The weather has been spectacular and that’s just the tonic long-suffering Aucklanders have needed. Escaping the pandemic’s grip for a beach up north, a Hawke’s Bay vineyard or a South Island cycle trail has brought welcome variety to lifestyles that have been severely cramped.

I hope that you all enjoyed the break and that you’ve saved a little of your holiday spend for the retailers back here who must have watched Aucklanders exodus with mixed feelings. They’ve had it tough and are looking forward to seeing some of the gains from loosened restrictions. The continuing summer weather is a perfect excuse to get behind our retailing and hospitality businesses at a time of year that’s always critical, and particularly so with Omicron knocking at our borders.

Like most of you, I’m glad to see the back of 2021. It’s been tough, but it’s also shown how amazing the Shore is. The resilience, support for others and commitment to beating Covid you have all demonstrated makes me incredibly proud. Your energy and the values you adhere to will be with me as we ensure 2022 is the turning point we all believe it has to be.

As a member of a superbly talented National Party team, I’ll be making sure that the issues important to people on the Shore are fully understood in Wellington. Clean beaches, solutions for traffic congestion, and liberating the full potential of our businesses, workers and children are of critical importance as we climb out from beneath the pandemic’s restrictions.

Providing a strong local voice was an important reason for me entering politics, and reversing Labour’s 3-Waters asset grab will be a key focus for me. It’s not just that the sums don’t add up with this brazen assault on local authorities, it’s that the local knowledge to achieve successful change has been side-lined so remote bureaucrats can call the shots unhindered. One example of this is tackling pollution in our waterways, which then spills onto our beaches. I’ve hosted and attended many events here on the Shore where local expertise and insight into our polluted beaches has been shared. These are immensely knowledgeable people who should not be ignored. The natural world and our interaction with it require genuinely informed decision making. Through 2022, I’ll be touring many of the affected local communities throughout New Zealand, finding out about the challenges they face and any solutions they have. This will be knowledge that I’ll be using in our own fight to clean up beaches on the Shore.

Another responsibility I’ve been given under Christopher Luxon’s leadership concerns finance. I’m sure I’m not alone in recognising that inflation continues to push up the cost of living while wages stagnate. We are going backwards and our economy is failing to support the post-Covid resurgence we deserve and need.

It’s time for fresh ideas and renewed energy in Wellington and 2022 is when we need to commit to delivering that change. Our communities and our businesses cannot wait any longer.