There have been some big announcements this week, but the biggest one impacting Tukituki is the electorate boundary change.
Due to the significant population growth in Hastings, Flaxmere, and Havelock North, the Electoral Commission has revised the Tukituki electorate boundary which has shifted from the Tūtaekurī River to the Ngaruroro River, meaning that Pākōwhai, Waiōhiki, Fernhill, Ōmahu, and rural areas Crownthorpe and Sherenden will now be part of the Napier electorate.
The final electorate boundaries and names will be used for the next general election, and I will continue to work hard, and advocate for Hawke's Bay in Parliament. I am privileged to be the MP of a such a diverse electorate.
We are going for growth in Tukituki!
OUT AND ABOUT
Driving Progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway – Work to start in November
It was great to have Transport Minister Chris Bishop in the region as he welcomed the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board’s endorsement of the investment case for the Hawke’s Bay Expressway, with construction starting in November on this crucial Road of National Significance (RoNS).
The Board endorsed the investment case and approved more than $600m to four-lane the most congested part of the Expressway, between Links Road/Pākōwhai Road and Taradale Road roundabouts, including a new grade separated interchange at the Links Road/Pākōwhai Road roundabout.
The Hawke’s Bay Expressway is one of 17 RoNS being progressed by this Coalition Government.
The NZTA Board’s endorsement of the investment case, and approval of construction funding for four-laning of the most congested section, demonstrates our focus to streamline business cases, prioritise economic growth, and get spades in the ground on projects.
Hōhepa Hawke's Bay fostering inclusivity and individual development
I loved spending time with the team at Hōhepa Hawkes Bay where I was taught how to bottle their award-winning milk, by Kathryn and David.
Milking the cows on the farm at Clive is the secret behind Hōhepa’s incredible cheeses.
Hōhepa Hawke's Bay supports people with intellectual disabilities to live life to the fullest, by creating an inclusive environment. It was a privilege to be shown around the Clive and Poraiti sites and meet the team. Thank you for having me!
Podium finish for our little pocket rocket!
It was an amazing weekend of racing at the Hawke’s Bay Poverty Bay Winter Swimming Championships.
Hundreds of kids and families came from across the North Island to compete in our amazing world class 50 metre pool.
There were lots of PBs, ribbons, medals, records, friendships made and so much fun.
We are super proud of our little 10-year-old pocket rocket Hannah for making finals, winning medals and breaking some club records - makes the hard work worth it.
We are so grateful to her amazing Trojans Swim Club coaches Phil and Kirsty who are so supportive our kids.
Thank you to all the amazing coaches, volunteers, parents and grandparents who make events like this possible in our region.
Congratulations to everyone who participated!
Keeping our community safe
We now have more police on the beat in Hawke’s Bay!
I was out with our amazing Hawke’s Bay police officers learning more about the work they are doing to keep our communities safer.
In the past year the Eastern District has gained additional frontline police, and in response to our government's new gang laws - the District now has a Gang Disruption Unit.
It’s positive to see violent crime and retail crime is decreasing under National.
Well done to our amazing Hawke’s Bay police for all the work they are doing to keep our community safe!
GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
RMA reforms to deliver jobs and growth
The RMA has been holding our economy back for too long, with red tape and long consenting processes.
Our second RMA Amendment Bill passed into law and as the Chair of the Environment Committee I was excited to be part of the third reading.
The new law will cut red tape and bureaucracy and make consenting renewable energy faster and more efficient, progress housing development and support our primary sector.
It also makes emergency response more efficient. It is time to get the wheels moving in our economy.
I’m excited about the big RMA reforms coming later this year focused on environment and property rights.
Writing Action Plan to raise student achievement
The Government is delivering a Writing Action Plan to supercharge writing achievement and better set Kiwi kids up for success.
As a Mum of four I know writing is a critical skill for learning, thinking and communicating.
We’ve already mandated the teaching of at least an hour a day of the basics, we’ve mandated structured literacy and introduced a world-leading English curriculum, and on August 19, the government launched 'Make it Write', a targeted action plan to further strengthen the teaching of writing.
From Term 1 next year, a new Writing Acceleration Tool will be available to support 120,000 Years 6–8 students who are below expected writing levels and won’t have the benefit of structured literacy from Year 1.
Every student deserves the chance to succeed at school and beyond. Our education reforms are helping make sure that every student has that chance.
Two new seasonal work visas to grow economy
The Government is introducing two new seasonal visa pathways to help New Zealand businesses access the workers they need during peak periods, while also prioritising jobs for New Zealanders.
We know the success of our seasonal industries is critical to growing the economy. These new visas will make it easier for employers to bring back experienced seasonal workers and to fill short-term roles that are hard to fully staff locally.
The Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) is an up to three-year visa for highly experienced seasonal workers in roles such as rural contracting, sheep scanning, winemaking, and snow instruction.
The Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) is a visa of up to seven months for short-term seasonal roles such as meat and seafood processing, calf-rearing, and wool handling.
OCR falls to lowest level in three years
The Reserve Bank has cut the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 3%. This is the lowest level in three years, showing our responsible economic management is making a difference.
Falling interest rates are good for growth, businesses, jobs and Kiwis paying off their mortgages. Lower interest rates support businesses to expand and grow, support increased construction activity, create jobs and put more money in your pockets.
The falling OCR means repayments on a 25-year $500,000 floating mortgage are about $330 less a fortnight today than they were a year ago.
Boosting competition for affordable electricity
The government is taking competition in the electricity market seriously because more competition means Kiwis can have access to more affordable electricity.
Currently the large power companies can cross subsidise themselves because they both produce energy and sell it. The new rule will mean they have to offer their generation at the same rate to everyone and can’t offer themselves discounts. This will level the playing field by giving smaller companies a better chance to compete and will mean Kiwi consumers have more choices.
Biggest building consent system reform in decades
The Government is announcing the biggest change to the building consent system since the Building Act came into force in 2004.
The building sector has the potential to be an economic powerhouse, yet productivity has stalled since 1985 despite major advances in building methods and technology.
We have announced plans to ease the cost burden on ratepayers for defective building work. The Government will scrap the current framework, known as joint and several liability, and replace it with proportionate liability.
Under this new model, each party will only be responsible for the share of work they carried out. Building owners will be protected if things go wrong and we’re exploring options such as requiring professional indemnity insurance and home warranties, similar to arrangements in Australia.
Further information can be found here- Biggest building consent system reform in decades | Beehive.govt.nz
In the media
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