Clayton Mitchell New Zealand First MP

The public has grown weary of the strategies which have been put forward in recent years to deal with Tauranga's rapidly growing traffic and urban development issues, but which have come to nothing.

Residents continue to suffer because of traffic jams, poor urban connectivity and a lack of affordable housing.

However, a recent presentation by former politician David Cunliffe could be a gamechanger. Now a partner in consulting firm Stakeholder Strategies in Auckland, his organisation's proposals to transform our city have been met with support from Smartgrowth Tauranga, both of our councils and the New Zealand Transport Agency.

This time, all agencies are looking at the issues from the same point of view. The Urban Form and Transport Initiative looks at a combined approach of merging urban planning and transport network planning, which has not happened in the past.

Both new and existing neighbourhoods can benefit from careful, informed transport and housing planning with consideration of the interconnectivity between the two.

New Zealand First has long advocated for a comprehensive approach to the development of Tauranga city - a master plan for future mobility, which is now happening.

We only need to look to Auckland to see where things have gone so wrong. We do not want our city to be in the same mess.

I hope both local and central government adopt the plan and commit to ongoing funding to make it a reality. This is our chance to make Tauranga a liveable city for future generations.