Source: New Zealand Government
Check against delivery.Kia ora and thank you so much for inviting me here today. It’s great to be with you all.Can I start by thanking Fran O’Sullivan for her hard work in organising and supporting this annual event and the also NZME for sponsoring the event as always. I’d also like to acknowledge our Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, Councillor Richard Hills, and my colleague the Honourable Chris Bishop, the Minister of many things relevant to Auckland’s future and success – Transport, Housing, RMA Reform, Infrastructure – the list goes on. He is also, importantly, Leader of the House because you can’t change the law if he doesn’t let you change the law, so it’s very important to have the Leader of the House on site – great to see you here. Also, the opposition spokesperson for Auckland, Carmel Sepuloni, and Shanan Halbert – lovely to see you here today as well.It’s always good to be with you all as leaders of our city – people who believe in Auckland’s future and are committed to its success.This shared commitment mirrors our Government’s focus on Going for Growth – driving positive change for this city, and delivering real results.
Context
As a Government, we have set a clear, decisive plan to get New Zealand back on track.There is no doubt that our country – and this city – faces significant challenges.At the heart of those challenges are the economy, inflation, and interest rates, which have been tightening household budgets and stifled economic growth. The Government has spent the last 18 months focused on the basics – rebuilding our economy, restoring law and order, and delivering better public services, particularly in health and education.By reducing wasteful spending, reining in inflation, and lowering interest rates, we are easing the pressure on families and mortgages and giving businesses the certainty they need to grow and invest.We campaigned on this, and we are starting to see the green shoots of economic recovery.Inflation is back within the one to three per cent band, and interest rates are falling. This is good news for Kiwi households and businesses and is critical to easing the cost-of-living pressures for New Zealanders. Just last week, it was confirmed that our economy has also started to turn the corner, with GDP growing by 0.7 percent in the three months to December – ahead of what the economists were projecting – welcome news after a long period of economic decline, which we inherited, leaving Kiwis feeling poorer. Under Christopher Luxon’s leadership, our Government is Going for Growth, and working tirelessly to sustain this momentum, because a stronger economy means more jobs, better incomes, and more opportunities for Kiwis to get ahead. Rebuilding our economy also requires discipline across every part of government, local and central – delivering the services and infrastructure that Kiwis need, while ensuring every dollar is spent wisely to produce tangible results. This disciplined approach is especially crucial for Auckland – home to 34 per cent of our population and generating 38 per cent of New Zealand’s GDP.Rebuilding our economy means the Government can continue to invest in the priorities facing our city, whether that is better schools, more doctors and nurses in our hospitals, or the infrastructure needed for our fast-growing city.As Minister for Auckland, my role is to champion this city’s interests and ensure it receives the attention and investment it rightfully deserves from central Government, and I am proud of what we have already achieved as a Government.
Delivering for Auckland
Since entering government, we have moved quickly deliver on our promises and get Auckland back on track. We axed the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax, removing 11.5 cents per litre from the cost of fuel.We delivered tax relief for hardworking Aucklanders, with average-income households receiving up to $102 a fortnight.We have also prevented a 25.8 per cent increase in water rates through our Local Water Done Well plan, ensuring Aucklanders have access to affordable and sustainable water services.This will save Aucklanders around $899 million in water and wastewater charges over four years through the Watercare Charter. I want to acknowledge the team from Watercare for the excellent work they’ve done, as well as Auckland Council who have partnered with the Government to enable this deal. The deal with Auckland Council to financially separate Watercare has also built huge confidence in the pipeline of water infrastructure in Auckland. A major sign of this confidence was the decision by tunnelling company, Ghella, who are building the Auckland Central Interceptor, to keep their tunnel boring machine in Auckland, following the completion of the central interceptor tunnels this Friday. They see the growing pipeline of water infrastructure projects that require delivering in our city. This is what real confidence in the infrastructure pipeline looks like and it’s a privilege to play a part in delivering that. We have also opened new state-of-the-art radiology equipment at Auckland City Hospital’s Regional Cancer and Blood Service.We’ve deployed additional cops on the beat – raising beat cops to 51 in the CBD – strengthening law and order to improve safety in the inner city and across Auckland.We scrapped Auckland Light Rail, halting a project that haemorrhaged over $228 million without delivering a single metre of track.We have introduced legislation for Time of Use Schemes, which will support the Government’s and Auckland Council’s efforts to reduce congestion across the city and improve efficiency of our roading network. We set a clear direction for both roading and public transport projects across Auckland, including the Northland Corridor, Mill Road Stage 1, the North-West Alternative State Highway, the Northwestern Busway and the Airport to Botany Busway so Aucklanders can have a clear plan of future transport projects for the city – both roading and public transport connections that this city needs for the future. And we are restoring democratic accountability for transport decisions, ensuring Auckland ratepayers have a genuine say in shaping our city.Our track record as a Government demonstrates our commitment to delivering real outcomes for Auckland and getting our city back on track.
