They say 24 hours is a long time in politics and how true that is. The past two weeks have whizzed by and we have been in recess as well for a week of it.
Everyone thinks we have a holiday in recess but actually the reality is that my wonderful staff will have crammed as many appointments and meetings into the diary as they possibly can.
As always the coalition is hard at work and I have been busy advocating on your issues - including for persimmon growers, forestry owners and issues around SNAs, Kainga Ora, Veterans Affairs, speed limit reductions and much more.
One of the big announcements has been the Government’s Quarter Four (Q4) Action Plan which focuses on making it easier and faster to build infrastructure in New Zealand as part of our wider plan to rebuild the economy.
Key Actions in the Q4 Action Plan
The Q4 plan includes 43 key actions that will drive significant progress, including:
- Passing the Fast-track Approvals Bill to speed up the delivery of significant regional and national projects.
- Passing the first Resource Management Amendment Bill to reduce regulatory burdens on farmers and the primary sector.
- Introducing the second amendment bill for the Resource Management Act to cut through the red and green tape holding back growth in the infrastructure, energy, housing, and farming sectors.
- Taking Cabinet decisions on funding and financing tools to accelerate housing development and get more homes built.
- Introducing legislation to make it easier to build offshore wind farms, boosting New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity.
- Taking Cabinet decisions to get local councils back to basics, ensuring they focus on delivering essential services.
- Beginning a phased rollout of free breast cancer screening for women up to age 74.
You can see more about the action plan here: Q4 Action Plan
Out and about
Opotiki, Kawerau and Gisborne
One of the highlights this fortnight was a visit to Parliament from Gisborne Intermediate, a great bunch of students who enjoyed sitting in the Minister and MPs seats in the debating chamber. If your school wants to come along please get in touch and we can make sure you get the best tour!
As well as that, I had a number of excellent meetings, catch ups and visits including:
- Caught up with Gisborne Police - Janette Park and Danny Kirk
- Commonwealth Women's Parliamentarians committee meeting
- Katikati - Superblues presentation with Hon Scott Simpson
- Poverty Bay Horticultural Society 100th Birthday
- Gisborne Farmers Market
- Catch up with Whiti Ora Tairawhiti about sport and recreation in Tairawhiti
- Gisborne Holdings Ltd AGM
- Constituent meetings in Gisborne
- Spoke at the Gisborne Business and Professional Women's dinner
- Constituent meetings in Kawerau and Whakatane
- Visited the geothermal power plant projects in Kawerau with Eastland Generation
- Met with Toi-EDA in Whakatane to discuss exporter assistance and other issues
- Constituent meetings in Opotiki
- Morning tea in Opotiki for members and anyone who wants to catch up.
- Visited the rangatahi holiday programme in Opotiki with Whaea Alex
- Travel to Invercargill to speak at Hon Penny Simmonds Superblues
- Visited Great South - economic development agency - doing amazing work
- Attended the Christchurch Womens Lifestyle Expo
Eastland Generation in Kawerau and the Poverty Bay Horticultural Society 100th Birthday
What's coming up?
Constituent days are coming up in Murupara and up the Coast from Opotiki to Te Kaha/Waihau Bay so get in touch if you want to catch up. Dates TBC
- 18 October - Gisborne A and P Show - - call by the car park in front of the woolshed to catch up with our MPs - you won't miss us - Minister Todd McClay, Minister Simon Watts and Rural Nats Suze Redmayne from Rangitikei, Miles Anderson from Waitaki, Catherine Wedd from Tukituki (Hawkes Bay) and Katie Nimon from Napier.
- 30 October - Catch up with Cameron Brewer in Gisborne- Details to come.
- 1 November 2024 - Whakatane Chief whip for National Scott Simpson MP for Coromandel - a brillliant speaker.
- 30 November 2024 - Whakatane. Tom Rutherford MP for Bay of Plenty - our youngest MP.
Announcements from the Beehive
Week ending 27 September - top five
- New work-from-home guidance for public service: The Government wants to see more public servants come into their place of work each day and is taking steps to make this expectation clear to chief executives. (Beehive PR)
- New Zealand concludes trade agreement with the UAE: New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates have concluded negotiations on a trade agreement, which will unlock economic opportunities for Kiwi exporters and create stronger supply chains with one of our most important trading partners in the Gulf region. (Beehive PR)
- Greater investment in FASD support and prevention: Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has announced a $4.85 million package of initiatives aimed at understanding the prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), promoting better education and supporting women to stay alcohol free during pregnancy. (Beehive PR)
- Tougher sentences on the horizon for criminals: Sentencing reforms that will ensure criminals face tougher consequences and victims are prioritised have passed first reading in Parliament. (Beehive PR)
- Workforce boost in specialist mental health training welcomed: Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey welcomes the significant increase in Health NZ-funded psychiatry registrar places and the increase of Health NZ-funded clinical psychology internships. (Beehive PR)
Week ending 4 October - top five
- Final 2024 Action Plan focused on infrastructure: The Government’s Quarter Four (Q4) Action Plan will be focused on making it easier and faster to build infrastructure in New Zealand as part of its wider plan to rebuild the economy. (Beehive PR)
- Reforming the building consent system: The Government is investigating options for a major reform of the building consent system to improve efficiency and consistency across New Zealand. (Beehive PR)
- Progressing remote building inspections: The Government is progressing plans to increase the use of remote inspections to make the building and consenting process more efficient and affordable. (Beehive PR)
- Government secures market access for blueberries to Korea: The Government has secured market access for New Zealand blueberries to Korea, unlocking an estimated $5 million in annual export opportunities for Kiwi growers Minister for Trade and Agriculture. (Beehive PR)
- Positive progress on Government health targets: Health New Zealand’s quarterly report for the quarter to 30 June will be used as the baseline for reporting against the Government’s five health targets, which came into effect on 1 July. (Beehive PR)
That's it for this month, I will be back in touch in a couple of weeks. Get in touch or call in if you need to.
73 The Strand, Whakatane
60 Ballance St, Gisborne