Good news for the economy! Interest rates continue coming down, with the OCR dropping 50 basis points in February to 3.75%. For every 100 basis point reduction, someone with a $500,000 mortgage saves $100 per fortnight. This makes a real difference to Kiwi families struggling to make ends meet. It’s also positive news for business owners, who will find people now have a bit more in their pockets. Our very hard working farmers and growers feel the benefits and continue to keep our economy afloat – thank you! This is why we take the economy, inflation and the cost of living very seriously.
We continue to make progress in healthcare. Our government has hired over 2,000 more nurses since coming to office. The average nurses’ salary including overtime and entitlements is now $125,000! This is similar to New South Wales. The government is investing in the nursing workforce to improve primary care access and outcomes for New Zealanders. A $34.2 million investment over five years will see funded training places for nurse practitioners specialising in primary care double to 120 by 2026. On top of that, our Government will invest $21.6 million to accelerate advanced education for up to 120 primary care registered nurses annually to improve healthcare delivery. Don’t let the other side tell you we don’t hire nurses or pay them well!
Law and order continues to drop under our government. Violent crime fell by 2% in 2024 compared to 2023 – the first time violent crime has dropped since 2018. Total victimisations are down by 2%, and both assaults and serious assaults are down by 1%. There were also 24,000 fewer victims over the year ending October 2024, compared to June 2024. New tools enabling Police to crack down on gangs have proved their worth, with the insignia ban enabling Police to net further charges on a raft of things including drugs and firearms. Getting Police back out on the beat with 40 per cent more foot patrols, has seen aggravated robberies continue to drop and the upward trend in retail crime start to slow. These results are extremely promising, but we expect the data to remain volatile before a longer-term trend emerges. There’s still more work to do, including through our sentencing reforms and changes to combat retail crime.
In Tauranga
We were very fortunate to have our excellent new Health Minister Simeon Brown in Tauranga. We visited Tauranga and Grace Hospitals and a number of primary health care facilities. Minister Brown also spoke at a lunch in town. I think he’s going to be superb. He’s very focussed on what he needs to do and is already leading the narrative on healthcare in New Zealand.
Waitangi Day is our national day and I was fortunate to speak at the Dawn Ceremony at Mount Drury. I see and hear of too much racial division but for me one thing is clear; we are all New Zealanders and we all have equal rights and responsibilities as Kiwis. There’s a lot of division being sown too. Certain factions of our society believe my children (due to my wife’s Maori heritage) should get special rights and privileges above my brother’s children - this is nonsense. As former Prime Minister David Lange eloquently put it: “Democratic government can accommodate Maori political aspiration in many ways… What it cannot do is acknowledge the existence of a separate sovereignty. As soon as it does that, it isn’t a democracy. We can have a democratic form of government or we can have indigenous sovereignty. They can’t coexist and we can’t have them both.” Well put.
Locally I’ve been involved in a number of exciting events. We’ve welcomed hundreds of new people to Tauranga at Citizenship Ceremonies. The family and I have enjoyed a few Friday nights down at Omanu Beach where the local Surf Life Saving Club and community puts on a great evening.
I joined Minister Todd McClay and Dana Kirkpatrick at the Te Puke A&P Show on a sweltering Saturday afternoon. The kids loved it and the feedback from the local rural community was very positive.
The Mount Everest Challenge is on and I ran up the Mount twice on opening day. That included a second stint with Ryan Hamilton, MP for Hamilton East, who joined our members for morning tea. Thanks for coming Ryan and for handling the tough questions from our fantastic and supportive members.
The 2nd Asian Food Festival and Chinese New Year Celebration was a fantastic event. Nancy Lu joined Tom Rutherford and I and we got around and spoke to the local Chinese community. I even got to practice my (limited) Chinese on the microphone and after getting through a few sentences received a very humbling applause. (Still a lot more work to go!)
A very touching event was the Quilt Presentation at Mount Maunganui RSA. This sees quilts given to returning service men and women. It was very special to be there with them and their families. Thank you for all your years of service to New Zealand.
