Our Roads & Transport in Northland, September 2018

ROADS

SEPTEMBER 2018

IN NORTHLAND 2018

ROADS TRANSPORT

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NORTHLAND ROADING how far we’ve come From a region known as the ‘roadless North’ where roads were often knee deep in mud, to stretches of 4 lane state highways carrying economyboosting freight and tourists, roading in Northland has come a long way.

Our beautiful region has some of the most breath-taking views in the world, which is certainly confirmed by the huge number of overseas and national visitors we see each year, especially over the summer months.

From the start, our stunning landscape has made roading problematic. Our heavy, uncompromising soils and rugged terrain caused headaches for the first settlers and for engineers ever since.

THE ROADLESS NORTH

When you look at Northland’s current roading infrastructure, it’s remarkable to think that only 100 years ago, the vast majority of Northland’s roads were barely more than bridle trails. Nowadays, we proudly proclaim that we are the ‘Winterless North’, but a century ago, we were given the less salubrious title of ‘roadless North’ due to the condition of our roads.

In 1917, a politician from Kaitaia called Alan Bell led the charge to bring the dire state

roading infrastructure, albeit slow, began.

Another major reason for the poor state of our roads was our initially slow rate of economic growth. Other parts of New Zealand were thriving, funding was invariably diverted to those regions, and so Northland had long been by overlooked by government.

Even the materials on hand to build roads caused extra hassle and expense. While the South Island has lovely river shingle which is easy to use in road creation, our staple material for roading is grey wacke rock, which is notoriously hard and requires extra processing to render it useable.

Not to mention our difficult clay soils, which turn into a quagmire in severe weather events, and are infamous for movement and so require more maintenance to keep them safe.

WWII saw huge development in road infrastructure all over the country, and Northland was able to share in this bounty. Most of our bridges were built during this time and more roads began to be sealed to allow easier movement from one town to another.

of Northland’s roads to the governments’ attention. He organised a well-publicised road tour involving a number of politicians, which started in Auckland travelling up to Kaitaia. Our rugged terrain, which gives tourists from all over such joy, made for miserable travelling conditions back then.

At points along the road, the convoy found themselves knee-deep in mud, and had to dig out the vehicles with spades and shovels.

Bell’s message about Northland’s roads was heard, but progress on developing our

BETTER ROADS = ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR NORTHLAND

These improvements made our roads more useable, not just for the people living here, but also allowed for economic growth. One of Northland’s biggest sources of revenue is our booming tourism industry, with

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IN NORTHLAND 2018

improving roads enabling greater numbers to our region every year.

One of the most famous visitors on our Northland roads was our young monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who graced us with her presence in 1953 to mark her coronation.

In honour of her visit, the road between Russell and Paihia was sealed. It turns out that Her Majesty wasn’t a big fan of windy, hilly Northland roads, and it was reported at the time that she experienced such bad travel sickness she ordered the Royal Yacht to meet her in Whangarei Harbour for her return journey to Auckland!

Thankfully, not all visitors to our region feel the same way. The tourism industry makes a significant contribution to our economy, with $210million from tourist spending during this

February alone.

The roading network that has developed in Northland, though not perfect, allows visitors from all over the world to explore the far-flung, secret, stunning pockets of Northland that would otherwise remain locked away from the world.

The current Regional Land Transport Plan acknowledges the significance tourism plays in Northland’s future growth and has proposed a number of initiatives which will focus on further improvements to better enable the flow of traffic to and from Northland.

FORESTRY AND ROADING

Along with tourism and the various other industries thriving in Northland is the ever-

growing forestry industry. Since the early 80’s, when forestry started to take off, the industry has made use of otherwise unusable Northland terrain. Hilly expanses of land, which were deemed unpractical for farming, suddenly discovered a new purpose under forestry.

Recently, forestry is experiencing a surge in productivity, largely thanks to the Billion Trees initiative, which will see a billion trees planted New Zealand-wide over the next ten years. Currently, this industry contributes a cool 1 million dollars to Northland’s economy – per day.

