Tom Rutherford - The Week That Was - 7 February

This year’s budget - the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May.

Budget 2025 will drive the Government’s plan to grow the economy, improve incomes, and address long-standing productivity challenges which is great news for The Bay of Plenty region.

It will also introduce legislative measures to remove barriers to job and wealth creation, building on efforts from Budget 2024 to reduce deficits and provide better social services.

The Budget priorities for 2025 include:

 

One year ago, I delivered my maiden speech in Parliament and began what I consider the best job in the world - representing the people of Bay of Plenty!

 

An incredible fitness challenge: 8km of running interspersed with 8 intense workout stations. Starting with SkiErg, then powering through sled pushes and pulls, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmer's carries, sandbag lunges, and finishing strong with wall balls. A truly epic challenge designed for everyone - whether you're just starting your fitness journey or you're a seasoned athlete.

 Shoutout to Hannah for being an amazing partner in this epic challenge! 

 

File Photo

“The SH29 scheduled full closures for maintenance are providing huge safety benefits for both our crews and road users,” said Sandra King, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi System Manger, Bay of Plenty.  

The Kaimai Range closures are enabling crews to carry out scheduled maintenance more efficiently. By locking in a schedule, regular road users including freight operators, can make plans to minimise disruption to themselves and their customers. 

"We’re taking advantage of the closure to do other work on SH29, increasing the effectiveness while traffic volumes are reduced across the Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty state highway network," King said.  

“With so much work taking place it is inevitable road users will come across worksites and traffic management. When you see roadworkers out on the road, travel safely through their site, follow signage and any instructions you receive, and give them a wave to say thanks for their tremendous work."
 
To plan ahead and see where disruptive works are, people can use the NZTA Journey Planner (journeys.nzta.govt.nz) This is kept up to date in real time so you can see all disruptive activity and potential hazards on the state highway network. 

 

Full Update:  SunLive - Waikato & BOP state highway works for February - The Bay's News First

After a devasting break-in at Ōropi School over New Year’s, principal Andrew King said the response from the Ōropi community has been “heart-warming”.

“It’s great that the communities came together so strongly to help out,” King said.

Thieves stole four power drills, an electrical orbital sander, a multi-tool, electric drills, and other power tools during the break-in, he said.

The shed was in an out-of-the-way location, and King believed it was intentionally targeted by people who knew it was there.

He said students used the tools to build school seats, bird boxes, and rat traps around the school.

The Year 1 to 8 school, which has just a few hundred students and can trace its history back to 1899, is located on the outskirts of Tauranga.

 

Security footage would have to be reviewed to determine when the break-ins could have occurred, as it could be anywhere from December 20 to New Year’s Day, King said.

Due to the response from the community, King was unsure if an insurance claim and police report would be made about the thefts.

King has posted on Facebook about the break-ins and saw a quick response after a story ran on SunLive, he said.

“It was so nice to have got some publicity for people to respond with offers of replacement equipment.”

More at :   SunLive - Ōropi School community rallies after theft - The Bay's News First

2024 A1homes NZ Festival of Longboarding champion Matt Newdick.  Photo / PhotoCPL

The A1homes New Zealand Festival of Longboarding returns to Pāpāmoa Beach this month bringing the surfing community together for a fun filled weekend.

Coupled with a focus on participation and enjoying what the Bay of Plenty coastline has to offer, the event doubles as a selection event for the New Zealand Longboarding Team with the representative opportunity set to attract our top talent.

The ISA World Longboarding Championship has recently been confirmed to take place in El Salvador in April this year and New Zealand will send a team of two males and two females to the event.

Defending champions Matt Newdick (Auck) and Hannah Kohn (Gis) have confirmed their attendance at this year’s edition of the event hoping to repeat their performances of 2024.

The two surfers went on to represent New Zealand at the World Championships last year alongside Jack Tyro (Chch) and Gabi Paul (Piha).

Paul will also make her presence felt at Pāpāmoa, however, newly minted Men’s Longboard Champion Tyro will be absent from the event while he competes in Australia.

