Q & A -The Burning Issues
The Burning Issues... with our Local Members of Parliament
A freshly re-elected National government has ushered in some new names with the old, notably in the electorates North of Auckland, with newcomers Maggie Barry and Mark Mitchell joining seasoned veterans Murray McCully and Dr. Jonathan Coleman. As government reforms for a new year, the Business Channel’s Michael Campbell took the Burning Issues to our elected representatives.
HON. Murray McCully
MP for East Coast Bays
Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Minister for Sport and Recreation
What role can or will government play to aid and improve local business prospects north of the Harbour Bridge?
Like business elsewhere, North Shore businesses are looking for a stable, low tax environment, without unreasonable red tape. That is the sort of environment we are trying to create.
As a local MP what assistance will you be providing for local businesses?
I am based in Browns Bay and try to remain in good contact with local business people. I am frequently asked to assist when they run into difficulties dealing with government agencies.
A fundamental philosophy behind National’s campaign was to develop and nurture New Zealand business to grow the economy. What do you see as the most important issues for New Zealand’s recovering economy?
The key to growing our economy and job opportunities is for New Zealand to earn more from exporting goods and services. That is why we as a Government are putting so much emphasis on getting good trade arrangements in place. The new Government will also place a lot of emphasis on trade delegations to key markets, led by Ministers. That is a key responsibility for me as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
What are the key goals you aim to accomplish for your electorate over the next three years?
East Coast Bays has an important role in our economy and I hope as local MP to support and encourage local businesses. I am determined to see the new National Training Centre for High Performance Sport at Millennium Institute fully developed. I am also pursuing ferry services for the North Shore, especially Browns Bay.
Dr. Jonathan Coleman
MP for Northcote
Minister of Defence, Minister of State Services, and Associate Minister of Finance
Firstly can I thank the voters of Northcote, and the wider North Shore, for re-electing a National government. Under the leadership of Prime Minister John Key you can expect to see a hard working, strong, and stable government.
Just like many North Shore businesses, the government is back fully operating and our post election plans mean we have a busy term in front of us.
What role can or will government play to aid and improve local business prospects north of the Harbour Bridge?
The best way the government can aid and improve local business prospects is by helping provide a strong economy. A strong economy provides better business opportunities on the North Shore, more jobs, and it help provides better frontline health and education services, and a safer New Zealand.
The global financial environment remains stormy but the second term National government has a programme of measures to keep the domestic economy in good shape. An important step is ensuring we get our books in order. We’ll halve the Budget deficit next year and return to surplus in 2014/15 as promised during the election campaign.
As a local MP what assistance will you be providing for local businesses?
As a local MP I know how important it is to stay in tune with North Shore businesses, to understand the challenges they face, and to represent their best interests. As a government we offer numerous business mentoring programmes for local businesses to help them succeed. However the best assistance we provide as a government is making the right decisions to ensure the domestic economy is healthy and withstands the global financial environment.
A fundamental philosophy behind National’s campaign was to develop and nurture New Zealand business to grow the economy. What do you see as the most important issues for New Zealand’s recovering economy?
To get the fundamentals rights – by that I mean reduce government debt, keep interest rates low, provide better public services, and create more investment opportunities.
During the election campaign National spelt out a reform programme to help achieve a vibrant economy.
Work is underway on extending the successful mixed-ownership model. The government will offer a minority stake to investors in four state-owned energy companies, and reduce its stake in Air New Zealand, while retaining majority control. All Kiwis will be able to buy shares in these companies. This will free up $5 billion to $7 billion to invest in new assets, while reducing debt.
As promised, National is continuing our work on welfare reform. In 2012 we’ll keep building a system that focuses on what people can do. We’ll provide support, training, and opportunities to get Kiwis back into work and away from long-term benefit dependence.
National is delivering high-quality, modern public services in health, education, and law and order, for families.
We’ll also maintain a cap on staff in core government administration, continue to modernise the way public services are delivered, and find savings to put into the front line. That means more elective operations and less waiting in our hospitals, more opportunities for children in our schools, and better policing on our streets.
What are the key goals you aim to accomplish for your electorate over the next three years?
I have been privileged enough to be appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Defence, Minister of State Services, and Associate Minister of Finance. It provides me an opportunity to work towards delivering our post election plan.
As a member of the National cabinet and for Northcote I aim to deliver a strong economy, high-quality public services in health and education, and keep crime lower on the North Shore.
Maggie Barry
MP for North Shore
What role can or will government play to aid and improve local business prospects north of the Harbour Bridge?
As a new MP for the North Shore in a National-led Government I share the commitment to improving business prospects across New Zealand. Local businesses in our electorate will benefit from major infrastructure projects such as the ultra-fast broadband package. By July 2012 the roll out aims to have connected 58,000 premises and 221 schools, including Takapuna Grammar School, Rosmini College, Westlake Girls’ High School, Campbells Bay School, Hauraki School, St Joseph’s Catholic School and St Leo’s Catholic School.
