Viewpoint – Mahurangi microcosm

One thing I’ve been noting a bit lately is how much this electorate is a microcosm of New Zealand as a whole. Certainly this seems the case for our Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate, which takes in the readership of Mahurangi Matters. And the same was true before that of areas that had previously made up the Helensville, Rodney and Northland electorates.

Obviously there are many different people doing many different things locally, just as there are at national level. More striking, though, is that fact that this community faces issues that provide local examples of exactly the kinds of challenges and opportunities that the whole country faces.

An example would be ensuring that the young people of today are provided with wholesome, practical, real world opportunities to succeed, particularly for those with difficult backgrounds. At a national level, we talk about improving the youth justice system and establishing boot camps to ensure that some discipline and self-respect are afforded to youngsters needing a bit of direction in life. At a local level, meanwhile, there are great community groups and venues that can provide exactly this type of thing. Recently, I visited Action Matakana, which provides a great service to many different groups along these lines.

Another instance would be discussions about recognising our nation’s history in New Zealand schools’ curriculum and in connection with remembrance at Anzac Day, Waitangi Day and, more recently, Matariki. At a local level, meanwhile, the Albertland Museum in Wellsford provides as clear a historical record as anywhere in the world could wish to have tell the stories of its people. It was a pleasure recently to visit some of the delightful volunteers who keep this treasure running for the benefit of generations to come, including school children of the present day who visit.

My final example relates to local heroes who attain national recognition through the honours system. Recently the recognition provided by King’s Birthday Honours included a number of residents of the Kaipara ki Mahurangi electorate, including (in the Warkworth area) Sarah Haydon, ONZM for services to people with disabilities. Congratulations to all who have served our area and New Zealand at large so faithfully as to be recognised in this way.

When I attend meetings with fellow ministers in Wellington, where we discuss how best to turn around some of the long standing problems that have dogged our nation, I always keep in mind examples of how problems are being solved every day in the various communities of Auckland’s rural north.
Thanks for the inspiration and example provided by so many of you – along with honest assessments of some of the problems – to me, as your local MP. Together we can work to resolving these, in the words of the hoary old saying, by thinking globally and acting locally.