It’s Waitangi week, the time at which we celebrate the formation of modern New Zealand.

I hope you enjoyed the day however you spent it. I’ll be with iwi and our community at local events in both Kāpiti and Horowhenua.

 I spent Friday last week with Muaūpoko and all our amazing local school teachers. Both Raukawa (Ngāti Raukawa ki te tonga) and Muaūpoko (Ngai Tara ki Mua Ūpoko ō te ika) run days for local teachers at the start of each year to share their history, tikanga, culture, and of course hospitality.

Last year I spent the day with Raukawa at Motuiti Marae near Foxton, and this year I had a fantastic day in and around Levin learning more about the modern work of Muaūpoko. In particular, we heard about how they are partnering with NZTA to support the new expressway we are building from Ōtaki to north of Levin.

This includes lots of aspects, but one we saw was their nursery where they are growing plants to plant along the length of the road. Construction starts later this year.

 The new expressway is just one sign of our commitment to growth for Horowhenua. We cannot afford to see regions like ours get left behind. I see a huge future for Horowhenua as a hub for the lower North Island.

This is the place that almost everyone from greater Wellington needs to travel through before they split to head to Hawke’s Bay, Manawatū, Taranaki, or the Central North Island and beyond. We have a better climate than Wellington, cheaper living and building costs, more space, and a great local community filled with fantastic people.

What an opportunity to build a future!

 Soon we will be just one hour from Wellington, with consistent travel time for families and businesses.

Some people have worked this out and are moving north in anticipation of the new road, which will be complete in 2029. Others will work out what an exciting future we have pretty soon. We currently have great opportunities in construction, manufacturing and horticulture, but as our government focuses on growth for our region, we’ll see more opportunity.

 This is our local story. More growth means more opportunity, which means better quality of living. We can attract more teachers, nurses and doctors; we have a few more shops and cafes to choose from; sporting and cultural opportunities increase. Our future is growth and it’s exciting.

 I hope you enjoyed your Waitangi Day and some great summer weather. Let’s get excited about our region and the amazing future we have.

It gets better every day.