I have had some busy weeks out and about across the electorate making the most of the Parliament recess.
How great was it to have our Finance Minister Nicola Willis visiting our primary producers who are the backbone of our region's economy- our exporters, farmers and growers do us proud.
Tukituki has such a lot to offer, and it was really good to be able to visit the businesses, the people, the schools which make our electorate a great place to live.
I was also really impressed with my Tukituki Youth MP Chris Proctor at Youth Parliament 2025 and even got a chance to speak about my Youth MP experience.
I was honoured to be at the official opening of Muka Whanau Services Ltd who do an incredible job of supporting victims and whanau of those who have experienced family violence.
OUT AND ABOUT
Backing economic growth
Finance Minister Nicola Willis MP was warmly welcomed in Hawke’s Bay to meet with our incredible exporters and businesses across the region.
Hawke’s Bay is playing a big part in driving economic growth for the country and our government is laser focused on going for growth so we can lift wages and create more jobs and opportunities.
It was great to meet the teams at Woolworks, T&G Global and Apollo Foods.
I am backing our Hawke’s Bay Exporters all the way!
Supporting victims of family violence
It was a privilege to officially cut the ribbon on the new premises for Muka Whanau Services, formerly known as Dove.
The team do an amazing job supporting victims of family violence.
The team here are dedicated and committed to reducing the harms of family violence.
Well done for all the work you do in our community.
As a government we are committed to supporting the victims of crime and continue to support and fund the work of Muka Whanau Services in Hawke’s Bay.
Country schools...take me back to my childhood
Elsthorpe School is an amazing country school in my electorate and it was pretty special to be given a tour by Mia Bird, who is one of the leaders of the school.
I went to a country school myself and love the close family feel of a small, rural school.
The kids and teachers were all so welcoming and educated me about all the amazing things going on at their school including new classrooms being built, and structured maths and literacy being taught.
I even took the students on at Pickleball. It was so much fun on the last day of term with some awesome kids.
Thanks for your hospitality Elsthorpe School!
Backing our wool industry
It was exciting to meet the team at Wool. Life in Hawke’s Bay and see the amazing wool products they produce!
Our government is backing NZ Wool and putting it back on the Map!
Proud Mum moment!
With school holidays underway it was great to get down to Wellington for a weekend with my family and watch my daughter successfully compete and place in the Wellington Marathon event.
Congratulations to the thousands of people who took part in the event.
Our family was there cheering and supporting our daughter Sophie, who placed 2nd in the Female 10km U20 female category.
There were some incredible results and a special shout out to Toby Gualter breaking his own Half Marathon Course Record in 1.04! Smashing it!
Championing youth in Parliament
As a former Youth MP myself, it was amazing to speak on the Youth MP, 2025 panel, and I am so proud of my Youth MP Chris Proctor representing Tukituki in the Youth Parliament 2025.
Youth Parliament is an incredible opportunity to perform in the debating chamber and debate issues which are important to Tukituki.
It was great to have the Tukituki electorate represented in Parliament.
I remember how my Youth MP experience, in 1997, shaped my journey into politics.
I recall how inspired and awed I was to be in the debating chamber in front of my peers. This is an amazing opportunity for Chris to represent Tukituki in Wellington and put our region on the map.
He is doing a such an amazing job of it and has a bright future ahead of him.
What an incredible experience for the next generation of talented future leaders!
Giving a voice to youth issues
It was great to work with the Youth Parliament Online Harm Working Group and hear the youth voice on this very important issue.
The message from our Youth Leaders was all about education and how important it is to educate our kids about the dangers of online harm and create consistency around this.
Well done to these Youth MPs for bringing this issue to Parliament and having some extremely constructive discussion.
GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Driver licencing wait times shortest yet
Our government’s work to deliver better public services for New Zealanders is paying dividends for people working to gain their driver licence
National average wait times are now just four days for a full licence test and seven days for a restricted licence test, down from a peak of up to 90 days in some regions.
We took decisive action to reduce the wait times. We introduced a limit of one free re-sit for Class 1 driver licence tests, removed free re-sits for overseas licence conversions, and temporarily extended the amount of time people can drive on their overseas licence from 12 months to 18 months.
NZTA and VTNZ have also recruited and trained more than 70 new Driver Testing Officers, introduced new temporary testing sites, and extended testing site hours in some regions. Text alerts were also introduced to remind people of their driving test and ensure they turn up on the day.
We have delivered on our promise to bring wait times down, creating a more efficient licensing system that contributes to road safety.
Households to get extra FamilyBoost help
We know that families are still doing it tough out there; that's why our government has taken steps to ensure they benefit from the changes made to FamilyBoost.
From the start of this month, families will get larger FamilyBoost rebates on the early childhood education fees they pay, with rebates increasing from 25 per cent to 40 per cent of weekly fees, and those with household incomes of up to $229,000 now eligible to apply.
FamilyBoost rebates are calculated according to the weekly fees parents pay, so the maximum payment is also increasing, from $75 a week to $120 a week.
Changes for prescribing ADHD medications
Our government has welcomed prescribing changes that will enable GPs and nurse practitioners to diagnose and treat adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
This change is only one in a suite of measures to increase access to ADHD medicines. Last year, Pharmac also removed the requirement for funded access to stimulant medicines to be renewed every two years and is funding a new ADHD medicine, lisdexamfetamine.
This is a common-sense change that will make a meaningful difference in many lives of New Zealanders.
Supermarkets warned about unfair practices
It is every consumer's right to expect the price they pay at the checkout is the same price they see in the aisle at the supermarket.
To that end the Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis has written to the major supermarkets to restate the basic expectation that they take all steps needed to comply with the Fair-Trading Act and ensure Kiwi shoppers are not subjected to misleading price claims.
Increased accountability for Jobseeker Support
From July 1, people getting Jobseeker Support will need to reapply every 26 weeks (six months), instead of just once a year.
We know getting back into work produces better outcomes for people and their families. Reapplying for Jobseeker Support every 26 weeks instead of 52 is a realistic expectation, as part of the government’s initiatives to actively support people off welfare and into employment.
Kiwis can now access 24/7 primary healthcare from anywhere in New Zealand
New Zealanders can now access trusted primary healthcare around the clock, no matter where they are in the country.
A new 24/7 digital health service, launched on July 1, means people can have virtual consultations with New Zealand-registered doctors and nurses, anytime, anywhere.
The 24/7 online GP service is now live at info.health.nz/onlinegp, with full details on pricing and how to access care through approved providers, including their operating hours.
New digital platform to help women detect breast cancer earlier
Around 135,000 women across New Zealand who are eligible but not currently enrolled for breast cancer screening will benefit from the successful national rollout of a new digital platform.
Te Puna replaces an outdated legacy system with a modern, streamlined platform that makes it easier for women to enrol, book, and manage their breast screening appointments – helping more women get screened earlier.
More information can be found here- https://info.health.nz/keeping-healthy/cancer-screening/breast-screening/national-breast-screening-system-te-puna
Farm to forest ban passes first reading
The Government has taken a major step towards protecting food production by ending the large-scale conversion of productive farmland into pine plantations, with the first reading of the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Scheme—Forestry Conversion) Amendment Bill receiving unanimous support in Parliament.
The last Government sat back while 300,000 hectares of farmland were sold off for carbon credits. That short-sighted policy puts ideology ahead of long-term food security. We’re reversing that damage.
The new settings took effect from 4 December 2024, with the law coming fully into force in October 2025.