More Details: SunLive - Longboarding festival to hit Pāpāmoa Beach - The Bay's News First

When: Monday 17 March ,6:30pm
Where: Oropi Hall, 1295 Oropi Road, Oropi

 

Bay of Plenty Electorate AGM
When: Sunday 23 March, 4pm 
Where: Papamoa Community Centre, 15 Gravatt Road, Papamoa

Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you at our branch AGMs and the Electorate AGM.

You may have already received your Membership Renewal Letter for 2025.  If you have already renewed, thank you so much, and please don’t under-estimate how important a strong membership is for our electorate.

The best way to support the Party, is to renew your National Party membership, and encourage others to do the same.  

The rising cost of living has been a persistent concern for many Kiwis, with everyday expenses outpacing wage growth and causing real financial strain. New StatsNZ data shows that The Government is making progress in that fight. The data shows average household living cost inflation is continuing a downward trend. While New Zealanders are still doing it tough, the pressure is starting to ease, and it’s a sign that the Government’s efforts are working.

We took decisive action to refocus the Reserve Bank solely on inflation, and reined in wasteful spending, making its job – of bringing inflation to heel – easier. Average interest rates have finally come down, reducing pressure on family budgets. Lower interest rates, driven by drops in the Official Cash Rate, are now flowing through to everyday costs, giving families some much-needed breathing room.

There’s more work to be done, and we’re committed to doing it. While the downward trend in average household living cost inflation is a step in the right direction, sustained economic growth is key to improving living standards, and investing in public services. 

Economic growth will help increase incomes, support families, and ensure continued investment in critical areas like health, education, and infrastructure.

 

In short, we are creating the conditions for a stronger, more prosperous future for all of us in the Bay of Plenty and wider New Zealand—one where people’s hard work is rewarded with better opportunities and a higher standard of living. We’ll keep pushing forward until we’ve delivered that future.

Tuesday was World Cancer Day, and Health Minister Simeon Brown MP was in town, so we visited the Bay of Plenty Cancer Centre. They do an amazing job of preventing, detecting, and treating cancer for Kiwis in the Bay.

Our government is committed to ensuring New Zealanders have timely, quality access to cancer care, and we’re already making great progress. We’ve funded 19 new cancer treatments for around 1,400 Kiwis following a $604 million uplift, expanded breast screening eligibility to 70–74 year-olds, and invested $18 million annually to support those who need to travel for treatment.

 

 

Treaty of Waitangi signed
6 February 1840

Painting of the treaty signing by Marcus King, 1938 (Alexander Turnbull Library, G-821-2)

More than 40 Māori chiefs signed a treaty with the British Crown in the Bay of Islands. The Treaty of Waitangi remains controversial.

A week earlier, Captain William Hobson had landed at Kororāreka from HMS Herald and proclaimed himself lieutenant-governor of a colony that did not yet exist. His instructions from the Colonial Office in London were to seek Māori consent to British sovereignty. Officials drafted a document to present to a hui of prominent chiefs, especially those who had signed the 1835 Declaration of Independence (see 28 October).

Missionary Henry Williams and his son Edward translated the English draft into Māori on the night of 4 February. Its three clauses transferred kawanatanga (governorship) from the Confederation and individual chiefs to Queen Victoria; guaranteed Māori continued possession of their taonga (property), with the right to sell land to the Crown should they wish; and granted Māori the ‘rights and privileges’ of British subjects.

On the morning of 5 February, about 500 Māori, Hobson’s retinue and local Pākehā gathered on the lawn in front of British Resident James Busby’s house at Waitangi. After Hobson spoke in English, Henry Williams explained in Māori that the treaty was an act of love by the Queen and Busby emphasised that it protected land rights.

Much of the subsequent kōrero – translated for Hobson by the missionaries – favoured the status quo, with missionaries rather than a governor as protectors of Māori. Some chiefs also foresaw the loss of their land. The tide was turned by two influential rangatira, with Tāmati Wāka Nene declaring it was too late to stop Pākehā arriving and Hōne Heke Pōkai advocating a covenant between Māori and the Queen.