Our transport policy includes identifying Roads of National Significance and as an important part of that the Government has emphasised its commitment to the Puhoi-Wellsford connection on State Highway 1. Many see this project as an essential umbilical cord for the future of communities north of the Harbour Bridge. With the prioritisation of this much-needed upgrade we can look forward to significant improvements to our economic growth and productivity.
As a local MP what assistance will you be providing for local businesses?
The North Shore is home to around 22,000 businesses. As local employers, providers of high-quality goods and services, and generous community spirit, our local business community has my full support.
Regular communication with our thriving business network in Devonport, Milford, Mairangi Bay and Takapuna is critical. I intend to keep in close contact and inform businesses about various aspects of proposed legislation that may affect them. I will also be encouraging businesses to make written and oral submissions through the Parliamentary process on those Bills. I am looking forward to hosting business breakfasts and lunches, which will give locals the opportunity to hear from, and engage with key individuals in the Government.
A fundamental philosophy behind National’s campaign was to develop and nurture New Zealand business to grow the economy. What do you see as the most important issues for New Zealand’s recovering economy?
Getting our books back into surplus in 2014/15 is a crucial step to building confidence in our economy. In these uncertain economic times many other countries will still be in deficit and borrowing more on nervous financial markets. The Government is also on track to keep net core Crown debt below 30 per cent of GDP, an important focus given the uncertainty we’re seeing in other parts of the world.
New Zealand’s economic recovery will also depend on exploring new and innovative areas to expand and develop. One example is exploring ways to build on our energy potential. The government’s vision for New Zealand’s energy future is a balanced portfolio of renewable and non-renewable energy use. It’s important that we make the most of our energy potential in a safe and environmentally-responsible way. While being very mindful of the need for effective safeguards, we are encouraging oil, gas, and mineral exploration with a competitive new system for processing permits and providing better protection for our seas with new Exclusive Economic Zone legislation.
What are the key goals you aim to accomplish for your electorate over the next three years?
The North Shore is continuing to grow rapidly and I believe that there’s a pressing need for a second Harbour crossing. More information and analysis about the financial and environmental impacts is still required but the tunnel option certainly resonates locally. I intend to be a strong advocate for a workable solution and setting up realistic timeframes with the appropriate parties.
I’d also like to see the North Shore continue to build on our strategy of becoming New Zealand’s centre for high performance sport. North Harbour is already home to the Millennium Institute and I enthusiastically endorse the proposal for the National Ocean Water Sports Centre (NOWSC) on Takapuna Beach. This promises to be a world-class training facility for our up and coming talents. The proposed development would provide an onshore base to foster high performance training programmes for athletes and coaches across the codes of yachting, windsurfing, kayaking and ocean swimming. The NOWSC project is supported by a partnership between Central Government, Auckland City and the Harbour Access Trust and as your MP for the North Shore I intend to back the progress on this over the next three years.
It is an absolute privilege to be your new Member of Parliament. I am very much looking forward to engaging with the community and business groups across the electorate, helping constituents with their concerns and celebrating their successes.
Mark Mitchell
MP for Rodney
What role can or will government play to aid and improve local business prospects north of the Harbour Bridge?
Our measures to cut unnecessary red tape on small businesses are on track to cut compliance costs by $200 million a year. And our ACC reforms have cut levies for business by 22 per cent. This will assist business growth for businesses north of the Harbour Bridge, along with investment in infrastructure, for example the Puhoi to Wellsford Highway. This will create an efficient environment for goods and services in Rodney being brought towards the Auckland centre.
As a local MP what assistance will you be providing for local businesses?
I plan to provide assistance through a business forum series. I want to bring our business people and community leaders together to look at ways we can identify opportunities for growth within our own local Rodney economy. My aim is to provide a strong platform for networking amongst our local business that can also be an incubator for ideas.
A fundamental philosophy behind National’s campaign was to develop and nurture New Zealand business to grow the economy. What do you see as the most important issues for New Zealand’s recovering economy?
We need to continue to focus on growing our export sector, which will build a stronger economy. I also see the creation of higher paying jobs, investment in our infrastructure, and ensuring we keep our debt down as the main issues for the New Zealand economy.
What are the key goals you aim to accomplish for your electorate over the next three years?
I intend to promote investment in our local infrastructure, especially that of roading, and the implementation of extra fast broadband. Along with that, continued focus on strengthening sentencing, bail and parole laws. As I stated earlier I also plan to work with local businesses to identify opportunities for them to grow our local economy, thereby contributing to New Zealand’s continued economic growth.
Q&A - The Burning Issues
