Craig Foss: Year of good news and growing economy

Craig Foss

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I hope you and your family have had a fantastic year. I am so looking forward to a cracker of a Hawke's Bay summer; at the beach with family and friends; BBQs; fishing; swimming; wondering where the year has gone; marvelling over how quickly our children are growing up; planning for 2016 over a few wines... you get the picture.
It is always useful to take a step back and do a stocktake of what we have achieved in the past year.
As always, it has been a pleasure representing you and The Bay. Our economy is really starting to move, confidence is everywhere, new buildings and plants are underway, activity and job growth are increasing. Great stuff.
We have had some good wins and there will be more to come.
#I worked hard and achieved the result we needed for our peach growers and food processors. Jobs and family businesses are now more secure due to the decision to not have an Automatic Termination Period (ATP) on anti-dumping duties.
#National's commitment to rolling out ultra-fast fibre across the country means Hawke's Bay can attract jobs in the service sector.
#First-home buyers across Hawke's Bay are enjoying the Government's KiwiSaver HomeStart Grant to assist them into their first home.
#The National Government continues to make progress on signing free trade agreements, which bring huge benefits to the Bay. The Trans Pacific Partnership agreement will open up 800 million more customers for our growers and exporters to sell to, free of tariffs. The Korea-New Zealand free trade agreement comes into force this month.
This is all good news for our exporters and the families who benefit from the jobs they provide.
#New wineries and food processing plants are being built across the Bay. Again this is great news for Hawke's Bay families with more jobs on the horizon.
#The Ruataniwha Water Storage project will be a $250million investment into our region. Not only will building the dam bring more jobs, once completed, the certainty of water supply will create a longer and more certain growing season as well as being a buffer against the worse effects of drought.
#I was pleased to select Daniel Kelly as the Tukituki Youth MP for 2016. Daniel is from St John's College. I'm sure he will thoroughlyenjoy his experience in Parliament next year.
#Jetstar flying into the Bay has increased competition and is delivering more choices to businesses and families. It is a vote of confidence in our region.
#Over 14,000 houses have been insulated through the Healthy Homes and Heat Smart package.
#New funding through the National Government's Urban Cycleways programme will speed up the extension of the Napier-Hastings iWay cycleway. Hawke's Bay will also benefit from the latest round of funding to maintain our fabulous cycle trail.
The list could go on. There are so many positives across Hawke's Bay.
I will continue to work as I always have; Relentlessly Positive for Hawke's Bay.
I am looking forward to 2016 being even better than 2015.
Stay safe on the roads and in the water. Look after yourself, your family and friends.
Have a fabulous New Year and here's to 2016!
Craig Foss is the MP for Tukituki and a government minister.