We’re nearly halfway through this Parliamentary term already! Just on that, legislation will be in the House this year on the possibility of a four-year term. If it progresses through all stages, Kiwis will then ultimately decide via a referendum.

As is always the case, the summer weather peaks just as we’re all settling back into work. Our Prime Minister and Government have once again kicked off the political year in January, with a positive caucus retreat with fellow National MPs in Hamilton.

Our Upper Harbour electorate office was open for most of January, with a raft of constituent enquiries and issues coming thick and fast. With such a richly diverse electorate, government department, council, and Auckland Transport cases are ongoing for my team. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don’t, but we always support our locals where we can.

Boundaries will change for most electorates in time for the 2026 election, with provisional changes set to be released in March. Keep an eye out for those, with a public submission process to then follow. Upper Harbour has grown beyond the 70,000-person quota, and so if anything, we could get smaller.

We will continue to roll out our SuperBlues morning teas with guest MPs as speakers. These are open to all ages, and always prove to be a fun Monday morning every other month. Our Upper Harbour Business Club, with Ministers, is again open for subscription and we welcome all enquiries.

Growth, growth, growth are the three key words for the Coalition Government this year, and ongoing announcements and Budget 2025 will reinforce that.  

As always, I welcome your feedback, ideas, and invitations. I’m a hard person to offend, so I’d rather hear your full and frank views, than not! Afterall, I’m an elected representative - here only to serve the people of Upper Harbour locally and in Parliament as best I can.

All the very best to you and your family in 2025.

Cameron

PS: Below are some photos from our end-of-year gathering in the electorate office in December – which I sadly missed due to Parliament being in Urgency. My team were superb hosts!

Our local MP was delighted to be receive a call from the Prime Minister and be confirmed by colleagues as the new Chair of the Finance & Expenditure select committee on 29 January.

Upper Harbour needs to find its next Youth MP! Youth Parliament 2025 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students aged 16 to 18 to step into the shoes of an MP, represent our amazing community, and debate in Parliament.

As part of the four-month programme, 123 Youth MPs will spend two action-packed days in Parliament on 1 and 2 July, asking questions, debating issues, and voting on a mock Bill. They’ll connect with young people from across New Zealand, share ideas, and bring Upper Harbour’s perspectives to the table.

Youth Press Gallery members aged 16 to 24 will also be selected. They’ll write and submit stories, including reporting on the two days in Wellington, for the Parliamentary website, the Youth Parliament newsletter, and other media outlets.

Applications for Youth Parliament 2025 are now open and close on 28 February. This month, the MP will be visiting local schools to chat with students about what’s involved.

To apply, just send a short video or letter explaining why you’d love to be a Youth MP and the issue that matters most to you. To do this, you can email: UpperHarbourOffice@parliament.govt.nz or write to our electorate office at Unit 15/102c Hobsonville Rd, Hobsonville, Auckland, 0618.

Once selected, our Upper Harbour Youth MP will join in a “Pizza and Politics” discussion group, a day of work experience in our electorate office, and a public event to engage with our community.

Youth Parliament 2025 is a fantastic opportunity for any student keen to learn first-hand about our democracy, influence government decision-making, and have their voice heard.

Team Upper Harbour's very own Linda Cooper JP received a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit from His Majesty The King in the New Year Honours List. Here Linda is pictured next to the PM and our electorate committee back in August. Her tireless community work and advocacy in West and North-West Auckland for many years has been extraordinary. We are all very proud of Linda.

Enabling works are underway on a new bus station between SH16 and the NorthWest mall carpark, with main construction beginning in the middle of this year and set to be completed in mid-2026.

A new Westgate station will provide better connections between local bus and Western Express (WXI) services to CBD Auckland. It will form an important part of the Government’s wider plans to deliver a busway alongside State Highway 16 from Brigham Creek to Auckland City through the Northwest Rapid Transit project

With more than 100,000 extra people expected to be living in the northwest of Auckland by 2051, we need to provide more reliable public transport choices that reduce travel times and congestion in Auckland.

When complete, the new Westgate station will replace the temporary bus interchange currently in operation at Kedgley Road (by the Maki Street intersection).

Better motorway connections and public transport links are a local priority for the MP for Upper Harbour. Afterall, in just 20 years’ time, it is forecast that the NorthWest of Auckland have 37,000 new houses, 11,000 new jobs, and nearly triple the number of people travelling along the Northwestern Motorway.

Going for growth: For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity.

Invest New Zealand announced: The foreign investment process will be substantially streamlined to help unlock tens of billions of dollars in global investment and significantly increase the capital available for key infrastructure.

Digital nomads welcomed: The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand.

Speed limit reversals have begun: Where Labour was about slowing New Zealand down, our Government is all about making it easier for people and freight to get from A to B.

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