Happy Easter to everyone!
We are excited to bring you this year's Easter issue of Wedd's Weekly.
This year Easter has fallen in between school holidays and Anzac, and I hope many are able to enjoy time with family.
I have had a week away from Parliament which is always great to get out and about around Tukituki.
OUT AND ABOUT
Celebrating culture
We live in such a colourful, diverse region, and it was great to see the streets of Hastings come alive with the Sikh Parade.
I also had the privilege of attending the Sri Lankan New Year.
It was a pleasure to celebrate our multicultural region, and I commend the organisers for hosting two very successful, well-attended events.
Serving the Flaxmere community
It was great to be part of the new Flaxmere Supermarket's official opening.
It was amazing to see the crowds turning out to support the new independent owners of the supermarket.
Congratulations Nirav and your team. It’s been a journey to get to this point, and we are grateful for your investment in Flaxmere!
Celebrating a bumper apple crop
Our 2025 apple harvest is looking to be the best we’ve seen in years - the quality and size of the fruit is incredible and for the first time apples will surpass the billion-dollar industry mark!
Our Hawke’s Bay apple industry drives our economy and creates thousands and thousands of jobs for our region, and I am proud to be part of a government which celebrates our apple industry, our growers and all those who work in the sector.
- We’ve invested in the RSE scheme to futureproof it, so we can create more permanent jobs for NZ’ers!
- We’re out in the world hustling for better trade deals so we have diverse markets to send our fruit to.
- We’re investing in water storage so we can grow more apples.
- We’re getting rid of the red tape so our growers can focus on growing the best fruit in the world.
- We’re working to bring down interest rates so our growers and exporters have the confidence to invest more in the apple industry so we can create more jobs!
Showing resilience
I was privileged to be present at a very special, emotional morning, opening the Pakowhai Store, more than two years since it was flooded by Cyclone Gabrielle.
It’s been a tough journey for Naren and his family as they lost their home and livelihood, but they have shown so much resilience and worked so hard to get the doors open again.
The Pakowhai Store is steeped in history and some of the former store owners came along to share their stories.
Congratulations to Naren and Anita - a significant milestone to celebrate in our regions rebuild.
Our building industry future in good hands
Congratulations to Hohepa Goulton, who took out the Hawke’s Bay Certified Builders (NZCB) Apprentice Challenge.
It was great to present the top prize to Hohepa and spend time with all the amazing apprentices - Matt, Keith and Jessie, who all took part in a gruelling day, where they put their skills to the test, building a planter box under extreme pressure.
These young men all have an incredibly bright future in Hawke’s Bay’s building industry.
Feeling proud
I loved putting on the Regalia again and celebrating the graduation of hundreds of EIT graduates!
It brought back fond memories of my own graduation, knowing how much hard work went into it for the many graduates on the day. A huge congratulations to everyone!
It is always incredible to see the huge amount of talent we have in Hawke’s Bay.
Flaxmere family fun day
I attended an amazing family fun day in Flaxmere, informing the community about all the exciting developments with the new supermarket, senior housing and other housing developments all about to start.
It was great to catch up with so many people excited about job opportunities and the construction companies ready to get building.
It was awesome to see the local growers donating huge amounts of produce too.
It’s certainly Flaxmere’s time!
Meeting some football greats!
I loved catching up with Football legend, Ricki Herbert at the Havelock North Wanderers AFC, where we officially opened the very first Ricki Herbert Hawke’s Bay Football Academy.
This is such an amazing opportunity for 90 talented young players.
Football is on the rise in our region and the Wanderers have record numbers, with over 1000 members, 117 teams and now one of the largest football clubs in the country!
Up the Wanderers!
GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Backing wool!
I joined Hawke’s Bay Wool Industry leaders in Parliament for the Government announcement directing government agencies to use wool products in government buildings.
From 1 July, government agencies will be directed to use woollen fibre products in the construction and refurbishment of government buildings, where practical and appropriate.
Hawke’s Bay is one of the country's largest wool producers, so this policy is significant. Currently it is costing farmers to shear their sheep. When I was growing up, the wool cheque on the farm used to be the biggest source of income.
We need to support our wool industry, so wool is profitable again. Wool is a wonder product. It is a renewable, sustainable product, biodegradable and fire retardant and should be used and celebrated and our government is taking a lead to support this incredible product, which is homegrown.
Addressing women's sexual reproductive rights
Our female MPs gathered in Parliament for our first NZPPD meeting addressing women’s sexual reproductive health rights and discussing many issues impacting women across NZ.
As a cross-party group, we advocate for women and are proud to be progressing the rights of women.
Many thanks to UNFPA for the ongoing support.
Country schools in Parliament
It was awesome to meet with the young leaders and Principal from Elsthorpe School when they visited Parliament.
I loved catching up with Forbes and his friends - what a great experience for these awesome country kids.
OCR reduction affirms spending discipline
The Reserve Bank announced a further reduction to the Official Cash Rate (OCR) – a cut of 25 basis points to 3.5%.
Families on a $500k mortgage could see their repayments drop by $300 a fortnight as a result of the 2% decrease to the OCR. That’s the payoff of bringing inflation under control.
This follows other recent positive economic news, with Stats NZ announcing GDP grew by 0.7% in the December 2024 quarter, showing New Zealand’s economy is turning the corner.
Our main focus as a government is to deliver economic growth, because a growing economy puts more money into your bank account to help with the cost of living.
A growing economy means more opportunities, more jobs, higher incomes and ultimately better health, education, and public services.
We’re working hard to lift economic growth by backing our farmers and growers, promoting tourism, investing in infrastructure, and making New Zealand an outstanding place to do business.
Making building faster and more affordable for Kiwis
Making it easier and more affordable to build is part of the government’s plan to grow the economy – creating more jobs, boosting wages, and helping hardworking Kiwis manage the cost of living.
We need to build more infrastructure in our region – but red tape and bureaucracy have made it difficult and expensive to get things done.
Construction costs have jumped 40% nationally since 2019, driven by a lack of competition in the building sector. The status quo just isn’t good enough.
That’s why the government is delivering a package of changes to make building faster and more affordable.
We’ve passed legislation to allow up to 250,000 more building products on the market this year alone – giving builders and homeowners more choice, better prices, and improved supply.
From July, over 12,000 essential products – including plasterboard, cladding, and insulation – will be cleared for use. More options mean more competition and stronger supply chains.
IN THE MEDIA
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I look forward to seeing you out in our Tukituki community soon.
Regards, Catherine