None of this economic growth would be possible without our roading network, which gives forestry workers access to blocks where they clear, plant and tend the pine

‘LOOK OUT.

MORE BIKES ABOUT’

What do daffodils, new-born lambs and motorcycles have in common? We see more of them in Spring! In September 50% of riders get their bikes out of the garage and on the road again. Motorcycle Awareness Month is an ACC initiative focussing on motorcycle safety, supported

by Northland Regional Council & Northland Transportation Alliance. The awareness campaign features a bright yellow helmet to help to create visibility around motorcycles.

What can riders do to stay safe?

In 2017, there were 7,372 motorcyclists that received treatment, help and support from ACC after they’d been injured on a bike. To avoid crashes, we’re reminding motorcyclists to:

1. To sign up and complete a Ride Forever course in September ($500 worth of gear is up for grabs visit www.motorcycleawareness.co.nz for details) 2. Check your bike is roadworthy 3. Wear the right gear every time you ride 4. Consider a bike with ABS brakes, if you’re in the market for a new bike.

What can drivers do to help increase rider safety?

We encourage drivers to be extra careful and keep a look out for bikes when they’re driving. They need to check their blind spot by turning their head to check behind them, especially before changing lanes, and to be mindful at intersections as motorcyclists can appear suddenly.

https://northlandroadsafety.co.nz/

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forests until they are ready to be harvested, and for logging trucks to carry the logs to be processed.

Rail vs road – ongoing bone of contention The question of how logs should be transported via road or rail has been asked for several decades now, with good reason.

On our problematic roads, heavy logging trucks are often cited as a major contributor to the poor state of some parts of the roading network.

No matter where you live in Northland, our roads are the lifeblood of our region. Our roads aren’t perfect, but its comforting to see progress being made which will hopefully allow our beautiful region to continue to grow, benefiting all of us now and in the future.

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RAILWAYS RENAISSANCE OF THE NORTH Northland has become New Zealand’s Cinderella of the regions. Through lack of investment in Northland’s infrastructure, unemployment prevails, bringing with it the social problems of poverty. With investment in rail by the New Zealand First – Labour Coalition government, producers in Northland will be able to reduce costs, encourage more investment and move goods to markets at competitive prices.

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Many roads need sealing, bridges need widening and rail needs an upgrade.

Northland’s railway is like the Auckland urban railway was 15 years ago, a joke.

Today Auckland’s system is world class.

Now it is Northland’s turn. With investment of just $150 million, the line to Auckland could be brought up to the same standard as the Auckland to Tauranga line. For another $200 million, a line could be built to Marsden Point. In 2006 when the Whangarei port was transferred to Marsden Point, rail lost 6000 tonnes of freight per week.

That freight all transferred to large trucks and has grown to about 10,000 tonnes or more now. Most of that was logs that were railed from inland ports at Dargaville, Otiria and Wellsford. New roads were built to the port, but the strategic missing link, a railway line, was never built. Northport will never maximise its potential without a rail connection. Currently, over 600 standard 20 foot equivalent containers are railed from Auckland to the Port of Tauranga every day, because the infrastructure is there, but nothing to NorthPort. New Zealand has the most expensive roads in the world to maintain because of our volcanic soil structures, yet businesses in Northland are forced to export by road.

TRUCKS REQUIRE HUGE SUBSIDIES

The last government put what little investment they gave into a handful of trunk roads. That resulted in an increased number of trucks on the road. According to the MoT trucks contribute only 23% of the infrastructure costs. A further $1 billion is paid by motorists, another $1 billion by ratepayers and this is topped up by a further $1.5 billion by taxpayers.

KiwiRail, which pays for most of its own infrastructure costs, gets a current top up from the taxpayer of just $200 million, most of which is used for catch up maintenance for the years of neglect under privatisation. The cost of this is the main tourist routes are clogged with trucks and in poor repair and secondary routes are seriously stressed and inadequate.

