Last week we hosted our final 2021 Political Series lunch at the Silverstream Retreat which was sponsored by Platinum Partner Gibson Sheat Lawyers. We were delighted to have local MP, Chris Bishop speak at the event on behalf of Judith Collins who was unable to attend .
We also welcomed Wayne Guppy, the Mayor of Upper Hutt and Campbell Barry, the Mayor of Lower Hutt who provided a short update on some of the great developments going on across the Hutt Valley, including projects such as Lane Street Studios, New Zealand Campus of Innovation of Sport, Blue Mountains Campus and the progress of the RiverLink project.
It was great to hear about some of the challenges the councils are facing such as housing density, roading and infrastructure but also the progressive projects taking place to overcome these challenges to make the Hutt Valley a better place to live, work and do business. A reminder that as a Valley we are stronger together and represent a vital part of the Wellington region.
The Chamber works closely with both Councils to try to ensure we keep you up to date with the news, so it was great to hear directly from both Mayors. You can read more on some of these projects on our website and Hut Valley Business Weekly.
We then had the pleasure to hear from Chris Bishop MP from the National Party. As a MP based here in the Hutt Valley his insights on a local and national level were extremely well received, particularly on the day the National Party had voted on their leadership
Chris discussed three main areas of focus for the opposition presently including COVID response, housing shortages and the Three Waters Reform before taking questions from the floor.
He shared the areas that the National Party are campaigning on, including their views on addressing issues with MIQ and travel restrictions, capacity of the health system and ICU, and supporting access of treatments for young people .
He spoke passionately about the housing crisis we are facing and in support of the large roading and infrastructure projects in our area.
He noted National recognises there are needs to be a reform of water supplies and they give credit to current government for trying to address this as they believe the current suggested Three Waters Reform still needs work and may not be the complete answer.
During the Q&A Chris addressed looking forward issues that were of concern such as inflation rates, and the cost of living.
It was a real pleasure to hear from Chris Bishop MP on a significant day for the National Party. We appreciate his insight into central government and his enthusiasm and passion for the Hutt Valley.
