Sabin Mike: Estimates Debate — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSabin Mike: Estimates Debate — In Committee[Sitting date: 30 July 2013. Volume:692;Page:12060. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MIKE SABIN (National—Northland):I would like to pick up from where the chairman of the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee left off on the roads of national significance. For my electorate of Northland there can be no better illustration to Parliament or to any who have taken the visionary step of listening in to this particular debate of the importance of roading infrastructure with regard to growing the economy. Northland is an area that is blessed with economic potential across all the primary sectors and across many sectors of the New Zealand economy but it is dogged by underperformance.This was one of the key areas—in fact the fundamental area—that Northland identified when I ran whole-of-region economic summits not long after being elected. There were some 450 people who came together to discuss the enablers and constrainers of our economy who identified the State highway north of Auckland into Northland as being the first and highest priority. The roads of national significance are all about getting ahead of the curve getting ahead of where anticipated growth will be and ensuring that the infrastructure exists to meet that need. I have worked with the Northland Regional Council and others in Northland and they have identified that about $800 million of Northland’s economy—about 15 percent of the GDP of Northland—travels out on that road. I think that is actually understated but certainly it is fair to say that that road is absolutely core to Northland’s economy; to an area that should be one of the fastest-growing regions in this country. I believe with the investment that this party is making into Northland that it in fact will be.The commitment of this Government and the Minister of Transport to the roads of national significance has been echoed by those who some would say are the more left-leaning councillors on the Auckland Council. When the council’s roading committee had to confront this issue and make a decision about where it saw the investment in this road of national significance thePūhoi to Wellsford link its view was 16 votes to four that we should get on and fast track that. That process is now under way. The fast tracking and the consenting process is now under way and we will see activity with the next leg through to Warkworth commencing around mid next year. I think that is a very significant message sent to Northland that this Government this party and this Minister are committed to the economic development and the potential of the region and are actually investing in that. That was met with great joy.I note that on many occasions Labour Party members move into Northland and have a Labour Party policy retreat or something of the sort. They jump around to the odd place for photo opportunities—they often visit the Mangonui fish shop and grab some world-famous Mangonui fish and chips. They all talk of course about what they will do for Northland and what they will do for this country but I do not see them standing on their soapboxes and talking about how they will scrap thePūhoi to Wellsford link. They will say that here but they will not say that face to face to the people in Northland. I think that is disingenuous. I think that really does embody unfortunately what the Labour Party has found itself trapped into. Labour members will oppose thingshere because they actually do not want to see economic success they actually do not want to see job creation but when they go out face to face with the people who they would have elect them into Government they will not of course be upfront and honest about their views and how they view this.The Labour Party has said that it would scrap this road and of course the Green Party would scrap it as well. They would scrap this road. It has been singled out as the single example of what they would get rid of and this Government is fast tracking it. When it comes to the people whom they would rely on to vote them into office who are climbing over themselves to say “We need this infrastructure we need this road and we need this support.” and those parties say here “No we won’t.” the question I have for those parties is: what will they be saying to those people in 2014? They are now in that position. Those parties do not back it but we do. This is good infrastructure. The roads of national significance are something that is about the New Zealand economy about the Northland economy.Vote agreed to.