IN NORTHLAND 2018

Otiria Dargaville Wellsford

Opua Kawakawa

Whangarei Marsden Point

Auckland Hamilton Port of Tauranga REOPENING NORTHLAND’S RAILWAY NETWORK

The previous Government closed more railway lines down in New Zealand than any other Government since the 1950’s. Ironic considering the increase in truck crashes, climate change and traffic congestion issues. Rail would serve Northland well, through cheaper freight rates, less road damage and maintenance costs, safer roads and less congestion

with less trucks and less carbon emissions which contribute to climate change. With the Dargaville and Otiria lines reopened and a line to NorthPort, Freight can again be moved by rail.

Containers could come from Auckland to Northport. Rail could transport more product out of Northland, such as logs, plywood, wood chips and export containers directly to other freight hubs.

HIGH VALUE RAIL TOURISM FOR NORTHLAND

With investment tourist trains from Auckland could restart and trains could bring tourists off cruise ships from either NorthPort or the Bay of Islands to Whangarei. So with better roads for buses, an upgraded rail line to Auckland and access by rail to two ports, many more high end tourists would access Northland’s attractions.

With better transport, comes more investment and economic growth.

Northland deserves this sort of investment in infrastructure, and deserves it now.

RAIL - TAKING STRESS OFF NORTHLAND ROADS It's time to reconnect Northland’s extensive railway network enabling industry to use the safest way to move freight and increase high value rail tourism.

The Rail and Maritime Transport Union fully supports re-opening lines to Dargaville and Otiria, reconnecting rail to Kawakawa and Opua for rail tourism.

Rail is the Strategic missing link to Northport.

• Logs • Woodchips • Dairy • Bulkloads • Tourism • Large Consignment Freight

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Northland roading: An update on major roading projects Matt King MP for Northland Few would dispute the importance to Northland of its road network. But there are those in the current Government who would diminish its importance in favour of an ideologically driven tram “solution” for Auckland and populist but impractical rail proposals for Northland.

time for the 2019-2020 summer season. It goes without saying that NZ Transport Agency and its contractors are doing a superb job up there, and it’s encouraging to hear they’re highly appreciative of the courtesy, care, and consideration shown to them by local motorists. Good job all round!

This lack of attention, and the short-sightedness, poses real problems for us here in the north.

The momentum to improve—even to maintain— our road network is slowing when it should be increasing, and was increasing under the previous National-led Government.

Matakohe Bridges and Road Realignment, State Highway 12

The initiatives taken and committed to by National remain the only substantive work being done to improve the North’s road network.

Construction of the two-lane Taipa bridge in Doubtless Bay is well underway; work has started on the Matakohe bridge and road realignment, and the Brynderwyns safety barrier and road realignment project is complete and already credited with preventing almost 40 serious crashes and potential fatalities.

It’s great the project was finished when it was, and the others I mentioned are well advanced.

It’s unlikely they would have been started let alone been completed under this political climate; the Government’s intransience on the four-lane highway to Warkworth and beyond, despite every stakeholder identifying the highway as key to the economic growth of the North, is a good example of that.

Taipa Bridge Replacement, State Highway 10 Progress on the new 890 metre two-lane bridge is both swift and substantial. I’m advised one of the two lanes will be ready for traffic this summer which is absolutely marvellous for this popular tourist spot.

As for the other lane, for the moment it’s used by the contractors to dismantle the existing bridge.

When that process has been completed the new bridge, with landscaping and new storm water drainage, will be officially opened on schedule in

Funded by the Parliamentary Service.

Authorised by Matt King, Parliament Buildings, Wellington.

I have to hand it to the NZ Transport Agency and its contractors. In the old days, a major construction project such as the two new bridges at Matakohe, promised by the previous National Government and soon to be delivered, would have stopped dead over the wet winter months. Not now. The contractors haven’t paused for a moment; a temporary bridge is already completed and usable, new sediment ponds have been constructed, and earthworks for a western abutment are complete. At this stage, we’re looking good to bring the two new bridges “on stream” (and on schedule) in 2019. Good to hear the NZTA and the contractors are keeping in touch with locals, too. Good communication around these projects is always helpful.

