Welcome to ‘A message from Mike,’ the Winter edition for 2025.
With snow appearing on the ranges, our sports fields full of keen winter sports teams and winter specific events bringing joy and tourists to towns, our Wairarapa, Tararua and Central Hawke’s Bay towns are full of life during these cooler months.
I am incredibly proud of the vibe that our communities have and that is to be celebrated. During May and June, I have brought over the Prime Minister and Ministers to experience what we have to offer and to meet and hear directly from our people.
The visits were timely with the Budget delivered by Hon Nicola Willis on 22 May. I am extremely proud of the Budget that was delivered and keen to show what it meant for our communities.
Here is a bit more about the Minister visits, recent announcements, and what I’ve been up to around the electorate and around the country.
Prime Minister’s visit
Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Let me start with the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon’s visit to Masterton on 5 June. The demands on his time are immense and I was very grateful for his visit here. The Prime Minister met with some of the backbone of our community, including manufacturing prizewinners and tiny teddy bear shearers.
Tradies joined us for a sausage sizzle at Masterton Mitre 10 Mega. The representation of young people, both men and women, showing the strength of construction in Wairarapa.
This was a good opportunity to see what Wairarapa people were thinking about how they might take advantage of the Budget 2025 ‘Investment Boost’ announcement. This tax incentive is designed to encourage investment that will grow the economy and lift wages.
Read more about investment boost for businesses:
Investment Boost tax incentive | Beehive.govt.nz
Next, we visited Breadcraft. With this manufacturer recently receiving a Minister’s Manufacturing Award for Excellence in Process Innovation, it was a great opportunity to showcase quality production by this Wairarapa team.
Read about the Manufacturing award won by Breadcraft here:
Minister for Manufacturing Awards | Beehive.govt.nz
Our final stop was a very well-attended event at the gem, that is The Wool Shed National Museum of Shearing and Sheep. I wanted to highlight the importance of the rural industry in Wairarapa and the iconic Golden Shears. To do this, I arranged a talk from the Rural Support Trust, tiny shearer demonstrations and a chance to meet with many in the wool industry, Golden Shears members, farming cadets, young farmers, inspirational farming leaders, and school students studying agriculture. I appreciate the number of people who came along and enjoyed the time celebrating the rural sector.
This Government has been working hard to give wool producers more opportunities. Coincidentally, after the Prime Minister’s visit, the Government made two more announcements positively impacting the future of wool production in New Zealand. This is the supplier agreement for wool carpets in all state houses, and the legislation to restrict farm to forest conversions while protecting a farmer’s choice to diversify to some forestry.
Read more: Wool carpets for state houses a win-win | Beehive.govt.nz
Legislation introduced to restrict farm-to-forest conversions | Beehive.govt.nz
Overall, the PM’s visit here was a wonderful chance to showcase our area, and more importantly, our people. The day could not have been what it was without the warm hospitality and hard work by those who hosted us.
My grateful thank you to Mitre 10 Mega Masterton, Breadcraft Masterton and The Wool Shed. And thank you to those who travelled to be part of the Prime Minister’s visit; your presence was truly valuable.
Hon Scott Simpson
Minister Simpson was in our electorate on 27 and 28 May, just after the Budget 2025 announcement.
I introduced him to various businesses and community members to discuss Commerce and Consumer Affairs. We met people involved in the wine industry in South Wairarapa, the agribusiness and finance sector, Trust House, and those involved in the business community in Pahiatua and Dannevirke.
As I expected, this was a good opportunity to ask questions and discuss ideas about his portfolio directly. Scott is working hard regarding financial regulations, with his three finance amendment bills currently progressing through the legislative steps.
Thankfully, Scott enjoys a pie when on the road as much as I do. We made sure to stop off and grab a filling bite to eat while travelling through the electorate.
