Tom Rutherford - The week that was

Fast-Track will tackle New Zealand’s housing shortage head-on, delivering up to 55,000 new homes to meet the urgent demand for affordable housing!

The Government has announced 149 projects with significant regional or national benefits across New Zealand, including 12 key projects in Bay of Plenty to be fast-tracked for approval under the Fast-track Approvals Bill, which will rebuild the economy, fix our housing crisis, improve energy security, address our infrastructure deficit, and provide jobs and growth in Bay of Plenty.

Kicked off the Lions Pāpāmoa Hills Challenge last Sunday! They're raising $60,000 for an ATV to help the Pāpāmoa Volunteer Fire Brigade respond to emergencies in those tough-to-reach places.

The challenge runs until November 9th and all you have to do is walk Pāpāmoa Hills 10 times in 5 weeks.

Registration info below:

This week I had a great meeting with Mat Delaney, the Area Operations Manager for St John in the Western Bay of Plenty.

It's epic to see the work they do keeping our community safe, and our coalition government reckons it's only right we give a little back to these heroes. That's why we're introducing legislation to protect first responders and prison officers from assaults and renegotiating the Crown funding agreement to help cover a larger portion of their annual budget.

In a major push to increase childhood immunisation rates, the Government has announced a pilot programme that will see Plunket nurses trained as vaccinators in areas with low immunisation coverage. This 18-month partnership between Health New Zealand and Whānau Āwhina Plunket aims to break down barriers to vaccination, ensuring more children get protected.

The Government’s target is to have 95% of children fully vaccinated by the age of 24 months, and this initiative is a key step in achieving that.

To support this effort, the Government is investing up to $1 million to train Plunket’s nursing staff and set up immunisation services at up to 27 sites across the country. Whangārei will be the first site, expected to start offering childhood vaccinations by the end of 2024.

Plunket nurses are already trusted figures in maternal and child health, playing a vital role in supporting families in the early days of a child’s life. This initiative will allow them to further help parents make informed decisions about immunisation.

The pilot will allow Plunket nurses to offer vaccinations during Well Child visits, in dedicated clinics, and at community events. Collaboration with Hauora Māori partners, Pacific providers, and general practices will ensure a holistic approach to healthcare, making it even easier for parents to get their children vaccinated.

In addition to training Plunket nurses, Health New Zealand is providing support for pharmacies to upskill their staff to vaccinate children as young as six weeks old. This complements the Government’s $50 million investment in Hauora Māori providers, which is aimed at boosting vaccination rates in communities that need it most.

Apprenticeship Boost investment will prioritise first-year apprentices in targeted occupations to address New Zealand’s skills shortages and rebuild the economy. This will provide employers in critical industries with the certainty to hire and retain first-year apprentices in the Bay of Plenty.

The targeted occupations identified address the most pressing skill gaps and prioritise sectors crucial to New Zealand’s growth and sustainability.

Targeting Apprenticeship Boost will strengthen the long-term success of our key industries as we grow a more skilled workforce.

These improvements reflect the Government’s commitment to deliver a strong economy and support more New Zealanders into jobs.

Employers can continue to claim funding for eligible apprentices under the current settings until 31 December 2024. Employers receiving funding for second-year apprentices will continue to receive $500 monthly payments until the same date.

The Ministry of Education will review the targeted sectors every two years to ensure the programme continues to address skills shortages and aligns with New Zealand’s evolving economic priorities.

The National-NZ First Coalition Agreement includes a commitment to continue Apprenticeship Boost, with $64 million allocated to the initiative in Budget 2024.

If there's ever been a time to buy a pizza, it's October 16!

$1 from every pizza sold from ALL domino stores will be donated to all fire stations in Tauranga.

On Tuesday & Wednesday I was lucky enough to host Minister Mark Mitchell. Check out what we got up to below:

Met with Avan Polo, Regional Manager, Eastern Region and his team based in Omanu. There are 74 Surf Life Saving Clubs across New Zealand, 4,500+ volunteer Surf Lifeguards who patrol at over 80 locations through summer. 

Mark is the Patron of the Orewa Surf Life Saving Club. 

Statistics collated by Surf Life Saving New Zealand confirm the Pāpāmoa club sits within the top ten busiest nationally for patrol hours, rescues, first aids, preventative actions and other on-beach activity to keep beach visitors safe and the Omanu Beach Surf Life Saving Club was founded in 1947 as a result of the strong growth in holiday makers coming to the region and surrounding areas.

Incredibly positive meeting with the leadership of our Western Bay of Plenty Police, including with the Retail Crime Unit. 

The Retail Crime Unit was established in August last year, and in their first 3 weeks they managed to arrest 53 offenders and lay more than 400 charges. Since then, they have been working hard to keep our communities safe and ensure retail crime in the Western Bay of Plenty is kept to a minimum.  

Really positive meeting with James McCulloch, CEO of Victim Support, and the local Victim Support team, who do amazing work supporting people directly affected by crime, suicide and traumatic events, including their family, and witnesses. 

I hosted a local meeting with our Community Patrol Members from across the Bay of Plenty.  

This was a great opportunity for me as the local Bay of Plenty MP, and Mark, as the Minister of Police, to thank our Community Patrollers for the work they do in helping keep our communities safe. We had a great meeting, with plenty of wide-ranging questions and a good opportunity for us all to connect.  

