MINISTER WELCOMES PORT INVESTMENT

The Minister of Transport, the Hon Jenny Shipley is today predicting the Coalition Government will prove to be good for business.

Speaking at the opening of a new wharf at the Port of Napier, Mrs Shipley said the Coalition Government will continue to provide an environment where competitive businesses will be able to invest in the future with confidence.

If you were to follow the media view, you would believe the Coalition Government has had a few teething troubles, but on balance its actually working very well.

Next Wednesday it will be 100 days since the cabinet ministers in the Coalition Government received their warrants, enabling us to start work.

It has been easy for the media to target the new, inexperienced MPs, and dredge up stories comparing what is happening to what New Zealand First said before the election.

The problem is the media have failed to understand that coalescing means sharing ideas and merging views. That means both National and New Zealand First have had to take another look at their passionately held beliefs, as we merged our ambitions into one single new agenda.

Almost 100 days on, we are all developing new skills, settling in, and getting on with the work required.

To businesses like the Port of Napier, which are pushing ahead with investment and expansion, I say they have nothing to fear from the Coalition, and much to be optimistic about.

Mrs Shipley also congratulated the directors and management of the port for taking up the challenge offered by the reforms of the past 10 years.

Your move into container shipping and the competitive spirit with which you have tackled new cargoes and new markets has seen you well on the way to becoming New Zealands third busiest container port.

The new $17 million wharf, which is part of an investment of almost $38 million in port assets and facilities over the past three years, is a sign of confidence in the future, which I applaud., the Minister concluded.