As the local MP, I see these ministerial visits as important to ensure Wairarapa, Tararua and Central Hawke’s Bay are appreciated by more than just me in Parliament. This can be seen in Scott’s Budget 2025 debate speech following his visit to Wairarapa. Here is an excerpt of what he had to say:
“Now, in the week following the Budget, I had an opportunity to visit the nearly as beautiful as Coromandel electorate of the Wairarapa with the very hard-working local Member of Parliament, Mike Butterick. We were literally a couple of days after the Budget and we went to see a number of local businesspeople, heard some great stories about how the local economy in those parts of the Wairarapa that the member worked so hard to represent in this Parliament are doing. For instance, we spoke to one businessperson. It was a local Mitre 10 franchise actually, a relatively young new owner of this franchise—keen, enthusiastic, growing the business—and he told us spontaneously that as a direct result of Investment Boost, he was going to go out and buy a new van for his business, a new delivery van as a direct result of Investment Boost.”
Read more about Minister Simpson’s financial amendments acts:
Thank you to Farm Focus, Rival Wealth, Joiy Winery, Wairarapa Wines Association, Mitre 10 Pahiatua and the Dannevirke Business Community and all who made time and warmly welcomed us to their workplaces.
Hon Erica Stanford
Another busy Minister, Hon Erica Stanford came over the Remutaka Hill to spend time with us in June.
Budget 25 saw Erica announce a transformational boost to learning support funding in schools. This funding supports learning from early childhood through to the compulsory learning years and responds to need the education sector and parents have long been calling for. On top of the learning support funding are other investments in school property, accelerating learning in literacy and maths and the education workforce.
The Minister’s Budget 2025 announcement about education investment is here:
Largest boost to Learning Support in a generation | Beehive.govt.nz
With her recent announcements in mind, it was wonderful to get into classrooms with Erica and see the students who are benefiting from her work.
We visited a full primary school, a college and an intermediate, giving the Minister a good opportunity to see learning in action in a range of compulsory education settings in Masterton.
I was grateful that principals from schools throughout the electorate travelled to Masterton to meet the Minister in the afternoon. This was a good opportunity for discussion between the principals and the Minister.
Taking the Minister of Education to meet some of our young people was as rewarding as I expected it would be. Thank you to Lakeview School, Mākoura College and Masterton Intermediate for your hospitality and willingness to share your learning journeys. And a special shout out to the principals who travelled from Central Hawke’s Bay and Tararua to meet the Minister.
In her role as Minister of Immigration, I also took the opportunity to introduce Erica to a group of employers and community members to talk about their experiences with the visa process.
Opening up our region
Hon Chris Bishop
I was honoured to be alongside the Minister of Transport, Chris Bishop, with my colleague, MP for Rangitīkei, Suze Redmayne for the opening of the Manawatū Tararua Highway.
A stunning piece of roading seamlessly connecting our lower north island regions by nearly halving the time taken to drive over the range. While the improved travel time is one thing, the design and features on the road almost make it a destination in itself.
Already I know that Woodville, as the entry point for Tararua, has seen a large shift in patronage due to the opening of the road. I hope this will continue as more people travel over the road and see first-hand what is on offer in our towns. It is also a welcome relief for those who travel from Tararua to Palmerston North every day for work, school or appointments.
Read more about this impressive roading project:
Out and About in the Electorate
New Low-Cost Health Service Opens in Tararua
In May, I visited a new health care option in Dannevirke. Te Kahu Hauora Practice opened in March. This is a significant step forward in ensuring that all members of our community, particularly those who have struggled to access affordable healthcare, now have a place where they can receive the care they need.
Under the leadership of Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua and in partnership with Think Hauora, this practice offers free care for children under 14, with affordable fees for adults.
I’m incredibly proud to see this vision come to life, as it aligns with our shared goal of improving health outcomes for everyone in the region. Te Kahu Hauora Practice will be staffed by dedicated healthcare professionals, and the practice is set to grow, ensuring it can serve even more people over time.
I look forward to seeing how this initiative continues to improve the health and well-being of the people of Tararua.
Community celebrations
I enjoy a good celebration recognising our diverse communities. On 17 May, I enjoyed the hospitality, arts and culture of Norsewood’s ‘Norway Day’ celebration.
