The week’s announcement by Chris Hipkins that there is going to be no change to managed isolation requirements for the rest of the year and probably into next year was delivered under cover of the surging pandemic in Australia, but the writing has been on the wall for months.

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The increasingly polarised debate over cycling access to a harbour crossing has brought out some fairly trenchant opinions. But do the anti-cyclist feelings that have been unleashed really reflect how people feel?

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Anyone who listened to my maiden speech in Parliament will have recognised three recurring themes: when our government spends money there has to be a return on that investment; the challenges facing our country need fresh ideas; and I’ve got no patience for dragging our feet on important issues.

In this column I’m going to tackle all three.

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I want to talk about agile thinking. Because that’s how small but industrious countries like ours get to be world-class. You’ve only got to look at the amazing job our country has done competing for and winning the America’s Cup to realise that out-of-the-box ideas are the difference between maintaining the status quo and creating that transformative breakthrough.

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The last lockdown blip derailed numerous plans, mine included. I was scheduled to deliver my maiden speech in Parliament on the Tuesday, and was delighted to see that friends and supporters from last year’s election were flying down to Wellington for the day – that didn’t happen.

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I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that it's been a great summer to be in New Zealand. Even if you didn't get a chance to visit other parts of the country, there were still our amazing local beaches to escape to... as long as they weren’t polluted.

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As someone new to the Beehive, I can say that the predominant feeling I have is a sense of responsibility. During the election campaign, I emphasised the importance of local issues and that focus hasn’t changed. Even though the mechanics of national governance are gaining the headlines, it’s my job to make sure that what’s happening here on the North Shore receives attention too.

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It’s fair to say that the winter of 2020 has been a time like no other for the Watts household, with dad immersing himself in his first election campaign just as a pandemic pulls apart the fabric that binds our communities together. Lockdowns, job security, closed schools and an economy on its knees are issues that have played out at our breakfast table, just as they have in homes throughout the country.

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It’s not surprising that concerns about our health and wellbeing are two of the leading issues I hear about as I meet people around the Shore.

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