O’Weeks around the country were in full force. I headed down to my old stomping ground, Dunedin, and enjoyed a very rare 27 degree day. The Young Nats tent had a huge line wanting to talk to us and those from farming families couldn’t get enough of the “Friends don’t let friends vote Labour” stickers. These lucky young people are about to have the time of their lives! Waikato University’s Tauranga Campus also had an event and it was good to be a part of that. I really do hope we can grow our local campus as it would significantly enrich Tauranga and the future prospects for attracting and keeping young people here.
The Big Heart Fundraising appeal was on again. I dressed in the standard sash plus bucket and made my way around town asking for money. Thank you to everyone who gave generously!
The Bangladeshi Community Event – celebrating International Mother Language Day – was really positive. I love meeting our Bangladeshi community. They are always very engaging, love talking cricket and never shy to ask for a selfie. We enjoyed a neat event at the newly refurbished (and looking great) Bethlehem Hall.
I’ve got around a number of businesses and organisations around town and want to thank all those businesses for taking the time to host me, introduce me to your staff and share your insights and challenges. Thank you to Health in Ageing, Geneva Health, Legacy Funerals, Greerton Community Hub, Financial Independence, Perpetual Guardian Tauranga, The MacMurray Centre, Health Quarters, Barfoot & Thompson Mount Maunganui, plus all the other businesses I door-knocked or stopped in on to say hi.
In Wellington
As Chair of the Health Committee I’ve had a busy month. The Gene Technology Bill is in front of us at the moment and generating significant interest. The scientific community is incredibly supportive and optimistic of the huge advances gene editing can give us in the fields of human health, pest eradication, crop health and environmental sustainability. The Mental Health Bill and the 3 Day Postnatal Stay (in the name of my colleague Catherine Wedd – who was very popular at our local Members’ Morning Tea last year) are also in front of the committee.
On top of that there’s all the house duty, procedures, speaking slots and meetings that come with being in Wellington. For insight, I am usually in Parliament by 730am and locked in until a bit after 10pm each night. It might sound like a long day, but it’s an absolute privilege to be here, we have a heap to do and time flies. I take a moment out each evening to do a video call with Julia and the kids but then it’s back to it. I’m lucky to be supported by such a good team here.
A highlight in the House this month was talking about Tauranga. I got into the previous government about the Port of Tauranga and the disgraceful situation where this project has now been held up for seven years. This is crazy stuff for an exporting nation. I also highlighted the crucial need for more housing in Tauranga and how fortunate we are to have a number of key projects in the Fast Track Schedule. You can view these clips on my social media pages.
The Taxpayers Association held the annual Jonesies’ Awards and once again shone a light on the 'best of the worst' of Government waste. I really like the work they do here keeping public servants accountable. The more accountability and transparency, the better!
As a team we are working hard together to drive better outcomes for New Zealanders. I have a great bunch of colleagues and we share a very collegial environment.
Branch and Electorate AGMs
We will soon hold our 2025 Branch and Electorate AGMs.
- Sunday 9 March, 2pm: Tauranga & Mount Maunganui Branches - Lyceum Club, 68 First Avenue, Tauranga
- Sunday 9 March, 3pm: Bethlehem and Matua/Otumoetai Branches - Lyceum Club, 68 First Avenue, Tauranga
- Monday 24 March, 6pm: Tauranga National Party Electorate AGM - 29 Cliff Road, Tauranga
Thank you to Dave Bridgens and all the other office holders and members of the Tauranga Electorate. You help make me a better MP and Julia and I are forever grateful for the support you give us and the Party.
Monthly Coffee Catchups
Calling all businesses!
I'd love to get out into our community and meet with more of the businesses in Tauranga. It's important that I hear directly from you about the biggest issues facing your business - or to help celebrate your successes with others.
Get in touch with my team - it's easy 07 577 0923 or email sam.uffindell@parliament.govt.nz
Thank you for taking the time to read my update. If you’re eager to make a meaningful contribution and support our vision for a better future, I invite you to join the National Party. As a member, you’ll not only have a voice in shaping our policies but also gain access to exclusive member events and opportunities to participate in party activities. Together, we can work towards creating positive change in our community.
To get started, simply email us at tauranga@national.org.nz and we’ll guide you through the process of becoming a member.
Sam Uffindell
MP for Tauranga