Winter has well and truly arrived, and it’s been another full month for me both here and in Wellington. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon came to visit and attended the Young Farmers Grand Final here in New Plymouth, which was an excellent night and a fantastic showcase of the strong future farming has in this region and country.
We’ve had the Rural Nats and Minister Mike Butterick visiting Pungarehu and Lepperton, Scrutiny Week in Parliament and a whole host of other BAU as you can see below.
Here’s some of what I’ve been up to lately:
15 Community events
9 Days in Parliament
4 Speeches in the House
1 Prime Minister hosted here
3 Ministers visited New Plymouth
3 MPs came to visit
15 Meetings
3 Constituent clinics
Heaps of constituent appointments
I've been hearing from many of you about the TOI Foundation's plan to merge TSB with Heartland, with supporters both for and against the decision letting me know their thoughts. I agree with Finance Minister Nicola Willis, who said at a meeting in Hawera recently that TOI should listen to and consider carefully the views of the community, and do what best reflects that. Due to a technical error, the consultation process has now been extended and you are able to submit on the proposal until midnight on Wednesday 12th August.
At the opening of the East Wing Building at Taranaki Base Hospital.
The first baby has been born, the first helicopter has landed, and the first few hundred or so patients have been seen or admitted at the new East Wing Building at Taranaki Base Hospital after it opened recently. The project cost $462.6 million in total redevelopment, with last year's additional $59.2 million getting stage two over the line. It is a significant and much needed upgrade to the old facilities, and has more beds, an ED roughly twice the size, a new Acute Assessment Unit, a rooftop helipad, maternity, neonatal, and ICU and diagnostics together for the first time. The project was started under the last Government and finished under this one. Backed by both. That's how regional infrastructure should work.
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has confirmed the Government plans to build an LNG import facility at Port Taranaki. This will provide energy security and lower electricity bills. Importantly, the chosen developer will be subject to rigorous domestic and international health and safety regulations and the Government will not proceed without full confidence that their solution is safe for our local communities. I have had many conversations about this lately, and while we won't know many of the specifics until a provider is confirmed, you can click here to read my answers to your most asked LNG questions.
The Government announced New Plymouth will get a share of $2.7 million to expand rough sleeper support services. The funding will help provide outreach and practical support for people experiencing homelessness, while building on local efforts already underway in our community.
I was pleased to attend Sir Māui Pōmare Day at Owae Marae and join Minister of Māori Development Tama Potaka to announce $8.6 million in Government funding towards the construction of Ngāmotu Marae. For more than 150 years, Ngāti Te Whiti have not had a marae within New Plymouth. When this one opens it will be an important community asset, providing a place for cultural connection, community activities and support during emergencies for generations to come.
With Minister Tama Potaka and Mayor Max Brough at Owae Marae.
There was concern from a large number of people that the Conservation Amendment Bill could make it easier to develop or dispose of conservation land. The Government listened to feedback from conservation groups, iwi, and communities, and made changes to the bill. The changes ensure that conservation values are still protected while continuing to modernise the way conservation land is managed, support economic growth and improve environmental outcomes.
I recently spent time with the team at New Plymouth Fire Station, getting geared up, climbing the aerial and gaining a small insight into the physical demands firefighters face every day. New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union New Plymouth Vice-President Carey Duggan expanded on reasons for their ongoing strikes, including staffing, equipment, fleet reliability and firefighter wellbeing. We also discussed the need for a dedicated career fire station in Bell Block, with increasing need and concerns about response times - a matter that has been referred back to FENZ by Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden.
Up the aerial appliance with firefighter Carey Duggan.
I was honoured to officially open Entec’s impressive new offices, workshops and manufacturing sites a few weeks ago. Entec has 90 Taranaki employees who work across heavy industrial instrumentation, electrical projects (which I was excited to hear about as an electrician myself), rotating equipment and gas detection. It’s great to see a local family business stepping up and succeeding.
Left: The new workshop at Entec. Right: Officially opening the new buildings with Managing Director Bob Weston.
I was honoured to be invited to attend and speak at the 128th Philippine Independence Day celebrations at the end of the month. The Philippines has a long history shaped by periods of Spanish, American and Japanese rule, making Independence Day an important occasion to celebrate the country's sovereignty and national identity. Alongside my parliamentary colleagues, MPs Paulo Garcia and Nancy Lu, I also attended the Taranaki Filipino Society Community Information and Support Forum at the East End Surf Club. It was a great opportunity to connect with members of the local Filipino community and learn more about the issues and opportunities important to them.
Great to celebrate with the Filipino community.
The Taranaki Top Shop awards run by the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce are always a highlight of the year. It's great to see our best local retail businesses being applauded for their top-notch customer service and hard work. This year the supreme and regional winner was the Poppies bookshop, which is a beloved New Plymouth institution. Barkers, The Coffee Club, The Beauty Colab, The White Sail Gallery, Bite Me CBD and The Tea Connection were also the winners of their categories. Congratulations to them all.
Good times at the Taranaki Top Shop awards.
Teaching kids about voting starts early at Fitzroy Kindergarten. They invited me along to read a story, but first held a vote to decide which book would get the nod: Where the Wild Things Are or Hairy Maclary. As a long-time Hairy Maclary supporter who used to read it to my own kids, I was quietly backing the shaggy dog. But democracy had other ideas, and Where the Wild Things Are came away with the win. A great morning with a fantastic group of future voters and their teachers.
- July 24th, 10am – 12pm, Tim Costley, MP for Ōtaki visiting
- July 27th, 12pm – 1pm, Drop-in clinic at my office
- August 1-2, all day, New Plymouth Women's Expo
If you’d like me to visit your business, school, community organisation, retirement village, or attend a local event, I’d be glad to hear from you. Please feel free to get in touch by emailing david.macleodmp@parliament.govt.nz.
Hope you’re keeping warm and well!
Cheers,
David MacLeod
MP for New Plymouth
Office address:
37 Gill Street (Corner of Gill & Liardet), New Plymouth,
PO Box 8064, New Plymouth 4340
Phone: 06 759 2580