Electorate boundary changes for 2026 would shift Tauranga west, incorporating Te Puna, Minden, Wairoa, Lower Kaimai, Tauriko West, and additional areas of The Lakes and Pyes P\u0101. <\/p>\n
The Bay of Plenty electorate would include Mount Maunganui and be renamed Mt Maunganui.<\/p>\n
Regional priorities<\/p>\n
Uffindell highlighted the potential for a regional deal between central and local government to address housing, transport, health and education needs. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe need more affordable housing, more schools, improved health facilities and improved transit corridors. We have a beautiful city and enormous potential.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he enjoyed engaging with the community. .<\/p>\n
\u201cI love visiting local businesses and seeing their ingenuity and creativity. I love that part of my job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Transport<\/p>\n
Congestion won\u2019t be solved overnight, Uffindell said, but progress was under way. <\/p>\n
Key projects include:<\/p>\n
– Takitimu Northern Link (Stages 1 & 2)<\/p>\n
– Tauriko West upgrades, including Stage 3 from Tauriko to Barkes Corner<\/p>\n
– Proposed Mount Maunganui connections around Hewletts Rd<\/p>\n
– Omanawa Bridge replacement<\/p>\n
Upcoming RMA replacement legislation would cut red tape and speed delivery.<\/p>\n
Housing<\/p>\n
Housing remained a top priority, with fast-track projects at Tauriko West, Tara Rd and Bell Rd expected to unlock thousands of homes. Tauranga was among the top three regions being considered for a regional deal alongside Auckland and Queenstown Lakes.<\/p>\n
Growth & affordability<\/p>\n
Highlighting Tauranga\u2019s role in the \u201cGolden Triangle\u201d with Auckland and Hamilton, rapid population growth, the country\u2019s largest port, and a strong horticulture sector, Uffindell said he was confident the region would receive its fair share of funding.<\/p>\n
Affordability pressures remained, but indicators had improved, Uffindell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRents have stabilised after rising about $170 per week from 2017\u20132023. Price-to-income ratios have fallen, allowing more first-home buyers into the market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Public safety<\/p>\n
Uffindell said safety had improved.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see and feel it. It\u2019s a lot safer walking around downtown Tauranga at night,\u201d crediting targeted police units and strong government backing.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice appreciate that our Government gives them the tools they need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Health<\/p>\n
Access to health services remained a priority. Tauranga would receive a new 24\/7 urgent care service from 2026, alongside expanded after-hours and weekend care to ease pressure on Tauranga Hospital.<\/p>\n
At Parliament, Uffindell chaired the Health Select Committee, AI Caucus, and PSC IST Committee, and co-chaired the Africa & Middle East Interparliamentary Friendship Group.<\/p>\n
Education<\/p>\n
Uffindell said education was another area of concern. <\/p>\n
\u201cHousing developments won\u2019t proceed without guaranteed schooling,\u201d Uffindell said, noting Ministry of Education frustrations and capacity issues in growth areas such as Tauriko West, \u014cmokoroa, and P\u0101p\u0101moa East.<\/p>\n
Standing up for Tauranga<\/p>\n
Uffindell had challenged his own party and ministers on local issues, including opposing Plan Change 33 in Mount Maunganui, which raised building height limits despite community opposition. <\/p>\n
\u201cI publicly went out there and said they need to respect the community\u2019s decision, so I jumped in front of the minister on that one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also criticised Tauranga City Council\u2019s sale of the Marine Precinct. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll always be disappointed that council progressed with the sale despite widespread community concern. The council still hasn\u2019t released its legal advice on the matter.\u201d <\/p>\n
Such episodes, he said, illustrated a broader problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo often the will of the people doesn\u2019t come through and the interests of the big players trump the local community.\u201d <\/p>\n
Looking ahead<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Uffindell said voters would judge him on results. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s up to the voters. I just do my best to deliver and represent them every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
If re-elected, he promised Tauranga could expect greater recognition from central government. <\/p>\n
\u201cTauranga is finally getting the recognition and respect it deserves. Serving the people of Tauranga is a privilege and I will do my best to ensure I get the opportunity again.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Electorate boundary changes for 2026 would shift Tauranga west, incorporating Te Puna, Minden, Wairoa, Lower Kaimai, Tauriko West,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224324,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[2246,806,1558,19956,2950,2223,29804,39172,5903,42678,2082,2294,42,7568,3556,71084,43,6115,134300,18460,58423,1227,40,38,41,39,92202,84664,5905,4576],"class_list":{"0":"post-224323","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-2246","9":"tag-as","10":"tag-been","11":"tag-candidate","12":"tag-confidence","13":"tag-confirmed","14":"tag-date","15":"tag-describing","16":"tag-election","17":"tag-electorate","18":"tag-for","19":"tag-general","20":"tag-headlines","21":"tag-honour","22":"tag-national","23":"tag-nationals","24":"tag-news","25":"tag-real","26":"tag-reselection","27":"tag-sam","28":"tag-selected","29":"tag-tauranga","30":"tag-top-news","31":"tag-top-stories","32":"tag-topnews","33":"tag-topstories","34":"tag-uffindell","35":"tag-uncontested","36":"tag-vote","37":"tag-work"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}