Whanganui MP Steph Lewis officially opened her electorate office on Monday. Photo / Ethan Griffiths
Whanganui MP Steph Lewis officially opened her electorate office on Monday. Photo / Ethan Griffiths
Six months on from the election, Whanganui MP Steph Lewis has officially opened her Whanganui electorate office.
Members of the public are invited to visit and share their concerns from Wednesday, March 31.
The office is located at 40 Guyton St in the same building as Powerco.
Elected in October last year, Lewis said the delay in the opening was due to a search for the most appropriate location, as well as the work required to bring it up to standard.
"I had a couple of criteria. It had to be close to the centre of town and on public transport routes. It had to be accessible - not up a flight of stairs and, finally, it had to be visible," Lewis said.
"I looked at a few on Victoria Ave, but when you think about the battle for parking spaces, I thought actually this space works better."
Recent Whanganui MPs have all chosen to have their electorate offices located in central Whanganui.
Previous MP Harete Hipango's office was located on Wicksteed Terrace, accessible from Victoria Ave, while her predecessor Chester Borrows' office was on Victoria Ave.
Lewis has employed two staff, who started their roles last week, to work part-time on a job-sharing basis. Lewis said that with a one-week turnaround from the start of their employment to opening the office, it had been busy.
The office is located at 40 Guyton St, a short walk from Victoria Ave. Photo / Bevan Conley
"We've been doing lots of training and we've got a team planning day on Tuesday, so it's been very busy."
In her speech at the office opening, Lewis acknowledged Te Tai Hauāuru MP Adrian Rurawhe for his support as she settled into her new role.
"Adrian has been great. People like Grant Robertson and Kris Faafoi - they've all given me advice. That's the thing that has been quite amazing about being a new MP - almost all MPs have offered advice."
The Whanganui office is Lewis' second base to be opened in the electorate, after the first-termer decided that former MP Harete Hipango's Hāwera base should continue, albeit with a change in colour scheme.
However, unlike her predecessor, Lewis will not have an office in Stratford, instead opting to maintain a presence by visiting the smaller communities on a Friday when the Whanganui office is closed.
"We've had to increase our budget for what we've spent here in Whanganui, so we're not going to be able to have an office in Stratford," Lewis said.
"That's why we want that flexibility on a Friday so we can go to Stratford or Pātea and visit those smaller communities."
Lewis' office opens to the public this Wednesday. The office will then be open from 9am-4pm on Monday to Thursday, and by appointment only on Friday. Constituents can drop in during open hours, call the office on 348 1010, or email Lewis directly at steph.lewismp@parliament.govt.nz.