“Northland roading infrastructure investment is our priority.”

I remain confident that, given time and some visionary thinking, we can renew the focus on Northland and restore drive to improve our vital road network. National’s MPs in the north—Dr Shane Reti in Whangarei, Mark Mitchell in Rodney, and I—are working together daily to make that happen. Northland deserves nothing less.

Matt King MP for Northland

northland@parliament.govt.nz 93 Kerikeri Road, Kerikeri 0230 09 407 7219 mattkingmp mattking.co.nz

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OUR HIGHWAY,

the economic blood of our region!

A word from John Bain, chairman of the Northland Regional Transport Committee.

Our roads and highways are the economic life blood of our region from Northland to Auckland, and the current state of our highways impacts greatly on Northland businesses.

Because of the geographical layout of Northland and being surrounded by water, all the produce from our region has to go south.

We currently produce goods to the value of $6.3 bill in Northland. A number of key sectors are already impacted by the current state of our highways, those being our foreigners (tourism) , farming, forestry, fishing and our flower industry.

20% of our livestock goes out through Auckland, a large quantity of flowers being

exported, our premium fish landed in the north also being exported to Japan and China, our lobster being exported to Hong Kong. All these commodities require haste and care to arrive at their final destinations in prime condition.

We require four lanes between Whangarei and Auckland for a number of key reasons, firstly to make our roads safer and more resilient, and secondly to support the economic development of our region.

The Brynderwyn range is the main hurdle, that hurdle would be removed if the planned road around to the west of the Brynderwyn’s planned by the previous government was to be put back on the drawing board. The object was to join up to the highway through to Warkworth, and bypass the Dome Valley.

The current state of our roading, built largely in the 18 hundreds, is completely

out of touch with the 21st century quality and todays usage. We are very lucky that the majority of heavy trucks are driven by very competent drivers. While there are plans to improve State Highways 1, 15, 16 and 12, we need to see those improvements done sooner to improve safety and resilience.

Northland has 3.2% of the National population and last year we had 12% of all the fatalities occurring on our Northland roads.

Northland requires a cross-party attack to ensure our roads are brought up to date.

Over the past 12-18 months, NZTA has made great improvements, however what we don’t need is interference from politicians overriding the opinions of experts.

Since the Brynderwyn safety barriers were installed, they have seen over 38 breaches, or potentially head on collisions, but, recently motorists on the south side of the Brynderwyn’s endured an 8 hour road closure because of a serious accident.

These meant trucks couldn’t move for the best part of their working day. This is not how the travelling public would expect their most important State Highway to be available for travel to the north.

The four lane highway needs to happen, with most of our freight being brought to and from our region by road, the highway is the life blood of Northland and always will be!

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23 YEARS OF CHANGES Road improvements have far outstripped the gains imagined in a 1995 master plan for the Whangarei District, but there are plenty more plans afoot for the next 10 years.

The Whangarei 20/20 Central Area Concept Report developed in 1995 set out a sequence of major projects designed to make traffic flow better throughout and across the city.

1995 might not seem that long ago to many, but a lot has changed, roading-wise since then. Here’s a re-cap.

At that time, State Highway One, and all its traffic, entered urban Whangarei at Otaika Road, wound along residential routes, Western Hills Drive, up though Whau Valley, through Kamo’s busy school and shopping area, and then to Springs Flat where the landscape became rural again.

It is very different now. Road widening and major intersections and roundabouts enable it to run in a continuous stream from Kioreroa Road, through what was the intersection of Maunu Road and Western Hills Drive (now State Highway One and State Highway 14). Western Hills has become a four-lane carriage way that crosses Kamo Road onto Te Raupongo Drive at Whau Valley and heads straight up north.

Complicated traffic lights at the intersection of Lower Bank Street, Walton Street, Railway Avenue and Tarewa Road were the transport equivalent of the Krypton Factor, featuring several sets of lights, a bridge over the Waiarohia Stream and a rail bridge over the lot.

Today, while intimidating for some, this intersection is a large, smooth-flowing roundabout that carries 30,000 vehicles a day.