And in Masterton on 21 June, I attended the Wairarapa Refugee Event recognising World Refugee Day. An excellent event with people who have found a new home in Wairarapa, and those who support them.
School Visits
In the past months, I’ve been visiting schools throughout the electorate – from Flemington School in Central Hawke’s Bay to Kahutara School in South Wairarapa and several in between. These rural schools remind me of the wonderful learning that our children received at their rural school.
Education has changed over the years, and to help parents confidently navigate the current compulsory learning system and support their child’s learning, we launched a ‘Parent Portal’. I was privileged to be one of the team joining Hon Erica Stanford at the announcement of the Parent Portal at Silverstream School.
You can access the Education Parent Portal here:
Parent Portal | Education.govt.nz
Meeting with potential Justices of the Peace
One of my roles as MP for Wairarapa is being a step in the appointment process of Justices of the Peace (JPs).
It is an honour to be part of the JP nomination process. It is heartening to meet people wanting to discuss this role and those ready to submit their applications for this essential volunteer role in our community.
Read more about JP application process: Becoming a JP | Justice of the Peace.org.nz
Work in Wellington
One piece of legislation to be introduced during the year will see tougher penalties for anti-social and intimidating driving – for example boy racers and fleeing drivers.
This is another issue I have heard about from many people. So, during the General Debate in Parliament on 14 May, I spoke about the impact of these anti-social drivers on my constituents, and how the new legislation will improve things. Here is an excerpt from my debate speech:
“For far too long, the people that come into our region and cause mayhem have felt they’re above the law. Well guess what? It’s all about to change and I welcome the proposed changes for tougher penalties to deter antisocial and intimidating driving wholeheartedly, as do all the people I’ve spoken to since it was announced…”
Here is the Minister of Transport and Minister of Police announcement:
Youth MP
I selected Neeve Smith from Central Hawke’s Bay to be my representative in this year’s Youth Parliament. She is an impressive young person with a growth mindset about how communities can overcome struggles.
Neeve’s tenure as Youth MP will see her develop new skills and benefit from some great new experiences.
Neeve joined 142 other young people (123 youth MPs and 20 youth press gallery members) in Wellington for Youth Parliament during the July school holidays.
I caught up with Neeve in Wellington during the Youth Parliament sitting.
I know she will be a wonderful voice for young people in our community.
Read Neeve’s Youth MP profile here:
Neeve Smith Youth MP profile | Ministry of Youth Development.govt.nz
Primary Production
Rotorua with Hon Todd McClay
In May, I had an enjoyable visit to Rotorua at the invitation of Hon Todd McClay.
I spoke to groups about my experience as a Wairarapa farmer turned politician – always good to revisit the ‘how’ and ‘why’ I started the journey of becoming MP for Wairarapa and representing our electorate in Wellington.
The visit coincided with Todd celebrating the first- year anniversary of the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement. It was an honour to join him and several European diplomats in the celebration of this important agreement.
The importance of Free Trade Agreements were highlighted recently. The NZ-EU FTA contributed an extra $1Billion from May 2024 to May 2025 for our exporters.
Read more: NZ - EU trade deal | Beehive.govt.nz
Fieldays
Along with National Ministers and other National MPs, I was back up North in mid-June, connecting with the wider rural community at Fieldays in Hamilton.
Minister McClay made some heartening announcements for our rural communities at Fieldays. For example, he announced forecast export earnings of $59.9 billion for the year ending 30 June 2025 and how farmers, growers, foresters, fishers and primary processors are driving that recovery.
Read details about his announcement:
New Zealand food and fibre exports on track to break new records | Beehive.govt.nz
Another positive support for our rural communities announced at Fieldays is the Rural Wellbeing Fund. I’m pleased to see this attention to rural health and access to supports. Read about the fund here:
Primary sector government partnership boost rural health and resilience | Beehive.govt.nz
Here to Help
My team and I are always ready to hear what you think or to help. Reach us by emailing mike.butterickmp@parliament.govt.nzor calling 0800 676 453
Best wishes,
Mike Butterick
Get Updates