Community Patrol actively prevent crime and minimise harm through the dedicated presence of trained patrollers. CPNZ’s vision is a New Zealand where everyone feels safe, and our volunteers act as additional “eyes and ears” for the Police. Through intelligence gathering and keen observation, we assist law enforcement and other agencies in building safer communities. 

Meeting with Emergency Management Bay of Plenty Team 

Met with the leadership of Emergency Management Bay of Plenty. 

Their role includes reducing the potential effects of hazards; promoting community and council readiness (preparedness) to respond to emergencies; and helping the community to recover after an event. 

Mark, as the Minister for Emergency Management, took the opportunity to speak with all them, thank them for the work they do in helping our community prepare and respond to events – plus he also got to see a training programme in action, with different members from across our community taking part in the training.  

Check out the full video of Marks visit: Facebook

Thanks to all who attended the early evening event for Mark Mitchell on Tuesday at Blackberry Eatery. A good turnout and a great presentation from Minister Mitchell.

Great night out recently with Hannah!

Thanks, UNO Magazine, for capturing this.

Pharmac is increasing access to three essential cancer medicines, starting November 1: cetuximab (branded as Erbitux) for bowel cancer, bendamustine for relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and pemetrexed, currently used for two types of cancer.

These changes are part of the Government's efforts to improve cancer care, backed by the $604 million extra funding for Pharmac announced in June. It's a big step forward for cancer treatment in New Zealand.

Cetuximab has been funded for head and neck cancer, and it will now also be available for bowel cancer, which is expected to benefit about 380 more people in its first year of funding. This targeted therapy is for bowel cancer located on the left side of the bowel that has spread and does not have certain gene mutations (RAS or BRAF).

Crucially, cetuximab can be administered at any point in a patient's treatment journey. This targeted cancer treatment, delivered through intravenous infusion, plays a vital role in preventing cancer growth and spread, while also improving patients' quality of life and extending their lifespan.

Each year, around 3,000 people in New Zealand are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, with many undergoing chemotherapy and/or surgery as part of their treatment regimen. The addition of cetuximab to their options marks a significant step forward in their care.

Pharmac is also expanding access to two other chemotherapy treatments: bendamustine and pemetrexed. Bendamustine will now be available for patients with relapsed or refractory CLL, in addition to those with previously untreated CLL and lymphomas.

Furthermore, the eligibility criteria for pemetrexed have been lifted. Previously restricted to advanced non-small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma, this change enables clinicians to prescribe pemetrexed for a wider range of relevant cancer treatments, increasing its accessibility for those in need.

With these changes rolling out from November 1, more New Zealanders will have access to critical cancer treatments. This expanded access will offer new hope for many patients and their families. It's a promising step towards improving cancer outcomes and making sure that everyone has access to the treatments they need, when they need them.

Pharmac’s announcement can be found here: https://pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-resources/news/pharmac-improves-access-to-three-cancer-medicines  

New Zealanders go to the polls in first MMP election. 12 October 1996.

In the first general election held under the new mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) voting system, New Zealand voters selected 120 members of Parliament through a mixture of electorate contests (returning 65 members) and party lists (55 members). The MMP system, which replaced New Zealand’s traditional first-past-the-post voting method, had been proposed by a Royal Commission on the Electoral System that reported in 1986. It was adopted following an indicative two-part referendum in 1992 and a binding referendum, held alongside the 1993 election, in which MMP received the support of 54% of voters.

The 149 projects released recently for inclusion in the Government’s one-stop-shop Fast Track Approvals Bill will help rebuild the economy and fix our housing crisis, improve energy security, and address our infrastructure deficit, Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop says.

Investment in Apprenticeship Boost will prioritise critical industries and targeted occupations that are essential to addressing New Zealand’s skills shortages and rebuilding the economy, Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston say.

The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring New Zealand is a safe and secure place to do business with the launch of new cyber security resources, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says.

The Government is taking further action to tackle the unacceptable wait times facing people trying to sit their driver licence test by temporarily extending the amount of time people can drive on overseas licences from 12 months to 18 months, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.

The Government is looking at strengthening requirements for building professionals, including penalties, to ensure Kiwis have confidence in their biggest asset, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says

The latest report from the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and Stats NZ, Our air 2024, reveals that overall air quality in New Zealand is improving, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Statistics Minister Andrew Bayly say.

The Coalition Government is restoring confidence to the rural sector by pausing the rollout of freshwater farm plans while changes are made to ensure the system is affordable and more practical for farmers and growers, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced.

Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has asked Sport NZ to review and update its Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport.

The Government has released its long-term vision to strengthen New Zealand’s disaster resilience and emergency management, Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced.

A new confirmation of payments system in the banking sector will make it safer for Kiwis making bank transactions, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.

Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the Government’s largest ever investment in Pharmac. 

The Crown accounts for the 2023/24 year underscore the need for the Government’s ongoing efforts to restore discipline to public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.

The brakes have been put on contractor and consultant spending and growth in the public service workforce, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.

“Workforce data released today shows spending on contractors and consultants fell by $274 million, or 13 per cent, across the public sector in the year to June 30.

The Government has broadly accepted the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care whilst continuing to consider and respond to its recommendations.

The Government Policy Statement (GPS) on electricity clearly sets out the Government’s role in delivering affordable and secure electricity at internationally competitive prices, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.

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Thanks,
Tom

Tom Rutherford
MP for Bay of Plenty

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