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.

The situation was frustrating for me and those who booked flights and hotels, but I’m also hugely appreciative of the efforts of everyone who swung into action when Covid reared its ugly head again.

The people who manned the pop-up testing stations, the police at rain-lashed checkpoints and the school teachers who rose to the challenge showed us that we have what it takes to battle through a pandemic that looks finally to be on the run.

The vaccination programme is under way for frontline workers and plans are in place for the rest of us to get our jabs as supplies of the vaccine land. GPs, nurses, pharmacists and up to 3000 specially-trained vaccinators are going to be doing their bit to make us all safer, which is why I encourage everyone to get vaccinated.

I know there are people who have concerns, but as someone who has been deeply involved in New Zealand’s health system I can tell you the people I worked with would never support these vaccines if they didn’t have complete confidence in them. So if you’re in doubt, ask a knowledgeable person such as your GP.

The three-day lockdown also seemed to usher in a new impatience to move beyond the problems of 2020. I sensed a determination to break free of the grip this pandemic has had on our attentions; to get the issue nailed quickly and look forward. Students want to get back to their studies, businesses want to rebuild, all of us want to use the new year as a springboard for improvement:

• improvement for our roads and ferry services, with a transport infrastructure plan that’s equal to our vision
• improvement for our sewage systems to ensure our beaches are safe to swim at again
• improvement for families and couples who see little progress in addressing the housing shortage.

These are the issues that we need to address with same commitment we brought to beating Covid. Returning to business as usual isn’t enough. We know we have it in us to achieve more, to make things better than they were before.

This is a brilliant country and the Shore is a tremendously special part of it. This year, all of us need to focus on a new game plan that befits the country we’re a part of. We need fresh thinking and a determination to unlock the road blocks, including those that exist at all levels of government.

If 2020 was memorable for the handbrake it applied to all of our ambitions, make 2021 memorable for the accelerated development of a better, more rewarding New Zealand for all of us.