Significant wins in 2018

It was a great year for sport in the Far North and that was celebrated last month during the 2018 Far North Sports Awards at Te Ahu in Kaitaia. Rugby was the big winner with All Black Jack Goodhue and Black Fern Aroha Savage taking out the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year. I am immensely proud of these outstanding local athletes.

They have reached the top of their sport and both have stellar international careers ahead of them. It was also a great year for our district. We began 2018 with three Northland Ma¯ori MPs eager to make their mark in the new Labour-led Cabinet. I said this would be a coup for our region, which often struggles to be heard in Wellington. I was right.

We have notched up significant funding wins in tourism, forestry, and infrastructure thanks to the Provincial Growth Fund. These wins include funding for the new terminal at Bay of Islands Airport ($1.75 million), a super-yacht pontoon in Opua ($890,000), and upgrades to wharves at Paihia ($2.97m) and Russell ($1.114m). Community initiatives are also benefiting. In September, the Northland Regional Council announced that the Te Hiku Sports Hub would get $1.4m from the Regional Sports Facilities Rate.

Last week, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis confirmed investment of $490,000 for the final stage of the communityowned Waitangi Mountain Bike Park. We’ve factored this funding into our Long Term Plan 2018-28.

This significant planning exercise is undertaken every three years and helps guide decisions over coming decade.

This latest plan signals a new phase in the direction of our district. We are now focused on funding growth where we most need it after three years of addressing historic infrastructure gaps.

These gaps include sewerage in Kerikeri where many households and businesses rely on septic tanks and where, in March, we began physical work on a new sewerage treatment plant that will support growth of the town. Making the Far North an even better place to live is not just about big-ticket projects.

After much planning and testing, we began digitising our vast records system. Throughout 2018 we have been scanning and electronically storing 50,000 paperbased property and resource consent files. That’s about seven million pieces of paper.

The process will continue next year, but it is already making it easier for property owners and developers to access property information. We are also making it easier to apply for building consents. Last month, we began transitioning to Simpli.

This electronic application system replaces paper application forms, saving applicants time and money. Modernising these backroom processes is a vital part of our drive to improve services and make the Far North a great place to live.

We are planning so much more and I look forward to telling about this next year. our the

"This latest plan signals a new phase in the direction of our district. We are now focused on funding growth where we most need it after three years of addressing historic infrastructure gaps."