Welcome to my October Newsletter.
It’s been another big month of progress, with announcements that will make a real difference for Mid and South Canterbury. A game changer is the common-sense changes to earthquake-prone building rules, freeing up $296 million in our electorate alone. This government is putting an end to unnecessary costs and releasing money that can be invested back into our communities and stay in our economy, supporting jobs, investment, and growth.
Great news from Hon Simeon Brown, who has confirmed a $100 million investment to accelerate improvements across our hospitals. For Rangitata, this includes a much-needed refurbishment to Ashburton Hospital's Maternity Services unit, to reflect changes in model of care. That includes the conversion of four postnatal rooms, addition of an antenatal clinic room and the reshuffling of internal space. This creates the flexibility to have a hybrid clinic room/post-natal room to enable department flexibility based on demand. For the wider South Island, this package will also fund the design of a Radiation Oncology Unit at Christchurch's Burwood Hospital, and an emergency department expansion at Queenstown's Lakes District Hospital.
Schools across Mid and South Canterbury are set to benefit from the Government’s $413 million nationwide investment to upgrade and maintain school infrastructure, this will ensure local students learn in warm, dry, and safe classrooms. Every school will receive a share of a $58 million Property Maintenance Grant, helping fund essential upkeep such as painting, roof repairs, and exterior maintenance. Small, rural, and isolated schools across our region will also see real improvements through a $255 million boost. In the Rangitata electorate there are 14 local schools that will benefit from upgrades to flooring, heating, roofing, windows, and more.
Ashburton College will receive $750,000 in Supplementary 5-Year Agreement funding for urgent and essential maintenance, ensuring facilities remain fit for purpose as the school continues to grow. This investment means more work for local builders and tradies over summer, keeping money circulating through our regional economy while delivering modern, safe learning spaces for our kids.
Recent Key Announcements:
Bowel screening expansion underway to save more lives: The starting age for free bowel screening will be lowered from 60 to 58 in Northland, Auckland, and the South Island, with the rest of the North Island to follow in March 2026 (Beehive PR)
Earthquake-prone building system refocused: The earthquake-prone building system will be refocused to reduce repair costs and reinvigorate communities (Beehive PR)
Supercharging school infrastructure: The Government is accelerating $413 million of investment in school infrastructure to improve classrooms and provide a significant boost for builders and tradies across New Zealand immediately (Beehive PR)
More diagnostics tests and faster answers for Kiwis: Delivering an additional 75,000 diagnostic procedures this year through its $65 million Diagnostic Improvement Plan, aimed at reducing wait times for critical diagnostic procedures such as MRI scans, colonoscopies. (Beehive PR)
Securing a future for our young people: Two initiatives to move young people out of benefit dependency and incentivise them to stay in work will be significant for thousands of young New Zealanders (Beehive PR)
Aged Care funding and service improvements: A new system for delivering home care services for older people, focusing on restorative care, begins in the South Island today (Beehive PR)
Securing New Zealand’s energy future: The Government has assured the power companies in which it is a majority shareholder that capital is available to support investment in critical electricity infrastructure (Beehive PR)
Health targets: shorter waits and faster care for South Islanders: Healthcare performance in the South Island is turning a corner. Our focus remains on putting patients first and making sure more people get access to timely, quality healthcare (Beehive PR)
Government sets consent expectations to councils: The Government has set clear expectations to all Regional and Unitary Councils to take a pragmatic approach when issuing consents, ahead of the transition to the new planning system (Beehive PR)
$20 million to boost ED staffing: Emergency departments will receive a $20 million boost to increase frontline staffing across hospitals nationwide over the next nine months (Beehive PR)
New investment to boost NZ bioeconomy: Government investment in cutting-edge science will unlock new economic opportunities by transforming New Zealand’s unique natural resources into high-value pharmaceutical and bio-based exports (Beehive PR)
$100 million boost to upgrade hospitals nationwide: The Government is delivering a major investment to accelerate improvements across New Zealand’s hospital facilities (Beehive PR)
Families to get extra help with ECE costs: More Kiwi families can apply for help with the cost of early childhood education under the Government’s FamilyBoost scheme (Beehive PR)
If you are interested here is a link to read the PR Releases relating to my Ministerial portfolios.
