Now, I choose to live and raise a family in West Auckland: a place which represents some of the best things about New Zealand. It is nature: wild beaches, forested hills down to sea level. It is the pioneer spirit: brave Polynesian and European settlers, who crossed thousands of miles of open ocean, seeking a better life, and more recent migrants who enrich our community not only with their skills but their cultures, all of them taking a risk for a better future. It is self-reliance: the idea you can get ahead in life by your own effort, get a trade, get a degree, start a small business, and own your own home.