Third Members' Bill drawn from the biscuit tin!
I am so excited to have my third members bill drawn from the members bill biscuit tin!
My members bill to protect Commuters against illegal roadblock action, was drawn on Thursday, May 21.
This bill creates an offence for damaging or obstructing a major road, bridge or tunnel
Because New Zealanders should not be obstructed by protesters illegally blocking these places.
As backbench MPS, members bills are a way we can get issues we are really passionate about … into law.
There’s about 15 Members Bills drawn each year and you have about a 1 percent chance of your bill being drawn out of the tin.
I’ve been an MP now for two and a half years and as of Thursday I have had three Members Bills drawn from this biscuit tin in my first term.
The first was my members bill to give Mums more post-natal care after having their baby’s. The 3-day Postnatal Stay Bill.
The second was my members bill to ban social media for under 16s to protect our kids from online harm.
And on Thursday my bill to protect Commuters against illegal roadblock action, was drawn.
So, if you have any ideas on another member's bill to put in this biscuit tin … I’m open to them.
A person who has good thoughts can never be ugly
This week I got the chance to read to a class for “Book Week” at Hereworth School, and I loved it!
I brought along two books - “People Helping People”, an amazing book showcasing the resilience, generosity and strength of our community following Cyclone Gabrielle, and Roald Dahl's 'The Twits'.
He was one of my favourite authors as a child, so I loved reading a few chapters which provided some great morning entertainment.
Happy Book Week and happy reading Room 7GU - an amazing initiative Hereworth School.
CHB school visits
There's something really special about rural schools, and I loved visiting Pukehou and Argyll School in CHB.
I applaud them for their uptake of structured literacy and numeracy with both schools supportive of the mandate.
It's always good to get an understanding of the impact of government policies on our teachers and schools to enable me to feed them back to the Minister.
Signs to brighten up your day
Was great to visit YDS (Formerly Your Decal Shop) in Hastings- a successful award-winning, New Zealand-made, sustainable, family business.
They produce everything in-house, from removable wall decals and murals to large-scale signage and laser-cut bamboo artworks for homes, workplaces and hospitals across Aotearoa. If you have ever been to the Hastings Health Centre, YDS decals proudly adorn the walls of the GP suites.
It was a pleasure to meet Antony and Jess (the brains behind the brand) and get a behind-the-scenes peek at the work undertaken to produce a decal.
Thank you for inviting me and showing me around!
Minimising waste
Waste Minimisation and driving circular economies was the focus on the WasteMINZ conference political panel.
As Chair of the Environment Select Committee, I spoke with hundreds of delegates about our government’s work to minimise waste, support product stewardship schemes and our work to get renewable energy projects built faster with our RMA reform and Fast Track Legislation!
Product stewardship is so important - like Tyrewise in my electorate, recycling more than six million tyres and repurposing them into roading products! There are so many great initiatives like this to celebrate at the WasteMINZ conference.
Well done to WasteMINZ for all the work you are doing to minimise waste. Thanks for having me on the panel.
28 bed ward at Hawke's Bay Hospital being built at pace
The new 28 bed ward at Hawke’s Bay Hospital is being built at pace so we can service the healthcare needs of our community.
The first modules for the new rapid-build ward were lifted into place on Sunday.
This is a significant milestone for Hawke’s Bay as we work at pace to increase capacity at the hospital, help meet demand during busy periods, and improve access to timely care for people needing surgery.
The Hawke’s Bay ward is one of five modular inpatient wards being delivered nationwide under the Government’s fast-tracked hospital wards programme, which will provide 140 additional beds across New Zealand.
Since construction began in January, work has moved quickly, and this week’s milestone shows the pace at which this additional capacity is being delivered.
The new ward will support short stay surgical patients and provide dedicated space for assessment and planning, helping improve patient flow and free up beds across the hospital.
It’s amazing to see the progress in just a few months.
We are focused on fixing the basics and building the future of our healthcare system.
Bringing specialist paediatric palliative care closer
Children with serious illnesses and their families will be better supported with compassionate, specialist paediatric palliative care closer to home.
Budget 2026 invests $15.5 million over four years to establish a nationally consistent specialist paediatric palliative care service, delivered through dedicated specialist teams in both the North and South Islands.
These teams will include specialist paediatric palliative care physicians, clinical nurse specialists, social workers, clinical psychologists, and nurse practitioners. They will work alongside health professionals nationwide, supporting and training local care teams so children can receive the best possible care in their homes and communities.
Importantly, the funding also provides for national service coordination and one registrar training position each year in specialist paediatric palliative care, helping build the workforce for the future.
Public service to be overhauled
The Government is embarking on a fundamental overhaul of the public service to improve services, lift productivity and deliver better value for money.
The overhaul will reduce the number of government departments, increase the use of AI and other digital tools, and deliver significant savings. Over the next four years these initiatives will deliver savings of $2.4 billion which will be re-deployed to deliver more health services, lift educational outcomes, build infrastructure and strengthen the defence force and police.
Every dollar saved through fixing duplication and inefficiency is a dollar that can be redirected toward improving productivity, supporting growth, and improving New Zealand’s long-term economic resilience.
Literacy and maths at forefront of new investment
Every parent wants their child to leave school confident in reading, writing, and maths — because those skills open doors for life.
That’s why we’re delivering the next phase of our Teaching the Basics Brilliantly programme, with more support for students, teachers, and families.
Schools will receive practical classroom resources like Maths Hubs, hands-on maths games and tools, writing workbooks, and digital learning support.
We’re also introducing more targeted interventions, additional maths intervention teachers, and new literacy and maths checks to help identify where students need extra support.
We’re already seeing encouraging early achievement results, and parents will have clearer information about how their child is progressing at school.
This is about making sure every child has the foundations they need to succeed — at school and for life.
National will abolish good character assessments at sentencing for sex offenders
National is going to abolish “good character” references for anyone who is convicted of sexual offending.
Too often in New Zealand, sexual offenders get lighter sentences because a former coach, teacher, boss or friend turns up in court and tell the judge they’re a good person.
Meanwhile, the victim is forced to sit there and listen as the person who assaulted them gets a discount at sentencing.
National says enough.
If elected, we will abolish good character sentencing discounts for all sexual offenders. Judges will no longer be allowed to reduce sentences because an offender was a good student or they always turned up to work on time.
Your character is not defined by what your old rugby coach says about you.
Your character is how you treated the victim.
National is backing victims and restoring real consequences for crime.
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I look forward to seeing you out in our Tukituki community soon.
Regards, Catherine
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