What’s next for Auckland
But the question is what’s next for Auckland?While we’ve achieved a lot in a short space of time, our work isn’t done. There is much more to do. Two key areas of work that will be underway over the next 12-18 months, which I think are critically to our city’s success, is capitalising on the benefits of the City Rail Link and developing an Auckland Regional Deal.The next 12-18 months see significant change in Auckland as we look forward to the completion of the City Rail Link. This project, started under the last National Government, will be truly transformational for the city and unlock huge benefits for Aucklanders, including reduced travel times and increased opportunities for development along our rail corridor. Once complete, the City Rail Link will be truly city shaping, and will have a significant impact beyond just making transport more accessible for Aucklanders. Unlocking the benefits of the CRL is key to Auckland’s success. Both the Government and Auckland Council have invested billions of dollars into this project and we must make sure that we are getting the benefits from it. Whether it is the work Transport Minister Chris Bishop is delivering with Auckland Council to remove level crossings to keep traffic moving safely in our suburbs, or it is unlocking development around train stations across Auckland, we must make sure that the city maximises the benefits. The Government has also recently welcomed proposals around regional deals, and I welcome Auckland Council’s proposal which has been put forward as part of that process. I hope that maximising the City Rail Link benefits can be part of that deal because that is something we must jointly ensure happens for the city. Regional deals are an opportunity to bring Councils, Government, Business, Iwi and community together with a longer-term view than just the three-year political cycle, about what’s need to enable the key issues to be unlock, whether that economic growth, productivity, housing, or infrastructure. I’m looking forward to the opportunity we have before us to build on the work already underway with Auckland Council, and how a regional deal could support that. As Minister of Auckland, I will be advocating for Auckland to be the first cab off the rank for a regional deal so we can build on the strong progress we have already made for Auckland in the past 18 months. A regional deal will be a long-term plan for the city, outlining how both local and central government can work together to unlock economic growth in our city, build houses, and deliver the infrastructure needed for this city. It is also an opportunity to outline how central and local governments need to work together to solve problems and deliver tangible solutions. Taxpayers and Ratepayers are ultimately the same people – and they expect central and local governments to work together to deliver on their priorities over the long term. Regional deals are an opportunity to do just that and I will be working closely with Auckland Council on their plan to deliver a Regional Deal for Auckland. But, great infrastructure and economic reforms also need high-quality public services, particularly in health, that are efficient and put patients first.
Keeping Auckland healthy
That’s why we’re determined to ensure Aucklanders have timely, quality access to healthcare.A lot has changed since I last spoke to you in March, when I was talking about potholes – but even Bernard Orsman managed to find a pothole at Greenlane Hospital carpark yesterday, and we got it fixed. Some might say I traded one challenge for an even bigger one. In a growing city like Auckland, we need a resilient health system, so that rising demand from a growing population doesn’t mean waitlists balloon out even more than they already have.The Government is putting more money into health than ever before and we are focussing our health system on delivering the timely and quality healthcare for all New Zealanders. To achieve this – we have restored national health targets – which are key to delivering timely and quality healthcare. Unfortunately over the last 6 years, we’ve seen the results go backwards for patients, whether its Kiwis waiting longer in emergency departments or elective surgeries, which increased from 1000 people more than four months in 2017 to over 27,000 waiting more than four months in 2023.It is unacceptable and New Zealanders deserve better. Health targets have been restored to deliver better outcomes for patients because what gets measured gets managed.But performance also depends on infrastructure. Auckland’s population is growing, so we need modern hospitals to keep up.For the expectant new mother needing maternity care.For the elderly patient needing a hip replacement.For the injured tradie needing urgent care after an accident on the job.
Health Infrastructure Plan
At the recent New Zealand Infrastructure Summit, I highlighted 67 health infrastructure projects – valued at $6.39 billion – which are in the pipeline across the country. $1.5 billion of that is in Auckland, including Manukau Health Park here in Auckland, large scale remediation programmes across our estate at Auckland Hospital and Greenlane Hospital.But at current estimates, we cannot build capacity fast enough to meet the demands of a growing population. Today, I am providing an update on the Health Infrastructure Plan that Cabinet is developing. This plan will set a direction for the next 10 to 20 years to ensure that as a country, we build the right things in the right places at the right size and scale.While each project will require its own business case, the plan will set a long-term view of health infrastructure needs across the country and gives Health New Zealand a clear plan to work upon. We know that hospitals across the Auckland region are experiencing pronounced bed shortages, which are expected to increase as the population grows.South Auckland in particular is one of our fastest-growing communities, with significant health challenges. This community experiences higher rates of infectious conditions and long term conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic respiratory disease. The health needs of South Auckland are compounding, and this impacts the whole region, with both Middlemore and Auckland City Hospital under pressure to service the south Auckland population – and this pressure will only continue to grow.A new site in South Auckland has long been acknowledged by the region’s health planning as necessary to meet the growing demand. Today, I’m confirming that as part of the Health Infrastructure Plan, a new major hospital in South Auckland is being explored. The next steps involve detailed planning by Health New Zealand and securing land to accelerate development.This hospital would work alongside Middlemore, adding more beds, modern surgical theatres, and expanded emergency services – easing pressure on the system and improving outcomes for Aucklanders. Kiwis deserve better than long waits in overcrowded emergency departments and long waits for surgery. Patients come first, and investing in infrastructure is key to delivering that.The Health Infrastructure Plan has been considered by Cabinet and will be published in the coming weeks
Conclusion
We have a clear growth agenda for Auckland. We’ve taken decisive action to ease the cost of living, restore law and order, and keep our city moving.Auckland must be a city that works for its people – where businesses thrive, families can afford to live, people can travel quickly and safely, and everyone has access to timely, quality healthcare.That’s my focus.Thanks very much for having me here.Thank you, and I look forward to continuing this work alongside you all.
