7. Regional Economic Development—NorthlandRt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Minister for Economic DevelopmentRegional Economic Development—Northland7. Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) to the Minister for Economic Development: Does he stand by all of his statements in relation to the Te Tai Tokerau Northland Regional Growth Study and Action Plan; if so how?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development): Yes I do and I am particularly excited that the member has asked that question today because one of the key actions of that plan is the Pūhoi to Wellsford highway north of Auckland and today is a very special day. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Transport have launched the construction of the Pūhoi to Warkworth section which is 18.5 kilometres of road that is going to help link Northland with Auckland. It is one of the most important projects in the plan. I want to thank the member for his question and for coming to the House to celebrate this great progress.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is it not a fact Minister that after 8 years of this promise as we speak after 8 long years of this road of national significance not 1 metre has been built?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I bring good news to the member. Starting today 18500 metres of this project are being built—18.5 kilometres. It is a $709 million project. It is going to help tourism it is going to help road transport and it is even going to help the member get home to St Marys Bay after the day in the constituency.Rt Hon Winston Peters: What on earth happened when he expresses today the Pūhoi to Warkworth highway to his Pūhoi to Wellsford highway promise in the Northland by-election?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Only the member could be so negative the day the Government starts building a $700 million road to his constituency. He could be the only person to be that negative. But I checked because I wondered whether he would be like that and do you know that member has put out 50 press releases on Northland this year and literally 49 of those press releases have been negative about Northland? Literally one—this one I am holding—has been positive. I presume we can only expect him to come down here like the Grinch and decry a $700 million investment in Northland.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Can the Minister confirm that the press release he was just waving about was in fact celebrating Winston Peters' election victory in his own seat?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: It is fair to say that he thinks he is the only good thing that has happened in Northland in 100 years but no it was on something else. But perhaps one of these 49 negative ones might be about Winston getting elected.Rt Hon Winston Peters: If the plans proposing a $300 million Ngāwhā wood processing mill near Kaikohe were a key part of his and the Government's action plan to using his words transform the region" how come the Minister of Energy and Resource's abject failure to rein in the Electricity Authority's proposed power increases has seen that $300 million plan axed just yesterday?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The Ngāwhā proposal was one of 58 actions in the Northland regional action plan. That is why it is exciting to talk about the road today which is one of the other 58 actions in the plan. That is a $700 million investment in Northland. In terms of that particular project it is not just about the Electricity Authority—and I understand for the member that it is going to release some updated proposals next week so he should wait for those. It is primarily about perhaps not having enough wood resource at this stage in that part of the region. The good news is with a brand new road we will be able to bring timber in from south of Auckland if he wants to the new Ngāwhā processing plant.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Which does not exist after yesterday. Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can we just have—[Interruption] Order! [Interruption] Order! The member will resume his seat. That is not the way to rise to start a supplementary question. If the member wants one I might entertain it.Rt Hon Winston Peters: How will wood be brought all the way up north on his superhighway to a complex that has now been shut down as of yesterday in terms of its planning and could he tell us what he is going to do for example about extra power pricing increases for the Northland Strategic Irrigation Infrastructure Study another big statement he made when he was bulldusting around Northland?Mr SPEAKER: The Hon Steven Joyce—there were two questions there. The Minister can address either.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The member would know something about power price increases because when he was in Government they increased dramatically and they are actually decreasing around the country over the last couple of years. But once again "Mr Glass Three-quarters Empty" the project is not going ahead at this point but it may go ahead in the future. They have just put it on the shelf because the bigger problem is lack of wood as I pointed out. But for the member there is lots of other good news. There is the Hundertwasser Art Centre in Whangarei the Government is helping; there is the Queensland Resort College's Tai Tokerau Resort College in Paihia; there are the ultra-fast broadband projects. We have put in half the funding for the improvement of Whangarei Airport which will open in the next couple of weeks—Mr SPEAKER: Bring the answer to a conclusion.Hon STEVEN JOYCE: —and of course there is the $700 million for the Pūhoi to Wellsford road. I am waiting for the member's second positive press release of the year.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Why would any halfway informed person say about Northland in respect of Ngāwhā that there could be a shortage of wood when there are football fields of wood being transported off overseas in the most raw form which is Northland's problem that he is doing nothing about?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I think the member wants us to build a wood wall around Northland to stop the logs leaving."