Simpson ScottHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Well Mr Speaker thank you very much and what a magnificent weekend was held in Wellington for the 87th annual conference of the New Zealand National Party—this weekend just in Wellington. Hundreds of delegates were energised enthusiastic and keenly getting on with the job of changing the Government and getting our country back on track in October this year because we so desperately need it. They were so excited at the prospect of a Christopher Luxon - led new Government getting New Zealand back on track that they wanted to do everything possible to change the Government in October. But while we had a good weekend here in Wellington it was raining again in the beautiful Coromandel electorate which I have the privilege of representing. Again this week highways around the peninsula have been closed citizens have been disrupted communities have been cut off businesses have been impacted and health and safety risks have been put to the fore. Six months after the collapse of State Highway 25A the main arterial route across the Coromandel—six months almost to the day work has yet to commence on reconstruction and reopening of that road. Now there has been six months of dithering delay and excuses from our Government from the New Zealand Transport Agency and indeed from even our local council who seem not to understand at all the impact that that road's closure has on our region. Every day that that road is closed the Coromandel region bleeds and this week finally after six long months we have a proclamation from the New Zealand Transport Agency that it's going to be late March 2024 before that highway will be open. Now that's just outrageous—completely outrageous. We'd been promised by this Government for months that it would be early 2024. Now they are begrudgingly saying that it will be late March 2024. That will probably kick into April or even later. Actually what should have happened is that there should have been every possible push made and every possible resource allocated to have that highway opened before Christmas this year because not having that highway open for Christmas this year means that the people of the Coromandel will face a fourth consecutive disrupted summer economic period. Some would say What does that mean for real jobs and businesses in the region?" Well let me put it to the House this way: the reality is that for many of the businesses in the Coromandel 80 percent of their annual revenue is generated usually over the three- or four-month period of the peak summer season—80 percent of their annual revenue. The last few summers have been badly impacted by COVID then we had the dreadful weather events and road closures last summer and now because of inaction a lack of focus and a lack of urgency by this Government and its agency the Transport Agency we are facing a fourth consecutive miserable trading summer. Now that simply means that jobs will be lost and businesses will close—and they have already; jobs have already been lost—but it also means that people are going to be inconvenienced and are having to add cost and time to the hours-long detours that are in place around the peninsula. So communities like Pāuanui like Tairua like Whangamatā like Hāhei and like Cooks Beach are hurting and hurting very very badly. Visitors simply aren't coming—visitors simply aren't coming. I've spoken to so many people recently who have said to me "Oh we're sorry to hear about the Coromandel. When's it going to be open again? We've got a place at Pāuanui"—or they've got a place at Whitianga or they've got a place at Tairua—"but we haven't been since the road has closed because it takes so long to get there. We can't be sure that the road will be open and we don't have any certainty that the road will be open when we want to leave and we're fearful of getting stuck there." So six long months after the drop-out on State Highway 25A we are no further ahead. We have a plan—at long last—maybe for an opening in March 2024 but no opportunity for a summer season in the Coromandel this year. So it's with some sadness but also a sense of optimism that I say to this House that the Coromandel is battered and bruised but we're not beaten and we will continue fighting on."