The Town Basin was another pressure point where roads ran around the old A&P Hall/Winter Show Grounds, and Victoria and John Street bridges delivered vehicles into two intersections, close to each other on Quay Street.

The Dent/Quay Street realignment of 2005 created one major intersection by

closing the John Street bridge and fourlaning Victoria Bridge.. As well as easing congestion it has created open space for markets and events and improved access to the Town Basin.

Porowini Avenue was, until 2011, a dead-end street surrounded by barren, landlocked properties. Extended and connected to Okara Drive, it now carries more than 6000 vehicles a day and commerce has blossomed along both sides.

But wait, there’s more!

Six years ago (2012) people from the Onerahi/Whangarei Heads areas still had

Highway One. This year work has begun on the final projects in that visionary 20/20 Central Area Concept Report– the intersection of Tarewa Road and State Highway One, and the Porowini Avenue/Tarewa Road and Porowini Avenue/Maunu Road intersections. When they are complete, the 20/20 Central Area Concept will be too Outside the city limits Council has also been coming to grips with major change.

Traffic (especially logging and truck and trailer traffic) has increased beyond expectations along rural, sealed and

is predicted to bring growth and development. The southern entrance way to the city will be improved, Riverside Drive will be four-laned, intersection improvements are scheduled for One Tree Point Road, a roundabout is planned for the intersection of Kioreroa Road and Port Road, and major work will be done on McEwan Road in Ruakaka.

The significant financial contributions and support from the New Zealand Transport Agency to our projects, the projects the Agency has itself completed in our District, and huge achievements

only one route into town - Riverside Drive.

That all changed in 2013 when the lower Hatea crossing, Te Matau a Pohe, opened.

This spectacular piece of engineering now carries up to 30,000 vehicles a day.

Fixing the accident-prone intersection of Mill Road and Nixon Street in Kensington was the next major project. In 2015 the intersection was widened and Nixon Street was four-laned all the way to Kamo Road.

There it connected with what had been an untidy dog-leg intersection with Kamo Road and Kensington Avenue, buzzing with traffic travelling north and south along and visiting and leaving a busy medical centre, petrol station and a supermarket.

It is now wider, straighter and Kensington Avenue now connects with a new roundabout at Western Hills Drive/State

unsealed roads. Wear and tear, speed, safety, and dust hazards ranging from visibility to health impacts have all required attention.

Work on these is ongoing along with progress on off-the-road-transport. The District’s cycleway/shared paths network is expanding year by year, now including routes that connect Kamo, Onerahi, Raumanga with the central city. Council has also supported community led projects such as the cycleway in Waipu.

So, what’s next?

Major improvements over the next 10 years will include sealing the heavily used logging route, Wright Road, allocating a million dollars to seal extensions every year for the next 10 years, plus increased resealing.

A new roundabout at Springs Flat

by all of the district’s contractors must be acknowledged.

We have made steady progress at improving roads and intersections at almost all points of the compass around the city and thanks must go to the drivers who have been practical, negotiated delays during the work, seen the big picture and supported the improvements.

This cooperation and these proven results provide us (Whangarei District Council), in partnership with the Northern Transport Alliance (the NZTA, Kaipara and Far North District Council transport teams) a sound foundation of good infrastructure and positive working relationships to build upon as we head into the next decade.

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RAIL IN NORTHLAND a wood processor’s view

“There is considerable commentary on the topic of the rail upgrade verses an upgrade of the roading infrastructure and which is best for Northland. Short the answer is both. This region would benefit from investment in both” says Garth Mortensen of the Ruakaka Economic Development Group and Director of North Sawn Lumber.

The subject of the rail spur to Northport and improvements to the rail line south to Auckland have been the subject of considerable discussion within the wood processing sector.

The consensus is that rail is a strategic long-term investment which will take decades to become economically viable, however it is vital asset for the long-term development of the region.

At the recent rail forum, the sector delivered a clear message that there was no support for rail if it became a choice between upgrading roading or rail infrastructure.

