Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
Member of Parliament for Northland
15 APRIL 2016

Joyce Confesses to Run Down of Northland

Minister of Economic Development Steven ‘Mr Fixit’ Joyce has at last confessed on behalf of the National Party – Northland’s economy has been run down under his party’s watch.

“In yet another attempt to defend his unconvincing ‘action plan for Northland’, which had no mention of rail, Mr Joyce has come out saying government money will go on roads not rail,” says New Zealand First Leader and Northland MP Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“In doing so he says Northland rail needs ‘a really big customer’ but in Northland there’s ‘nobody’.

“With that statement he’s just summed up the woeful result of decades of National Party representation – Northland sliding backwards.

“We back the experts over Mr Joyce.

“They see prosperity for Northland, Auckland and New Zealand in the big picture approach with a mix of road, rail and sea transportation which seems to elude Mr Joyce.

“Mainfreight managing director Don Braid has been straightforward saying roads cannot take the beating from more and more heavy trucks and more freight on rail will allow KiwiRail to invest in its assets.

“Unitec urban design lecturer Dushko Bogunovich points to the need for a ‘rail spine’ from Hamilton to Whangarei.

“But Mr Joyce’s National Party has never listened, hence the neglect of Northland. The same can be said for Whangarei which National has represented since 1975.”

Joyce sees road ahead of rail - Northern Advocate

Mainfreight boss takes swipe at Steven Joyce over rail and technology | Stuff.co.nz

ENDS

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