Your Politicians Goals for 2026

With 2026 well underway, here's what your politicians are aiming to complete this year.

Ōpōtiki Mayor David Moore

Infrastructure is a key focus for Mayor David Moore this year, particularly ensuring the marina construction begins.  

The current situation with the aquaculture industry having to use the wharf is costing money in drenching, he said.  

“At the present, we're having to go an extra kilometre up to the wharf.” 

“That can't be sustained long-term.” 

“So, the marina is really important, and if the aquaculture industry wants to thrive and grow, the marina is a key part of that.” 

He said if the dredging continues long term, rates may have to increase. 

Last year, rates were set to increase by 22% with half of that for the maintenance of the harbour.  

A delayed handover has decreased the predicted increase to 16%.  

The Council is looking at funding from other sources to help ease the burden until the marina opens and assists with payment of fees, he said.  

He points to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and industries using the harbour as potential partnership avenues until the marina is complete.   

Matekerepu Roundabout construction FILE IMAGE. IMAGE:NZTA

Another key project he wants to see completed is the tear drop roundabouts on State Highway 2.  

The roundabouts at Waiōtahe Valley Back Road and Ōhiwa Beach Road will provide safety improvements on top of the Matekerepu roundabout, he said.  

“I've been part of that as long as two other mayors, Mayor John Forbes and Mayor Lyn Riesterer sort of were part of that, advocating for that.”  

It will be rewarding to see them finished, as that is the final part of the State Highway 2 safety upgrades, he said.  

Whakatāne Mayor Nándor Tánczos

Whakatāne Mayor Nándor Tánczos said a major aim for the Whakatāne District Council this year is getting on top of their finances.  

Not going over the rates increase announcement from the Long-Term Plan will be important or else the Council will face an operating deficit, which Tánczos strongly opposes.  

He said, operating costs, budgets and water services are key focuses also.  

The mayor’s personal focus this year is housing.  

Tánczos said the district needs to begin planning housing for the next 100 years, or the existing housing crisis will worsen.    

“We've got people living in cars who just can't find somewhere to live.” 

“They can pay the rent, they're employed and all that, they just can't find somewhere to live that's even reasonably affordable.” 

He believes one solution is getting more properties into both the rental and ownership markets.  

Currently, zoning changes, planning processes, legal appeals, land ownership, and development timelines can mean work can take 10 years to begin  

“We need to move faster than that. We need to be much more responsive to what our community needs, and we need to work at speed to get housing delivered.” 

Council is looking to aid faster development through enabling zoning, simpler consenting processes and supporting alternative housing types. 

He said different housing sizes and types need to be built to meet the communities' diverse housing needs.  

Part of the result of the housing issue is homelessness, which he said Council are looking into a long-term response for.  

The issue is complex with different types of homelessness present in the community such as living on the street, in cars, couch surfing, and youth homelessness he said.  

Community groups, Police and Council staff are doing what they can at the moment to respond to the issue while a more concrete plan is thought out Tánczos said.  

“I won't go into details at this stage because I think there's a bit of investigation to be done before I say anything publicly but looking at what are some potential solutions and working through how those might work,“ he said.  

East Coast MP and Whakatāne Mayor Nándor Tánczos FILE IMAGE

East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick

For East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick, this year will focus on recovery and the upcoming election.  
The immediate focus is a response to the weather, not only with infrastructure but supporting the communities impacted.  

“Making sure that those people are looked after and okay. Because at the end of it, we will always have to put the people at the centre of the problem.” 

She said a focus needs to be put on building roads to withstand weather events.  

She mentioned the State Highway 25A bridge and Mangamuka Gorge in Northland as examples of how roads can be built to withstand weather events. 

Another focus for the election will be on the social sector, “particularly around disabilities, around sexual abuse, domestic violence, how we can change those dreadful statistics that we have in New Zealand around child abuse and what things we could do better.” 

The plan is to engage with community groups to develop prevention-focused policy ideas. 

She acknowledges that the issues in the electorate are broad, with main issues including access to healthcare, roading, and housing shortages.  

Homelessness is a major ongoing issue, which requires better solutions than those available at present.  

She said there is work at a ministerial level about how to address the issue.  

In Whakatāne, she will push for targets at the Pekatahi Bridge to meet set time frames.  

She said she will also ensure the maternity and obstetrics services at Whakatāne Hospital reopen as scheduled for March or April.  

“We really want to make sure that we hit that and that we can retain those doctors and give people in our community a bit of assurance that that's all sorted.” 

School visits will also be taking place throughout the electorate to provide support to teachers following the raft of education changes in the past year.  

Hearing from teachers directly will help show what works and what needs improvement, she said.  

Labour Candidate for East Coast Jo Luxton

Labour Candidate for the East Coast electorate Jo Luxton said on top of trying to secure the East Coast seat, she will be advocating for better infrastructure and reliable transport routes in Parliament.   

“This isn't the first time that this has happened in the area, and a lot of people have been frustrated with, the fact that the Gorge is shut again.” 

She said the Mangamuka Gorge is proof rebuilding can work if done right.  

She said the local MP’s need to work together to ensure the work still needed to recover and rebuild from the weather event is not forgotten.  

Her other focuses are more housing, better access to health services, job opportunities, and addressing cost-of-living pressures affecting local families, she said. 

Her connection to agriculture and advocating for the needs of farmers and orchardists in the electorate will also be a key focus. 

Currently the Waioweka Gorge is posing a problem for farmers and orchardists who want to transport their goods across the electorate.   

“I've heard of some actually leaving their crops and not even harvesting because it's not going to be worth it for them to pay to get that stuff across to the other side of the electorate, which is really sad and really unfortunate.” 

There is a labour shortage in the industry , which she thinks could be subdued if the agriculture industry is advertised as a viable career path to young people.  

“It is an incredible career opportunity whether you start; it might be pruning, it might be packing kiwifruit, working in a packhouse,” which could lead to bigger opportunities down the line she said.  

She stressed that the tech industry has increased opportunities in the agricultural sector, which should be promoted.   

Kawerau Mayor Faylene Tunui, Waiariki electorate MP Rawiri Waititi and Green Party Candidate for Waiariki electorate Tania Waikato have been approached for comment.  

More to come......