The focus must be upgrading the roading infrastructure south to Auckland. Auckland is the market for a considerable volume of timber products produced by Northland wood processors and is the power house of the New Zealand economy.

Access to this market is vital and as a region, we cannot allow central Governments failure to invest in roading infrastructure to impact on regional growth and economic development.

Northland faces increases in road freight and vehicle traffic resulting from a growing population and higher tourist numbers, which will continue to increase the pressure on what is a poor quality roading infrastructure. Northland’s roading link to the rest of New Zealand continues to cause concern for those who travel on it. Northlanders face increased congestion, longer travel times and an increased safety risk as traffic volumes grow.

It is important to understand what is being proposed for rail. It is to construct the rail spur to Northport and upgrade the rail line south. There is no plan to upgrade the rail line further north or re-open the rail lines.

It is often said that the rail will take a number of the trucks carrying logs and timber off the road. Unfortunately, this is not the case as rail is not a viable economic option for either.

The rail heads do not go to forests, so most logs would still require trucking.

There is no large-scale forest in Northland that would make it economic viable to construct a rail head into the forest. Existing mothballed lines do not run into the forests and the current proposal does not include and line work north of Marsden Point.

Logs harvested north of Marsden Point will continue to be transported by road.

These roads also need upgrade to ensure user safety and comfort of travel.

The reality of the situation is that rail is not an option for timber being sent south to the market via road freight.

Supply to market for timber products is such that most Merchant stores and customers demand a 24-hour delivery service, where timber ordered one day is delivered the next. Road fright is the only option for this as rail will never be able to offer the same short delivery cycle.

If you look at the process for freight delivery on rail it is clear to see why. The product must be loaded onto a truck and taken to the rail depot and unloaded into

the yard. From there is needs to be loaded onto a rail carriage and sent into the rail depot in Auckland. There it needs to be unloaded into the yard and then loaded onto another truck for delivery to customer.

This results in increased costs, damage and delivery times.

Anyone who has travelled south of Auckland, to either Tauranga or Hamilton would have witnessed the massive amount of roading infrastructure being built between these centers and Auckland. It far exceeds the current spend on Northland roads and highlights the continued neglect of our region.

In the future Northland should be afforded the opportunity to benefit from both road and rail and as a region we must not allow the growth of our region to be impacted by delays caused by arguments over which transport option is the best.

The upgrade of the rail and the rail spur will take a number of years to complete and as a region Northland must continue to lobby for upgrades to the roading infrastructure as this can be completed in the short term and will have a direct and immediate benefit for the economy in the North.

Northland needs both transport options, however people need to understand the timeframes involved and what is being proposed, unfortunately it is not a whole Northland rail upgrade which leaves roads as the only transport option for logs and timber products north of Marsden Point.

Northland needs connectivity with Auckland and other regions and in the short to mid term investment in roading is the most viable option.

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CONNECTING

the Regions

The Coalition Government has approved a new 10-year plan for transport which will inject record investment into roads, rail, air and sea links, with the goal of developing our growing regions and cities and saving lives on our roads.

In Northland, we plan to fund projects which encourage economic opportunities for the region and connect communities.

More people live outside of urban centres in Northland than any other place in New Zealand. There are a large number of communities scattered across the region’s vast 13,789 square kilometres.

For this reason, Northland needs more investment and consideration of its transport infrastructure than any other province in the country.

New Zealand First, with its strong roots in the region, understands how Northland communities need be connected with each other, with the rest of the country, and with the world, in order to unlock its economic potential.

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES

Regional New Zealand’s roads suffered during the previous nine years of National Party neglect. The National-led Government diverted money from shoddy regional roads to the extravagant Roads of National Significance, which were never properly costed. Regional roads continued to deteriorate, and the road toll continued to rise.

New Zealand First has different priorities.

Most roading investment will now go to the forgotten regions, rather than the big cities. Nationally, our neglected regions will receive $5.8 billion of transport funding, a $600m increase. This compares to $5 billion for roading in metro areas.

For Northland, this equates to over

$460 million of investment in the region’s transport network over the next three years.

