I am back down in Parliament this week, following a busy recess week when I had the pleasure of welcoming not one, but two Ministers to the electorate.
Education Minister Erica Stanford experienced her very first wero during a pōwhiri, when we visited Hastings Boys High School to learn more about the building academy and talk about putting walls up in open-plan classrooms. Thank you to Hastings Boys for such a warm welcome.
Then we welcomed Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing Cameron Brewer to the electorate where we visited Lattey Group, Food East where a lamb took rather a shine to him, and the HB Chamber of Commerce where he made a very important announcement.
We officially launched the Hawke's Bay National Party campaign with Minister Standford in town. We had a huge crowd turn out to hear from Erica and get behind National as we work hard to keep Hawke's Bay Blue. Thank you Bayley's for hosting such a fabulous event. We appreciate the support!
In Parliament I was thrilled to speak at the Parliament business seminar about the Select Committee processes and how important the select Committee was for the resource management reform.
It was also great to host the world humanitarian day in Parliament where we acknowledged all of the humanitarian work of many organisations across New Zealand. Many of these organisations helped out during Cyclone Gabrielle and play a very important role both here in New Zealand and in the Pacific.
Lattey Group is a powerhouse of Kiwi manufacturing, specialising in high-spec precast concrete for our country’s infrastructure.
From our four-lane expressway, large bridges and local roading to hospitals, coastal protection, and structural projects nationwide.
I loved visiting Lattey alongside our Manufacturing Minister Cameron Brewer MP! It was Incredible to see their scale, innovation, and dedicated local team in action.
Lattey supports over 100 jobs and the Hawke’s Bay Expressway and other Government work like the expansion of the HB Prison is providing a large pipeline of work for local families.
Visiting Foodeast Haumako was a treat! It is an innovation centre in the heart of Hawke's Bay. They are committed to providing support to businesses innovating in the food, beverage and agritech spaces. A number of companies have chosen to make Foodeast Haumako their Hawke's Bay base. This makes for a dynamic community of thinkers and visionaries, keen to push the boundaries of what's possible in food.
A pet lamb with nappies was the fun factor! Thank you for having us!
The Minister announced Hawke's Bay business owners will get more hands-on help to plan, grow and make good decisions, with the Government funding an additional Growth Advisor at the Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce through to June 2027.
Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy in Tukituki.
They create jobs, support families, sponsor community groups, and help keep our towns thriving. While Hawke's Bay businesses have shown incredible resilience since Cyclone Gabrielle, we know many are still facing challenges. That's why this additional Growth Advisor is so important. Having practical, local support available through the Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce will help business owners access advice, identify opportunities, and make confident decisions for the future. I'm so pleased to see this extra support being directed into our region and encourage businesses to make the most of it.
We’re moving away from open plan classrooms! The walls are going up to create calmer learning environments.
Our education minister has announced a further $31.3 million to create less disruptive learning spaces in more than 600 classrooms.
And Hawke’s Bay schools are on the list for walls. Read more here- Walls go up – classrooms calm down | Beehive.govt.nz
This follows strong demand from schools wanting to move away from noisy, distracting open-plan classrooms.
Hastings Boys High School showed us where they plan to put up walls, so students can focus on their learning and not be distracted.
We have listened and are ending the open plan classroom experiment so students can succeed.
Women and girls with endometriosis will be able to receive a diagnosis and start treatment sooner under new clinical guidelines.
Endometriosis affects around one in 10 women and girls in New Zealand and can have a significant impact on their quality of life, education, employment, and wellbeing. Yet research shows it can take eight to 12 years to receive a diagnosis in New Zealand. That is far too long to wait for answers.
Part of the problem is that laparoscopic surgery is usually used to confirm endometriosis, meaning women can spend years waiting for both diagnosis and treatment.
The new guidelines will change that by supporting GPs to make a clinical diagnosis based on a woman’s symptoms, family history, and examination, rather than requiring surgery to confirm it. Once a clinical diagnosis is made, GPs will then be able to prescribe treatment immediately.
For up to 60 per cent of women, low-impact hormonal medication is an effective option.
Surgery will remain available for those who need it, but it will no longer be the only route to a diagnosis. Instead, women will be able to access non-invasive first-line treatment in primary care. The guidelines will be supported by training and education for primary care providers. The Guideline is expected to be launched in mid 2027.
Recent changes by the Electricity Authority will require power companies to regularly check that their customers are on the best plans for their circumstances and will ban power companies from doing big charge backs for bills dating longer than six months.
There is a deadline of 1 April next year for all power companies to fully comply.
At the centre of these changes is Billy.govt.nz which is making it easier than ever for people to compare plans and switch providers using a trusted source and making power companies work harder to win and keep customers.
Try it out and see if there are savings to be made!
In 2025, the Government created a new contestable Flexible Fund for social housing and affordable rentals to replace the current patchwork of programmes and funds. We also created a Housing Investment Plan to ensure that we would invest in the right houses, in the right place, for the right people, with the right support.
These changes are a major shift to a data-driven, needs-based approach. Our new approach is now in place and is already making the social housing system better.
The nine priority locations we are investing in through the Budget 2025 Flexible Fund places were identified in the Housing Investment Plan and are backed by strong evidence of need.
With the first procurement round for the Flexible Fund now complete, the first homes are expected to be delivered and ready for tenants from July 2027, including 23 homes in Hastings.
Read more here- More than 820 homes through Flexible Fund | Beehive.govt.nz
Businesses will now have certainty around their climate change obligations with legislation passing its final reading in Parliament earlier this week.
Ongoing litigation in the High Court, where an applicant has brought civil claims against six major businesses for their greenhouse gas emissions, risks developing a new regime that contradicts the framework Parliament has already enacted. It’s creating uncertainty in business confidence and investment.
Therefore, the Government is amending the Climate Change Response Act 2002 to prevent findings of liability in tort for climate change damage or harm caused by greenhouse gas emissions in both current and future proceedings before the courts.
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I look forward to seeing you out in our Tukituki community soon.
Regards, Catherine
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