Simon Bridges National MP simonbridges.co.nz

Well 2017 has really gotten off to a bang. So much is happening both locally and in Parliament that makes me think so much can be achieved this year.

Recently I met with Tauranga's Mayor and councillors for the first time this year.

We like to catch up regularly to discuss the city and things we can work on together to move forward. These meetings are a great opportunity for us to brainstorm ideas and gauge where we are at as a city.

At our most recent meeting I encouraged the councillors to be a bit bolder, both with some of their goals and the decisions they make.

I know how much Tauranga is growing and we know what challenges we face because of this, but there is an expectation of the sort of community that people here want to live in and I think there is an appetite for boldness.

Among the topics we discussed was creating better transport links in Tauranga, we discussed how to encourage people to look at other options of getting to work, rather than driving. Those included encouraging residents to take the bus, to car pool or to utilise the existing cycle network.

I think if myself, the city council and the regional council work together we could come up with some viable solutions to create a more desirable public bus service.

We also discussed the goal for Tauranga to have its own museum. I know it is an achievable project if we look at working together and with other agencies and businesses.

I will continue to work hard for what people in Tauranga want and will make sure different organisations will work together so we can achieve our goals.

I would also like to recognise Leisa Renwick, who I was able to formally recognise as New Zealander of the Year. I was honoured to present Leisa with her award at Mount Maunganui College recently. Well done Leisa.