Northland needs a 'Northland Party'

Northland begins: the view from the top of the Brynderwyn Hills. (Photo/Shutterstock)

Unfortunately last month I had to leave Whananaki and go to Hamilton.  It is something I loathe to do.  It’s the only time I’ve left all winter and since returning from that trip I haven’t even made it as far as Whangārei, such is my hatred for having to leave paradise for even a day.  Donna says I am immediately in a grump when I hit the main road.  She is right.  I turn into the Grumpmeister General.

Anyway, back to the story.  

When you don’t travel very far very often you notice changes, things that you might not realise if you were driving the road more regularly.  And on the way home (a day early) from my reluctant trip south, somewhere around Caltex Oakleigh I had a sudden thought.  I turned to Donna and asked if she’d noticed how bad the roads had gotten.  Potholled.  Patched.  Uneven.  Uncomfortable.  It had been a rocky ride.  She agreed.

So then, we started to really pay attention to the state of the road.  The Hikurangi bypass was the worst-of-the-worst, shaking the car up like a paint mixer at Bunnings, which is unbelievable given the road was only ripped up and resealed a year-or-so ago. 

And by the time we’d gotten to the Whananaki turnoff, we were convinced.  Our roads were terrible.  Since then, I’ve been a bit further north too.  State Highway One between Whakapara and Kawakaka is abysmal.  Perhaps the further north you go, the worse it gets.

I know there’ll be people who are saying “duh, they’ve always been like that”, but I don’t think they’ve ever been this bad.  I reckon my whole body reverberated for a good hour after I got home.  I was like jelly on a jackhammer.

As I thought about my amazing revelation that Northland roads were terrible, I reflected on the rest of the State Highway 1 network we’d used on our drive to Hamilton.  The motorway extension to Warkworth.  Getting through Auckland, given we’d picked the right time of day, was remarkably quick.  And the highlight of the drive, the smooth ride which is the Waikato Expressway, gently massaging you as you breeze down one of its multi-lanes at 110 km/h.  They even seem to have been able to take the turns out of that road.  Impressive.

Why are their roads so good and ours so crappy?  Even the proposed road north will be tolled - why are the roads north tolled when the roads south aren’t? 

I can’t help but think this is another example of Northland getting really short-changed.

Northland has the highest proportion of its working-age population receiving a main benefit. Unemployment was UP significantly in the June quarter to 8.8% compared to 5.6% nationally.  For young adults aged 18–24, almost one-in-four are on a benefit.  We have a massive meth issue - as we’ve covered a lot on Whananaki FM - Northland records the highest per-capita methamphetamine consumption of any region.  More kids live in poverty.  We don’t have enough cops.  Businesses seem still to be closing down, that JNL Northland Mill closure is a shocker.  The ‘recovery’ doesn’t feel like it has made it beyond the Brynderwyns yet.

And our roads suck.

I reckon we need a strong and successful ‘Northland Party’.  A party that only cares about Northland and getting our fair share - actually, more than our fair share of Government spending and investment.

Let’s think about this for a second.

It’s a party that fights for Northland based around the belief that all Northlanders boats must rise.  Our businesspeople.  Our beneficiaries.  Our youngest.  Our elderly.  Tangata whenua.  Local companies.  Tradies.  Māori and pakeha.  It exists to protect our taonga and our environment.  It fights for our local town centres and businesses, as well as our poorest and most vulnerable.  If you live in Northland, you benefit from this party being around.

The MPs are representatives, yes, but it would have to be a grassroots party heavily influenced by local voices and views when it comes to establishing policy positions on Northland's many issues.

In most of the important social and economic metrics, government fails Northland.  I don’t want to diss those who have come before and tried their best, but the stats show, I believe, the status quo clearly isn’t in the best interests of Northlanders.

Now, I have absolutely no desire to found a ‘Northland Party’, be involved in one in any way or stand for parliament at all.  Ever.  Under any circumstances.  Mainly because, well, you know my feelings on leaving Whananaki.  So, this is literally just me spitballing.  No doubt a lot of smarter people will say why it’ll never work, but based on the fact no idea is a bad idea, I thought I’d throw the thinking in there.

If you play this out electorally, imagine if a Northland party won all three Northland general seats (Northland, Whangārei and Kaipara ki Mahurangi) as well as Te Tai Tokerau.  Tough ask, I know.  But four seats.  Perhaps enough to hold the balance of power in an MMP environment, certainly enough to wield power.

‘Northland’ becomes a major electoral player.

The ‘Northland Party’ might never go into government.  It could sit on the cross-bench giving supply to the party that gives Northland the best deal.  

What could we get out of that negotiation for Northland?  Quite a lot I reckon.