She looked forward to returning as Prime Minister, with two local Labour MPs to cut the ribbon.
Ms Ardern was welcomed at Te Ahu by a small but enthusiastic crowd, who frequently broke into applause as she spoke of her vision for New Zealand, a vision that owed much to her predecessor Norman Kirk, who, before she was born, had said that New Zealanders deserved somewhere to live, something to do, someone to love and something to hope for.
Her government would address those aspirations by means including making housing more affordable, supporting the transition of young New Zealanders from school into further education or training (including providing the equivalent of the unemployment benefit for employers who offered apprenticeships), and a better-funded, more accessible public health system.
A Labour government would also double the funding currently available (to $280 million a year) for maintenance of local roads.
Ms Ardern completed her Far North tour with a visit to Kerikeri's Packhouse market later on Saturday morning.
