks.”
The latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll, conducted between October 1 and October 5, showed Labour at 31.2% support and National at 29.6%.
Bates said the only poll that mattered was on election day.
“That’s what my colleagues and I are focused on, getting the support required to have a second term of this National-led coalition Government.
“I take nothing for granted.”
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.