We’re focussed on ensuring Northlanders get from Point A to Point B safely. We’ve prioritised the North’s local roads, with: • $194m on local road maintenance • $47m on local road improvements • $68m on regional improvements.

And we’re doing all of this while also improving Northland’s state highways.

Despite the National Party’s claims,

Northland’s state highways are not, and will not, go neglected. $76m is funded for state highway maintenance, and $40m for state highway improvements, in Northland over the next three years.

While the future of the Puhoi to Warkworth four-laning is yet to be determined, the Government has announced there will be safety improvements made to State Highway 1 including more passing lanes, pullover bays, and upgraded intersections, median and side barriers. This includes the notoriously dangerous intersection just south of Whangarei - the Loop Rd intersection of SH1 and SH15 – which will get a roundabout and other work designed to improve road safety.

REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY

New Zealand First has secured significant transport projects for Northland through the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), an initiative that arose out of our coalition negotiations with the Labour Party. So

Authorised by Winston Peters, NZ First List MP Parliament Buildings, Wellington

IN NORTHLAND 2018 far, Northland has received $81 million in announced PGF funding, with much more to come.

This year, the PGF funded the $1.7 million redevelopment of the terminal at the Bay of Islands Airport to cater to the growing visitor numbers being enjoyed by Northland. The airport is one of the fastest growing regional airports in the country; during 2017, 96,000 people used the airport, which required Air New Zealand to put on additional flights to meet the demand.

Through the PGF, we’re catering for further growth of these visitor numbers, and these additional tourist dollars will mean both the fortunes of Northland businesses and workers will rise.

Similarly, commitments to wharf upgrades at Paihia, Russell and Opua will boost the tourism sector and create new jobs and opportunities to the region.

Wharves are critical pieces of maritime, community and tourism infrastructure. The current state of the wharves is hampering future growth and many components of the wharves are nearing the end of their life. They need to be upgraded so that residents and tourists can enjoy all that Northland has to offer.

The development of a business case to rejuvenate and expand Northland rail has also been funded through the PGF. Almost all of Northland’s freight leaves the region by road. Around 1,185 heavy vehicles a

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L to R: New Zealand First List MP’s: Hon. Shane Jones, Clayton Mitchell, Darroch Ball, Hon. Tracey Martin, Leader Rt.Hon. Winston Peters, Hon. Ron Mark, Jenny Marcroft, Deputy Leader Fletcher Tabuteau, Mark Patterson

day travel on SH1 between Northland and Auckland, and truck numbers are increasing.

A reliable, resilient rail connection would take some of this freight off the road in both Northland and Auckland.

This business case is likely to include a new spur line to Marsden Point to support Northport’s growth. We’ve already experienced the potential that Northport

has in store for Northland exporters when the first container-only ship departed from Northport for Singapore. This means that less freight had to be shipped to the ports of Auckland and Tauranga, saving businesses thousands of dollars. Expanding the activities of Northport is in the interest of Northland businesses, freeing up money to reinvest in businesses that serve our communities.

Hon. Shane Jones

IMPROVING REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY • ROADING • RAILWAYS • AIR LINKS • SEA LINKS

NORTHPORT

How Northport is utilised could dramatically change the economic future of Northland.

Freight is an enabler of an economy, and taking an innovative approach to freight logistics would grow jobs, lift wages, reduce exporters’ costs, and support primary industries in Northland. This would result in more money in the hands of Northlanders that would be spent locally, lifting families out of poverty.

New Zealand First has long campaigned to bring rail to Northport and investigate moving Auckland’s main port out of the city’s central business district to Northland. In our Coalition Agreement, we secured just that: a feasibility study on the options for moving the Ports of Auckland, including giving Northport serious consideration. It could be the game-changer Northland needs for a prosperous future.

Our vision for Northland is communities well connected with each other, and with the rest of the world.

More is being done for Northland by this Government than any government in a very long time, and transport is one of the areas where New Zealand First’s Coalition Agreement with Labour could be transformative for the region.

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Tuesday, September 25, 2018

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