The heartbreaking news recently that the final victim of the Mount Maunganui campground landslide has been formally identified as Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, known to family and friends as Jackie, a much-loved Rotorua woman.
Jackie was 71, the founder of Colour Concepts with her husband Terry, and a grandmother who brought joy and strength to so many. She and her friend Sue made their annual summer trip to the campground for a month of friendship, caravans, and cherished memories, something so simple, yet so precious, now shattered.
In Tauranga and Mount Maunganui, we know this site as a place of joy and relaxation for so many families, its loss hits our community deeply.
My thoughts are with the families and friends of all those lost in this tragedy: Lisa Anne Maclennan, Måns Loke Bernhardsson, Jacqualine (Jackie) Wheeler, Susan Doreen Knowles, Sharon Maccanico, and Max Furse-Kee. Six lives taken far too soon.
I want to acknowledge the incredible work of our first responders, Fire and Emergency NZ’s USAR teams, Police, St John, and everyone involved in the long, complex recovery and identification process. You’ve shown tireless dedication and compassion through unimaginable conditions. Thank you.
If anyone in our community needs support during this time, please reach out, resources are available through local services, Victim Support, and my office.
Let’s continue to hold these families close, respect the space needed for healing, and look out for one another in the days ahead.
Rest in peace, Jackie, Sue, Lisa, Max, Sharon, and Måns.
New Zealanders can now receive prescriptions for up to 12-months, saving them money and simplifying access to medicines. This is a commonsense change that will make a real difference to patients who have stable, long-term conditions like asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, and high blood pressure. If your GP or other prescriber decides it’s appropriate and safe to provide 12-month prescriptions, you won’t have to get a new prescription every three months from the GP.
You will visit your usual pharmacy to collect the repeats and will only pay a single prescription charge of $5 when you collect your first supply. Patients won’t need to pay a charge for the remaining repeats over the 12-month period.
This is a win-win for both patients and health professionals. It means lower costs, and better access to medicines for New Zealanders with long term, stable medical conditions. It also reduces the time GPs and other prescribers need to spend renewing routine prescriptions, making it easier for other patients to get an appointment when they need one. This is just one of the practical, patient-focused changes the Government has made to give New Zealanders better access to healthcare, closer to home.
That’s why we’re rolling out nationally consistent assessments of all students at primary and intermediate schools - and regular reporting of that to parents.
It’s all about making sure parents are better informed and helping every child reach their full potential.
We are fixing the basics and building the future
National is hustling on the world stage and securing new trade deals to deliver growth, jobs, and higher wages, so Kiwis can get ahead.
Average household costs increased 2.2% over the past 12 months. Under Labour in 2022, average costs were much higher - 8.2%.
2.2% is the slowest rate of growth in five years.
Why is it slowing down and how do we get it down lower?
When we came to office, inflation was sky high. So, we’ve deliberately gone about reducing wasteful government spending, which helps reduce interest rates and inflation. We’ve made progress – with the annual interest bill on an average mortgage now down around $10,000 compared to where it was. That’s progress, but there's a heap more to do to slow down price increases in other areas. That’s why our Government is capping rates, helping with childcare costs, providing 12-month prescriptions, and fixing our electricity system.
There are no quick fixes or band aid solutions for these long-standing issues in our economy, but we’re getting on with our plan to fix the basics and build the future - so you can get some relief in your household budget.
We’re fixing the basics and building the future.
✅ No full test, saving you time and money
✅ 12 month learners instead of 6 months for under 25s
✅ Option for 6 month learners by recording hours or doing a course
✅ Extra 6 months for restricted licence drivers if they get demerits
✅ Zero-alcohol rule for all learner and restricted drivers, regardless of age
National is fixing the basics and building the future.
Mount Maunganui’s lifeguard clubhouse at the base of Mauao has been declared unsafe to occupy following last Thursday’s landslide. I’ll be working to make sure the surf club can return to full operations as soon as it’s safe to do so, and I’ll keep you updated.
This Week in New Zealand History
Treaty of Waitangi signed
6 February 1840
Painting of the treaty signing by Marcus King, 1938 (Alexander Turnbull Library, G-821-2)
More than 40 Māori chiefs signed a treaty with the British Crown in the Bay of Islands. The Treaty of Waitangi remains controversial.
