Banks Peninsula - April Update

02 May 2024

Vanessa Weenink

Our electorate:

The autumn leaves have fallen, which means April has been and gone. This month I’ve been busy travelling all over, including a quick trip to the Cook Islands. It has also been another full-on month for our community:

Earlier in the month, I attended the Agfest in Greymouth. It was great to hear about the issues on the coast and support Maureen Pugh – as MP for West Coast Tasman. I also connected with many locals who had travelled to Agfest from the Banks Peninsula electorate.
The NZCB Apprentice Challenge was an awesome opportunity to meet with local builders, and members of the public who were there supporting apprentices. I was impressed by the skills shown by local carpentry apprentices as they were challenged to build a picnic table.
While in Wellington for Parliament, I attended the New Zealand Biodiversity Awards with the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust. These Awards celebrate the amazing achievements of groups from all over the country, who are working hard to eradicate introduced pests while protecting our indigenous flora and fauna. I'm looking forward to seeing more great things from Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust.
I was lucky enough to host Tom Rutherford MP for Bay of Plenty for the day, who is also a volunteer firefighter. I took him to visit the team at the Woolston Fire Brigade. We enjoyed catching up with the local team, sharing stories, and hearing their issues and concerns.
On the international front, I was honoured to be involved in the first Speaker’s delegation to the Pacific. This was a great opportunity to meet with Cook Islands Members of Parliament. I had an opportunity to speak about the importance of women’s health care.

Community updates:

I was privileged to attend the opening ceremony of Kurawaka Waipapa, a new community maternity unit with Minister for Women of New Zealand Nicola Grigg and Minister for Health Dr Shane Reti at the start of April. I know the community will be relieved that this birthing unit has opened. This facility is vital for the community, especially after the closure of St George’s maternity services last year.
I went along to both community meetings with Andrei Moore, Councillor for Halswell and Tyrone Fields, Councillor for Banks Peninsula about the councils Long-Term Plan (LTP) and its effect on both the Halswell and Banks Peninsula wards. I’m looking forward to working with these Councillors to ensure better outcomes for our communities once the LTP has been finalised.
I caught up with ECan Councillor, Peter Scott on how we can work together to find solutions to keep the SailGP in the Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour.
I also joined the Lyttelton Harbour Network in Diamond Harbour at Stoddart Cottage, and while I was in the neighbourhood, I donated a painting to Diamond Harbour Medical Centre NZ Trust team to help them raise the last amount money needed to build the new Medical Centre. They have funded over 90 per cent of the costs already.

National’s Plan:

Our government is continuing to work hard and get our country back on track.

Some of the Government’s actions so far:

Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law. We’re bringing back Three Strikes as part of our plan to restore law and order.
Simplifying the lending process for Kiwis. New changes will make it easier for first home buyers to access lending and strengthen customer protections.
Urgent changes to RMA to support development in key sectors of the economy. We’ll introduce our first RMA Amendment Bill in May to cut red tape in key sectors like farming.
From this week, the cell phone ban will be implemented in schools across New Zealand. This will benefit many children across Banks Peninsula by removing distractions from the classroom so they can focus on their learning.

Out and about in Banks Peninsula:

There has been heaps of fantastic moments I have been able to experience in our community this month.

I got to put on my gummies again and went to the Little River giant pumpkin festival with my son, Duncan, who guessed the correct giant pumpkin weight!
I went along to the Akaroa Resource Collective Trust Heartland Service. It was incredible to see all the amazing services on offer for the community.
I headed out to Sumner to visit the Goat Shed. A not-for-profit organisation which lends out surfboard for free for people who want to pursue the sport where money is a barrier. It was great timing to visit as the Single Finn Mingle Surfing Festival was on the same week.
I finally got to check out the Ferrymead Heritage Park night market. It is worth heading along to if you haven’t been yet.
I hosted my first Pub Politics Session for people who were unable to attend any of my community drop-in sessions at cafes around the electorate. It was great to sit down over a beverage and receive feedback from the community about their concerns. I will be hosting another one in June, so keep an eye out for more details.
I was honoured to pay my respects on ANZAC Day at the city service with Matt Doocey MP for Waimakariri and Hamish Campbell MP for Ilam. Afterwards, I headed to the Sumner and Halswell services.
I took my office staff for a team building day to French Farm to visit Shamarra Alpacas. We got to meet the couple behind the successful alpaca farm. I enjoyed learning about how much their business had grown over the past 20 years and their goals for the future.