Hon Judith Collins
Thank You to the Papakura Electorate
I would like to say a very big thank you to the constituents of the Papakura Electorate who made the effort to vote in
the Election on 23 September. There was a good turnout of voters and I am thrilled to have been re-elected as the Member
of Parliament for Papakura serving you for the next three years.
The provisional result (with special votes still to be counted) had me receiving 17,103 votes (up 1,515) and also
Papakura gained an increased National party vote of 16,204 up .8 per cent on 2014. I had the assistance of a wonderful
team of hardworking volunteers as these are always the result of team efforts, not solo performances.
This result is particularly pleasing as I had to stop all campaigning in the week before the Election, because of the
fuel issues that occurred when the fuel pipeline from Marsden Point to Wiri ruptured.
It is great that the fuel deficiency problem was solved effectively within days and that fuel is now flowing freely
again to the airport and that we were able to avoid any real shortage of either diesel or petrol for motorists. In this
new term I will continue to work hard for the issues and causes that are important to the people in Papakura.
In regard to forming the next Government, it is important to realise that our MMP system is designed to give minority
parties a voice in Parliament. Whichever party we end up forming a government with, it will require clear communication,
negotiation and compromise – a bit like a good marriage really!
An amazing election campaign has netted a magnificent result for National with nearly half the country voting National.
That’s a strong endorsement and we want to build on the economic direction this country is taking, which is the
foundation of so much of our success.
The election has helped focus everyone on what this country wants to achieve.
National will continue working hard to realise these shared goals for New Zealand.
We will remain ambitious, and work relentlessly on behalf of all New Zealanders to keep growing the economy, increasing
incomes, creating jobs.
We have put ourselves in a position where we can achieve sustained economic success. The New Zealand economy continued
to grow solidly in the June quarter, posting a 0.8 per cent increase in GDP, taking New Zealand's growth rate for the
year to 2.7 per cent.
Our economy continues to outperform those of many developed nations, as ours is underpinned by strong export and
domestic demand. New Zealand’s growth over the last year has exceeded Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States,
the Euro area, Japan, and the average across the OECD.
And that’s important because having a strong economy means we can make further progress on some of our most challenging,
long-term issues – reducing poverty, supporting the most vulnerable and protecting the environment.
It is important New Zealanders can achieve their potential and National will continue creating a nation of
opportunities.
Until a new Government is formed, we will run a responsible and stable administration abiding by the usual caretaker
conventions.
MMP is well understood, and the business of government will not grind to a halt. We are able to deal with any pressing
issues that arise over the coming weeks.
We do not need to rush this process but, equally, there is no greater priority right now than delivering a strong
Government to take New Zealand forward.
All the best,
Hon Judith Collins
ENDS