Artist impression of the new hospital. The rebuild is Whangārei’s economic lifeline in uncertain times, creating about 500 new jobs over the seven-year build time.
Artist impression of the new hospital. The rebuild is Whangārei’s economic lifeline in uncertain times, creating about 500 new jobs over the seven-year build time.
OPINION
Whoever is in government, it’s the perennial complaint of Northlanders that the Beehive thinks the world ends at Te Hana.
Over the years we have been ignored and taken for granted, as safe seats often are. However, in the last two terms that trend reversed and Northland saw more investment than in the previous four decades. In particular, with the $759 million for stage one of our hospital rebuild, the $700-odd million to the rail spur, new clinics, operating theatres, school buildings and hundreds of state houses, Whangārei saw more money committed than ever before.
This investment means real future financial security for us. However, that future is assured only if the incoming government — blue, red, pink or zebra striped — maintains the momentum.
Having decided not to stand last March, I wish Dr Shane Reti all success in keeping the focus on us, but I was dumbfounded when his first statement as incoming MP was that rebuilding our hospital was not a priority, instead preferring a four-lane highway from Pūhoi.
It’s not only our health that will suffer from cancellation or delay. The hospital rebuild is Whangārei’s economic lifeline in uncertain times, creating about 500 new jobs over the seven-year build time — a surge so great planning is already underway as to how to train and house enough tradies and construction workers for the job.
What’s worse is the timeframe for any promised highway. Even its preliminary planning hasn’t started, and building — or crucially, any crunchy funding commitment — is decades away. Remembering, too, that the previous 19km four lanes to Ruakaka had to be canned when it came in at $1.3 billion in 2021: imagine the price tag getting to Warkworth.
Emily Henderson urges Shane Reti to commit to the previous government’s Marsden rail spur linking our port to the main line, making it a viable port of national significance. Photo / Northport, Fullmoon Photography
Northport does not need to expand northwards into the harbour to grow. Instead, it is able to extend its existing linear wharf east and west. Photo / Northport/Fullmoon Photography
I urge Dr Reti to reconsider: Make our hospital rebuild a priority; promise that the funds will not be reallocated and that he will ensure his government will not delay this desperately needed project.
Similarly, I urge him to commit to the previous government’s Marsden rail spur linking our port to the main line, making it a viable port of national significance, and to continuing work scoping the dry dock that we began and which (with its 400 permanent jobs) is our best economic driver in the longer term.
In the same boat, if not as glamorous, is continuing state housing builds. The lack of affordable housing is one of Whangarei’s biggest issues.
We made this city a priority investment for state housing and have built about 260 with hundreds to come. Dr Reti is famous for opposing the Puriri Park Rd development, and in his previous term only six new state houses were built, but the needs of the poorest in our community cannot be overlooked responsibly. Lack of affordable housing leads to families living in unhealthy homes, moving frequently in search of better.
Their health and the education of their children suffer, with serious consequences for us all in the longer term.
Whangārei cannot be frozen in time or backtracked into some imagined small-town past. We are a fast-growing city with long-standing issues that need addressing if we are to flourish, as I know we can. We have huge potential, and all the preparation and investment are there to be realised now.
All politics aside, any government that continues to invest rather than return us to the old, dreary taken-for-granted past will have my vote.