Upcoming events:
13 Oct Alpine Energy Golden Lines Awards, Timaru
17 Oct Official opening of the Seafarers building, Timaru
18 Oct South Canterbury Aero Club Run the Runway event, Timaru
19 Oct Annual Seafarers Church Service and Trafalgar Luncheon 70th anniversary, Timaru
20 Oct BusinessNZ event, Christchurch
23 Oct Ashburton College Year 13 Prize-Giving, Ashburton
24 Oct Lunch Club, Hon Paul Goldsmith Guest Speaker, Ashburton
28 Oct Timaru Boys' High School Prize-Giving, Timaru
29 Oct South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce event with Hon Chris Penk, Timaru
29 Oct National Party Seniors Afternoon Tea, Hon Chris Penk Guest Speaker, Timaru
29 Oct Mountainview High School Prize-Giving, Timaru
30 Oct Mt Hutt College Prizing-Giving, Methven
31 Oct-1 Nov Ashburton Show
Visit the following sites for more information on events happening in our region:
Highlights:
I recently visited the Chatham Islands in my capacity as Associate Minister of Transport and Minister for the South Island, having adopted the Chathams as part of the extended South Island family. It was my first ever visit, and it was fantastic to be able to connect with the community in-person and share the news of a new 78-metre supply vessel confirmed to replace the Southern Tiare, the almost 40-year-old ship that currently serves the Chathams and which is nearing the end of its life. This is a major milestone for Chatham Islanders, which will ensure stability and reliability for at least the next two decades. We are a National-led Government that understands the needs of our rural communities and supports them. The ship is a vital economic and community lifeline to ensure the Chathams have a secure, reliable, long-term service which maintains or exceeds current levels, and has capacity to grow alongside the Island.
It was great to have Hon Nicola Willis in Ashburton recently, which included a visit to Winseed International to highlight a Mid Canterbury based company doing well on the global stage and contributing to our economic growth mission. We were also grateful to Genesis for hosting us for a visit to the Lauriston Solar Farm which I helped open earlier this year. A great opportunity to see with its success at utilising our region’s sunlight to generate clean, renewable energy for businesses and households across Mid Canterbury.
(Photo: With Hon Nicola Willis at Lauriston Solar Farm)
Last month I was pleased to officially launch the Aviation Action Plan, which includes 25 ambitious actions to grow and future-proof the sector. I spoke at the Aviation Industry Association Conference, where I shared details of this practical roadmap to tackle challenges facing the sector. More information on the key actions is outlined here.
(Photo: Speaking at the Aviation Industry Association Conference)
I enjoyed this windy Wellington day with Hon Louise Upston when we joined Qantas and Jetstar NZ in announcing their largest ever expansion to New Zealand routes. This not only is a massive win for our regional connectivity and ability to fly across the ditch, but it also ensures increased visitors to New Zealand and lower fares, both of which will put more money in the pockets of Kiwis.
(Photo: Jetstar announcement at Wellington Airport)
I was fortunate to have another successful hunting trip at Ngamatea Station in The Hawke’s Bay with the NZ Game Animal Council’s annual Parliamentary Hunt, my first as Minister for Hunting and Fishing but second as an MP. I went one better this time, reducing NZ’s sika hind population by three compared to last year’s two, with the venison going to families in Taupo and Turangi care of the Sika Foundation. This is successful hunter-led conservation that supports vulnerable communities, a win-win we need to encourage more of.
(Photo: Hunting at Ngamatea Station in The Hawke’s Bay)
I recently attended the celebration of 20 years of Multicultural Aoraki, an organisation who do an amazing job welcoming new South Cantabrians into our community which makes a huge contribution to our collective wealth and prosperity. We want our region to be a great place to work, live, play and raise a family, and only by having a strong vibrant community will that happen. Let’s keep growing. And with new visa pathways now in place, businesses across Canterbury will find it easier to recruit and retain the skilled workers they need. This will help fill long-standing shortages, boost productivity, and support growth right across our region. All of these changes add up to a stronger future for Mid and South Canterbury, backing our people, our communities, and our economy. More information on these new visa’s is here.
I really enjoyed the opportunity to help officially open 16 new elderly person housing units at Ashburton’s Friendship Lane. It’s important for a growing community like ours that we can ensure our older generations have warm, clean, and accessible social housing available to them. The project has been a great example of local and central government working together, with 43% of development costs covered by a grant from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
(Photo: Official opening of the housing units at Ashburton’s Friendship Lane)
It was a pleasure to join the celebrations for the Pleasant Point Railway Station’s 150th Birthday, thank you to the volunteers for maintaining this community asset. Opening in 1875 the station created new opportunities for South Canterbury settlers, farmers and businesses; quickly becoming an economic lifeline which connected our rural community with wider markets. The station was critical in shaping the community we live in today.
Recent interviews:
Contact the team:
Any issues or feedback to do with my portfolio areas, contact my ministerial team at j.meager@ministers.govt.nz
If you need help with a local electorate issue (Mid Canterbury or South Canterbury) contact my electorate offices at james.meagerMP@parliament.govt.nz
Call: South Canterbury 03 683 2009 or Mid Canterbury 03 307 1729.
Drop in: Monday to Friday 9am - 3pm.