As we head into Christmas, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
But there has been no winding down for our government, with the House sitting under urgency this week and next. This means long hours sitting until Midnight as we are moving to get the Fast Track Approvals Bill passed so we can get infrastructure built faster and more efficiently and strengthen our economy.
Hawke’s Bay Water Storage A Step Closer
It’s very exciting to see the Tukituki Water Security Project a step closer with up to $3million announced to support progressing the Tukituki Water Security Project.
I campaigned for water storage and have been a strong advocate for the Tukituki water storage scheme which will unleash economic opportunity in our region.
OUT AND ABOUT
Pic 1, pic 2, pic 3 (all side-by-side)
Hawke’s Bay sure put on a show for MP Cameron Brewer’s visit! The sun was shining, the fruit was ripe, and it was an ideal day to visit Bayley Produce- Kevin and Karen’s summer fruit orchard. We got a chance to look and taste the delicious nectarines and peas and meet RSE teams. It was a wonderful day, and it was great to see an abundance of local produce.
Our government backs our growers and food producers and is being aspirational once again for our important horticulture sector!
Pic 4 and pic 5 (side-by-side)
It’s all go preparing the four-laning of our Hawke’s Bay Expressway for construction.
It was amazing to have our Transport Minister Simeon Brown visit the first Road of National Significance where the pathway to construction has begun.
We are a government of action and delivery and it’s so exciting to see the Four Lane Expressway happening!
It’s a significant project that will create thousands of jobs for our region and strengthen our local economy.
Pic 6 and 7 (side-by-side)
I loved judging the annual speech competition for Yrs 5/6 and Yrs 7/8 from from St Joseph’s and St Mary’s School.
I heard some incredible speeches with some very powerful messages. Some of these talented students could join us in the debating chamber one day.
It was super impressive, and I was honoured to be a part of this event. The future is looking bright with these young talents.
Pic 10 and Pic 11 (side-by-side)
Building roads requires a lot of aggregate and our government has a very ambitious roading programme, so I have spent time understanding the process of making the material and supplying the aggregate at our local quarries.
I visited Holcim to find out more about their work and the opportunities the roading projects will have to create jobs in our region.
Pic 14
Tukituki is a rural electorate, and the East Coast has some of the highest sheep numbers in New Zealand.
I visited Wool Insulation Worx Ltd, Otane. They develop and provide environmentally aligned insulation products.
I am proud to be part of a National Led Government which is committed to backing our farmers and being aspirational for our primary industries and committed to reviving our wool industry.
We want to double the value of our NZ exports within 10 years and wool exports will play a big part in this.
Our government is committed to backing our wool sector to succeed.
As the third largest grower of wool in the world, we have a great story to tell about our wool, particularly around its sustainability, integrity and quality.
We need to be adding value to our wool and seeing wool insulation made right here in Hawke’s Bay is very impressive.
Pic 16
In Parliament I am always talking about our amazing fruit bowl so it was great to be able to showcase this on our Primary Production Committee as we all brought some produce from our regions for a Christmas get together. Of course, I was proud to bring along some delicious Hawke’s Bay Summer Fruit and Wine from the best region in New Zealand.
Pic 8 and pic 9 (side-by-side)
We can’t have my last newsletter of the year going out without a picture of Santa! Santa’s famous Hastings Sleigh has been swishing around Hastings.
I loved attending Christmas on the Village Green which livened up Havelock North - thanks to St Columba’s Presbyterian Church for getting our community into the spirit of Christmas. What a fabulous day with families and our community.
GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Upto $3m announced for Tukituki Water Security Project!
Up to $3 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund has been allocated for pre-construction development of the Tukituki Water Security Project in Hawke’s Bay.
The grant for the project, which is being co-funded by the Tukituki Water Security Project, is limited to work to investigate the technical, environmental, and commercial viability and design of water storage site and distribution network on Makaroro River.
As the local MP, who lives and breathes Hawke’s Bay I know water is the life blood of our region - water is our security and water is our future. We cannot grow what we have now let alone grow anymore.
The shows that our government is serious about supporting water storage and supporting economic growth in rural and provincial New Zealand.
Water storage will create jobs and opportunities and enable diversification of land use, which is so important for Hawke’s Bay.