A week earlier, Captain William Hobson had landed at Kororāreka from HMS Herald and proclaimed himself lieutenant-governor of a colony that did not yet exist. His instructions from the Colonial Office in London were to seek Māori consent to British sovereignty. Officials drafted a document to present to a hui of prominent chiefs, especially those who had signed the 1835 Declaration of Independence (see 28 October).
Missionary Henry Williams and his son Edward translated the English draft into Māori on the night of 4 February. Its three clauses transferred kawanatanga (governorship) from the Confederation and individual chiefs to Queen Victoria; guaranteed Māori continued possession of their taonga (property), with the right to sell land to the Crown should they wish; and granted Māori the ‘rights and privileges’ of British subjects.
On the morning of 5 February, about 500 Māori, Hobson’s retinue and local Pākehā gathered on the lawn in front of British Resident James Busby’s house at Waitangi. After Hobson spoke in English, Henry Williams explained in Māori that the treaty was an act of love by the Queen and Busby emphasised that it protected land rights.
Much of the subsequent kōrero – translated for Hobson by the missionaries – favoured the status quo, with missionaries rather than a governor as protectors of Māori. Some chiefs also foresaw the loss of their land. The tide was turned by two influential rangatira, with Tāmati Wāka Nene declaring it was too late to stop Pākehā arriving and Hōne Heke Pōkai advocating a covenant between Māori and the Queen.
Informal debate continued that evening. Hobson had announced that the hui would reconvene on the 7th, but many chiefs were eager to leave for home. When they assembled outside Busby’s residence on the morning of 6th, Hobson was summoned hastily from the Herald to accept signatures. By September 1840, another 500 Māori had signed one of the nine copies of the treaty and British sovereignty over the whole country had been declared.
The Week in Parliament - Briefly
Liaison officer deployment to Israel extended
The deployment of a New Zealand Defence Force liaison officer to Israel has been extended by an additional three months, Defence Minister Judith Collins says.
Support for schools and families affected by weather event
The Government is rolling out support to schools, kura and families in Northland and Gisborne to minimise potential disruptions, Education Minister Erica Stanford said.
Government cuts biosecurity levy for international travellers
The biosecurity part of the Border Processing Levy will drop by 30 percent for most arriving travellers, Minister for Biosecurity Andrew Hoggard says.
Faster access to ADHD support coming
Following the changes made, more New Zealanders with ADHD will have faster access to support as a result of changes to who can assess, diagnose, and start ADHD treatment, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says
New Zealand and Germany strengthen partnership
New Zealand and Germany have agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.
Public Sector Code to strengthen integrity
An updated Code of Conduct will strengthen integrity across the Public Sector, Public Service Minister Judith Collins says.
Key learning support package rolls out for Term 1
The Government is delivering on its commitment to ensure every child gets the support they need to thrive, with major Budget 2025 learning support initiatives rolling out in schools as students return for Term 1 of the school year.
Te Whare Kounga gives Wairoa students more options
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has announced that Te Whare Kounga will open as a new charter school in Term 3 2026.
New Pharmac proposal for cancer patients, on World Cancer Day
Associate Health Minister David Seymour and Health Minister Simeon Brown welcome Pharmac’s proposal to widen access to brentuximab for people with systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL).
Updated WorkSafe enforcement policies to improve safety outcomes
WorkSafe has updated its enforcement policies and processes to give businesses more clarity about how it makes enforcement decisions and allow them to address and remedy safety issues faster, Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden announced.
Additional 15,000 jobs welcomed
The growing number of people in work is good news for New Zealand, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.
Māori organisations lead the way in affordable housing
One year on from the Government’s $200 million investment to accelerate new affordable rental housing for whānau Māori, hundreds of homes are now moving from planning into delivery on the ground, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says.
Māori education package and draft curriculum release as school starts
As the draft curriculum in te reo Māori is released for Term 1, Education Minister Erica Stanford is announcing a set of Māori education resources and the launch of a new te reo Māori training programme for 50,000 teachers.
RIF investment supports Māori horticulture
Government investment in two horticulture developments on underutilised Māori land will unlock economic potential in Northland and Waikato, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka say.
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Thanks,
Tom.