A focus on minimising our waste has been on the agenda over the last month. Last week, Minister for the Environment, Hon Nicola Grigg, announced an investment in a resource recycling centre for Hāwera, co-funded with South Taranaki District Council. At the end of July, Minister Grigg also announced funding for an investigation into the environmental health of the former Balgownie landfill in Whanganui. I celebrated the announcements with Mayor Phil Nixon and Mayor Andrew Tripe, and shared insights into how these projects would positively impact their respective communities.
Turning sun into savings has also been on the agenda, with 19 schools in Stratford, South Taranaki, Whanganui and Ruapehu being among 500 schools nationwide to have been selected for the Solar on Schools project. By generating more clean, renewable energy on school rooftops, we can cut schools’ electricity use from the grid, reduce emissions, and lower their power bills at the same time. This is also a practical lesson for students, showing renewable energy in action.
Would you like tax with that? Here's my speech from the General Debate in Parliament yesterday.
Visiting the site for where the Government’s budget funding for the new Police Station will be invested was on the agenda when Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visited Whanganui recently. Visiting the Whanganui's Justice Precinct also meant he could view progress on the new courthouse building. Stopping in at Wight Aluminium enabled us to see the manufacturing underway for the facades for the new Graduate School of Medicine building at the University of Waikato.
Ohakune had a significant water challenge last week, a result of a leak discovered in a pipe as a result of the recent Taumarunui earthquake. Visiting Ohakune, I was able to check in with the Civil Defence response team, and Mayor Weston Kirton, and to thank them for the work they were doing to restore the water for the community.
One visit I will remember for some time was to Raetihi's iconic Rātana temple, which is undergoing restoration 100 years after it was first opened by TW Rātana. I also visited Donna and John Journeaux at their farm to discuss the 2027 Blazing Hills trail run and obstacle course.
With such a diverse population in the Whanganui electorate, invitations are received to a wide range of celebrations by our ethnic communities. In the last two weeks I have attended an Onam celebration organised by the Hāwera Malayali Indian community and a celebration of India's Independence Day organised by Whanganui's Indian community. Both groups welcome changes to Parental Visa criteria, and are enthusiastic at the possibilites New Zealand’s Free Trade Agreement with India holds for economic growth and export opportunities for New Zealand.
Community Connects throughout the electorate are a regular diary feature. Among our stops in the last month were Angel Louise Cafe in Raetihi and Fenton Street Art Collective and Distillery in Stratford. Community Connects are an opportunity to meet constituents informally and hear what is on their minds. At Fenton Street, co-owner Stuart also took me on a tour of the distillery.
The National-led Government continues to progress legislation to improve the lives of New Zealanders. The Infrastructure Funding and Financing Amendment Bill gives local councils more options to fund important infrastructure programmes without imposing further on ratepayers.
The Crimes Amendment Bill reinforces the Coalition Government's commitment to making New Zealand safer. This Bill provides better protection for the public, for retailers, for first responders, and front-line Department of Corrections officers, all people who have borne the brunt of unacceptable and often violent offending in recent years. The Bill also creates a specific offence for coward-punch offending.
The Employment Leave Bill reforms the Holidays Act. The Bill also dovetails with the Government's commitments on Parental Leave by ensuring that new parents, when they return to work, will receive the full value of their annual leave.
- Friday 21 August – Sod-turning for the refurbishment of the Waimarino Health Centre, Raetihi
- Monday 24 August – Carl's Community Connect at Whanganui East Bakery
- Friday 28 August – Daffodil Day collection
- Friday 4 September – Carl's Community Connects in Eltham, Hāwera and Hurleyville
- Whanganui Chronicle - Whanganui District Council secures Govt funding of $464,000 for Balgownie landfill investigation
- Ruapehu Bulletin - Replacing the RMA: $13.3 billion in savings says Bates (P10)
- River City Press – Local schools to benefit from solar power (P2)
- River City Press - Investing in Whanganui (P6)
- Stratford and South – New facility promises big waste reduction gains for South Taranaki (P10)
- Opunake and Coastal News - Carl Bates welcomes Hawera resource recovery centre (P9)
- Patea-Waverley Press - Meeting farmers on their turf (P3)
I look forward to seeing you in the near future.
Kind regards,
Carl.
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