Informal debate continued that evening. Hobson had announced that the hui would reconvene on the 7th, but many chiefs were eager to leave for home. When they assembled outside Busby’s residence on the morning of 6th, Hobson was summoned hastily from the Herald to accept signatures. By September 1840, another 500 Māori had signed one of the nine copies of the treaty and British sovereignty over the whole country had been declared.
 

 

Ministers welcome Kāinga Ora’s revised approach to wool carpets
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid.

Relentless focus on literacy & numeracy at school
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly, so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

Major negotiations with iwi of Taranaki conclude 
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament recently, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. 

Setting New Zealand’s second international climate target
The Government has announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. 
New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035.

Business confidence signals progress
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says.

 

“The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released recently, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.”

First Plunket site begins delivering childhood immunisations
From last Thursday, Plunket in Whangarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. 

 

Major milestone reached with launch of Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035.

 

Tax policy proposal would boost NZ racing
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. 

 

Government confirms international commitment to disability community
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced.

Decision reached on Dunedin Hospital 
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. 

First charter schools open for 2025
Associate Minister of Education, David Seymour, says that it is a great day for educational achievement in New Zealand. From today the first charter schools will begin teaching

Pukekohe rail electrification completed
The completion of the Papakura to Pukekohe rail electrification project will provide commuters with more reliable and efficient journeys and help reduce congestion on our roads, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.

New benefit sanctions for Traffic Light System
Two more non-financial benefit sanctions will be added to MSD’s Traffic Light System to drive economic growth by incentivising more job seekers to enter the workforce, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says.

 

Digitizing Government Minister Judith Collins recently released guidelines which set clear expectations for how agencies should adopt AI while harnessing its potential to improve productivity and service delivery.

 

Legal action dropped over ETS Foresty Registry  
Minister of Forestry Todd McClay has welcomed a decision by forestry sector representatives to drop Judicial Review proceedings related to the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) fees.

 

Land Information Minister to tour Antarctic monitoring sites 
Land Information Minister and Associate Defence Minister Chris Penk will travel to Antarctica this week to see New Zealand’s scientific and international cooperation efforts on the ice. 

Living cost inflation continues downward trend
Average household living cost inflation has continued a downward trend, showing the steps the Government has taken are having an impact, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.

 

Online portal for COVID-19 Inquiry opens 
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is welcoming the opening of an online portal for the public to submit to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned.

 

Crown shows commitment to Ngāpuhi settlement
The Crown has recently shown its commitment to settling with Ngāpuhi by initialling the proposed transfer of Kororipo Pā to Ngāti Rēhia, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith and Conservation Minister Tama Potaka say.

 

Turnaround plan to get Kāinga Ora back on track
Kāinga Ora’s turnaround plan will refocus the agency on its core mission of building and managing government-owned social housing in a financially sustainable way, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says.

 

Supercharging literacy & numeracy achievement through te reo Māori
The Government is driving better outcomes for Māori students by providing kura and schools high-quality structured literacy and numeracy resources in te reo Māori.

 

Discharging Labour’s redundant ram raid bill  
The Government has agreed to discharge Labour’s redundant ram raid bill and instead focus on a more targeted response, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Minister for Children Karen Chhour say.

 

Marking World Cancer Day
World Cancer Day is an opportunity to recognise those who are impacted by cancer and highlight initiatives that are delivering better and faster access to cancer care, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Health Minister David Seymour say.

 

Housing investment will deliver 400 affordable homes for whānau Māori
Whānau across the country will benefit from greater access to affordable homes thanks to accelerating $200 million Government investment in Māori housing, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka.

New Appointments to the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission 
Two new board appointments will bring infrastructure governance experience and capability to the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, says Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop.

McKee refocuses training for real estate agents
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has acknowledged the High Court decision which saw Janet Dickson’s claims in her case against the Real Estate Agents Authority dismissed.

SH76 Brougham Street upgrades prioritised as a Road of Regional Significance
The Government will prioritise delivery of upgrades to SH76 Brougham Street in Christchurch as a Road of Regional Significance, including an overbridge between Collins and Simeon Streets, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.  

 

Employment data bolsters need for growth
Employment data released today underscores the need for strong economic management to build a growing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.

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Thanks,
Tom.