Labour's Phil Twyford rounded out his visit to the Eastern Bay on Thursday by sinking a cold one at Mata Brewery.
Phil Twyford enjoys one of Mata's finest while speaking to small business owners at the brewery. Photo: TROY BAKER / WHAKATANE BEACON
The Minister for both Economic and Urban Development visited some key construction sites in Ōpōtiki and had meetings with Ngati Awa, Whakatāne District Council and local small business owners.
He was hosted by East Coast-based Labour MP Kiri Allan.
While in Ōpōtiki, Twyford visited the Whakatōhea Mussel Factory and Te Tāhuhu o Te Rangi construction sites before visiting the Ōpōtiki Harbour site and speaking with the project manager.
When speaking to small business owners at a meeting organised by Toi EDA and the Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce at Mata Brewery later in the day, Twyford said it had been fantastic to see first-hand what initiatives like the Provincial Growth Fund were doing on the ground.
He said in his 12 years as a politician, he had never seen a region have more ambition than the Eastern Bay.
"I congratulate the region for sticking with it and not giving up," he said.
"The PGF turns the page on more than 30 years of neoliberal orthodoxy and in doing so has exposed the sheer neglect of regional New Zealand."
Twyford said although the rest of the country was still reeling from Covid-19, the Eastern Bay was getting on with it and had shown a strength of character and courage when recovering from several traumatic events such as the Edgecumbe floods and Whakaari.
He said regions such as the Eastern Bay had untapped potential and the construction of infrastructure would unlock that value.
Twyford said the Labour Government's mantra was productive, sustainable, and inclusive growth.
"Growing sustainably is not just leaving a light footprint but enhancing the natural environment for our kids and being inclusive so we take everyone with us," he said.
"If we return to Government, we will be utterly committed to a programme of regional development."
At the small business meeting, Karl Gradon of Toi EDA said the region needed to work out what was next for it as all these PGF projects began to come to fruition.
He said the region was doing well in some areas, for example spending in Ōpōtiki was up on last year, and although unemployment was trending in the "wrong direction", it was lower than it was 24 months ago.
Gradon said the region needed to look at creating a long-term plan for housing as people coming home due to Covid-19 were contributing to even more overcrowded homes.
He said Māori land could not be used as capital for loans and the region needed to sort out a solution that allowed the land to be used for financing but did not put it at risk. He noted the digital connectivity divide was also getting wider.
As the region was suffering from underemployment as well as unemployment, Gradon said it needed to train and develop its workforce.
Kiri Allan said being able to bring ministers such as Twyford to towns like Ōpōtiki was one of the best parts of her job.
"It makes sure that we are always at the forefront of any policy or action taken down in Wellington," she said.
"You can see the results of that advocacy in the funding that Labour has pumped into this region, among many."
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