Fieldays, Scrutiny Week, local events, freezing mornings – June was another very busy month out there in our community. It’s a privilege to represent Tauranga, and I’m always focused on making sure our region stays front and centre in national conversations.
It’s a privilege to represent Tauranga, and I’m always focused on making sure our region stays front and centre in national conversations.
Party Events
The National Fieldays was held at Mystery Creek. I was there from Wednesday through Friday getting around the people there and manning the National Party stand. I love Fieldays. There were blue Swanndris everywhere! I always enjoy visiting the Zespri tent. Kiwifruit has had another huge season, it’s near to a $5 billion industry and drives a huge amount of wealth and jobs through our region. The National MPs received a huge amount of positive feedback. I really did have to feel for the Labour MPs in attendance – I don’t think they felt the love of the people there – and rightly so! We back our farmers and growers and they remain the engine of our economy.
One Day Caucus at Premier House hosted by our PM the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon. We strategised the remainder of the year, reaffirmed the main vote drivers and what to focus on, had some break out sessions to blue sky policy ideas and discussed how to ensure we remain a successful, long term National-led government.
Cameron Brewer morning tea – we were regaled by the tales of Cameron Brewer, member for Upper Harbour and Chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee. Cam is an excellent storyteller and kept everyone entertained with his accounts of life in parliament.
Waikato Electorate hosted me, along with James Meager and Dan Bidois, as part of their Top Chats at Top Pubs tour in Morrinsville. We got to mix and mingle with the local folk there and chat about a number of issues concerning them. The number of times they apologised for Morrinsville’s most notable export to the world (former PM Ardern) was comical – I don’t think she’ll be taking her book tour to Morrinsville!
Taranaki King Country Electorate hosted me in Kawhia and Otorohanga for a day. Kawhia is a remote west coast township, mainly Maori and with significant health concerns. They have setup a Health Hub there, which is pretty special and I was really impressed by the way the community is creating local solutions for local issues. We had a meeting in the town hall attended by around 50 people out of a resident population of around 300, it was highly engaging and really touching too.
Local Highlights
Otumoetai Garage Sale – the kids and I got along on a freezing Sunday morning on the first day of winter to support the Otumoetai Rotary Garage Sale. I gave them a small allotment of coins and they came back with an array of sweet food and a bunch of old plastic toys to fill my boot! Looks like we’ll need to have our own garage sale!
The Little Big Markets continue across Tauranga this winter. While we are disappointed the organisers have not allowed me to have a tent as the local MP (apparently they want to be a-political, which I can understand), I’ve still got along to attend and enjoy the festivities. These are held in Coronation Park in Mount Maunganui and Tauranga CBD at the updated waterfront. The city market was really cool with a great community turnout and lots of tasty smells from the variety of food tents filling the air.
I took the opportunity to visit a number of local schools this month, including Tauranga Girls’ College and Tauranga Intermediate. I love connecting with our schools, hearing about where they’re heading and seeing the students working hard. It’s great to see a much higher number of kids back in school under our government. The previous government’s soft, mediocre approach to life where kids could opt to go to school if they wanted clearly isn’t acceptable to us.
Business and community visits are always a big part of my month. It’s an honour to be able to get around our community and see what people are contributing. One specific highlight was visiting the new Skinspots Skin Cancer Clinic in Mount Maunganui. Skin cancer is a serious issue across NZ and something I am very concerned about, especially given my fair complexion and family history. They have established a state-of-the-art facility that will serve our community well for a long time to come.
The Bay of Plenty Young Grower Competition was held at Baypark and it is a fantastic annual opportunity for our young growers to demonstrate their skills and ideas. They competed well in the driving rain. The MPs also got on the digger to demonstrate their skills – have to say Tauranga came out on top (sorry Tom!). A careers expo was also available and it’s so good to see more youth being encouraged into careers in the primary industries.
The Order of St. John held their 120 year anniversary dinner in Tauranga. I was honoured to attend and speak. These amazing people, many volunteers, save lives. We couldn’t be more grateful to them. The following day an Investiture Day Service was held at Holy Trinity, attended by the Governor General. It was a wonderful weekend for them all.
RSA Combined Services Day was held at the Mount Maunganui RSA and attended by members of the Navy, Army, Airforce, Police and Cadets. There was a parage of flags, guest speaker, reciting of the ODE, followed by a luncheon. I always make sure to get along and support our RSA and the many veterans who gave so much for us all – thank you for your service.
Parliament
Scrutiny Week was held during the month of June. This is where all select committees hold scheduled meetings with relevant Ministers and hold them and their agencies to account. It can be an intense time for a committee chair and for ministers too, with the media in attendance and opposition MPs looking to score hits against the government. Fortunately for the Health Committee, which I chair, the week went through without incident and our Ministers represented themselves and the government well.
The Cross-Party AI Caucus, which I also chair, held a session with MPs and two presenters, Microsoft and the Data Iwi Leaders Group. DILG spoke on issues, concerns, solutions, and opportunities of AI for the wellbeing of people, place and economy. Microsoft discussed the potential of generative AI as a tool to transform how businesses and governments go about their business. There’s huge potential in this area and we need more MPs across it.
Monthly Coffee Catch-up at Le Chat Noir
We held another monthly drop-in at Le Chat Noir in Greerton. These are casual opportunities for locals to share ideas, raise concerns or just have a chat. I will be there on the first Monday of each month, from 12–1pm*, and I welcome you to join me at the next one.
*Excluding Public Holidays
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.
July is already shaping up to be another month of strong progress.
I’m looking forward to connecting with more of you, hearing what matters most and continuing to work hard for our city.
As always, a heartfelt thank you to the people of Tauranga who are out there every day building a good life for themselves and their families. To our local National Party members – your dedication on the ground makes all the difference. I’m truly grateful for your support.
Finally, thank you to my wife and family for your love and support.
Sam Uffindell | MP for Tauranga