Horticulture surges ahead of forestry, for the first time!
The primary sector is the backbone of our economy and will continue to play a key role in achieving the government’s ambitious target of doubling exports by value in 10 years.
The MPIs Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries (SOPI) report showed horticulture surging ahead of forestry, a first, with export revenue projected to reach a record $8.0 billion in the year to 30 June 2025, a 12 per cent increase.
Kiwifruit exports are set to exceed $3 billion for the first time, reflecting strong international demand for New Zealand’s premium produce, and this shows the hard work and innovation of New Zealand’s farmers, growers, fishers, foresters and processors are driving these exceptional results.
This is also great news for our region’s economy showing resilience, the ability of our farmers and growers to bounce back especially after Cyclone Gabrielle.
Strong global demand and healthy prices in key markets are positioning our food and fibre exports for record growth, and we hope this upward trend continues.
Launching the first arable strategy in Parliament
It was exciting to launch the first Arable Farming Strategy in Parliament alongside our first Horticulture Minister Nicola Grigg MP.
Our Arable industry is worth $2 Billion and has much more potential to grow.
With water storage in Hawke’s Bay there will be so much opportunity to diversify land use and support growth in our arable sector.
Well done to Federated Farmers on driving this first arable strategy.
Protecting NZ food production and ETS credibility
Our government has announced clear rules to limit farm to forestry conversions entering the Emissions Trading Scheme.
These changes deliver on a key election commitment to protect food production for farmers while providing ETS certainty for foresters.
The farm to forestry changes include:
- A moratorium on exotic forestry registrations for Land Use Classification (LUC) 1-5 actively farmed land.
- An annual registration cap of 15,000 hectares for exotic forestry registrations on LUC 6 farmland.
- Allowing up to 25% of a farm’s LUC 1-6 land to be planted in forestry for the ETS, ensuring farmers retain flexibility and choice.
- The ability for landowners to have their LUC categorisation assessed at the property level.
- Excluding specific categories of Māori-owned land from the restrictions, in line with Treaty obligations, while ensuring pathways for economic development.
- Transitional exemptions for landowners currently in the process of afforestation who can demonstrate their intent to afforest prior to 4 December 2024.
More support in reading and maths for Kiwi kids:
The Government is ensuring more Kiwi kids get extra support with their reading and maths by boosting the level of targeted interventions in classrooms around the country.
Due to significant interest, from Term 1, 200 additional schools will have access to a trained structured literacy teacher to accelerate achievement for Years 0-2 students who need further support. We’ve reprioritised $5 million to meet the need of schools, it’s critical children who need support with reading are identified early and can be supported to get back on track.
This Government is ensuring schools are well-equipped to deliver structured literacy and structured maths in 2025. We are committed to getting 80 per cent of Year 8 students at or above the expected curriculum level in reading, writing and maths by 2030.
RMA Amendment Bill key proposals
The coalition Government’s second RMA Amendment Bill, introduced to Parliament this week, will help drive economic growth and increased productivity by making it easier to get things done in New Zealand and right here in Hawke’s Bay.
The Bill is a precursor to full replacement of the RMA and will make important changes in the short-term to make it quicker and simpler to consent renewable energy, boost housing supply, and reduce red tape for the primary sector.
For our region changes in the farming and primary sector package will help unlock primary sector productivity, by reducing the regulatory overlap between the RMA and the Fisheries Act 1996.
It will also make farm plan certification more practical and cost-effective; as well as making sure resource consent applications for wood processing are decided within one year.
The Bill will also provide clarity to councils and industry on how discharge rules under section 70 of the RMA should be managed.
These changes will help our farmers and growers to get on with what they do best- farm and grow.
Wishing you a safe and happy summer break
A very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from the Tukituki team. We hope you enjoy the summer break.
Our office will be closed from December 24 and we re-open on January 9, 2025.
Wishing you all safe travels and a fantastic summer break and we look forward to seeing you in 2025!
Please note our office hours when we reopen are - 10am-4pm Tuesday thru Thursday, and Monday & Friday by appointment.
Regards, Catherine Wedd, MP and the Tukituki team.
IN THE MEDIA