Vanessa Weenink - February Newsletter

Our Electorate

The devastating fires across the Port Hills have been my main priority this month and will continue to be over the next few months. I’d like to acknowledge the incredible community spirit, and the amazing effort made by FENZ and the whole response crew. I experienced this first-hand alongside Mark Mitchell, Minister for Emergency Management.
I want to also recognise the 13^th anniversary of the 2011 quake which changed our city forever. I was fortunate to spend the day with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Minister for Emergency Management Mark Mitchell, and Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden at the Christchurch memorial to commemorate the 185 lives lost.
I visited the Port Hills with the Prime Minister, Mark Mitchell and Brooke Van Velden to thank the crews who worked hard to contain the blaze and who are now planning for the recovery phase. It was incredibly sobering to speak to the brave firefighters and hear their stories. I am thinking of those in our community who have lost their homes due to the blaze. I am here to help, please contact me anytime.

Connecting the Bays to Fibre Broadband

100 Day Plan

Supporting more people into work and breaking the cycle of welfare dependency.
We’ve repealed Labour’s unworkable Three Waters Reforms and are working to restore council ownership and control of their water assets.
We’ve made significant progress on the establishment of a new medical school at Waikato University through the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Waikato and the government.
Returned the Reserve Bank to a single focus on inflation in order to work to fix the cost-of-living crisis which is affecting all New Zealanders.

Out and about in Banks Peninsula

I spent Waitangi Day in Okains Bay. The Koukourarata whānau did an incredible job hosting myself and my colleague Miles Anderson the MP for Waitaki, and thousands of people in the Bay.
I also was lucky enough to be a part of Tāwhaki grand opening. Tāwhaki’s purpose is to advance Aotearoa’s aerospace industry, with a 1-km sealed runway. It was fabulous to attend the event along with my caucus colleagues Chris Penk, Minister for Land Information, Hamish Campbell MP for Ilam and Joseph Mooney, MP for Southland out at Kaitorete spit.
I have also had the pleasure to do a few coffee catch up’s at local cafes in Cashmere, Sumner and Halswell and met some incredible individuals.
I also visited Seven Oaks School and Ngutuawa School and met their passionate principals, who are doing amazing mahi for our next generation. I look forward to visiting more of these throughout the year. It was great to hear how National’s cell phone ban is already improving student focus and how National’s plan to ensure children get an hour of reading, writing and maths has been implemented so far.

Banks Peninsula Electorate Office