As Parliament wrapped up its final sitting days in September, I find myself reflecting not only on the month that's been, but also on my first three years as the Member of Parliament for Napier. It has been an incredible privilege to serve our electorate. When I was elected, my goal was simple: to be connected, approachable, and practical. As I look back on this parliamentary term, I feel proud of the connections I’ve built and the work achieved.
Balancing the demands of Wellington, chairing a Select Committee, and spending time in Parliament, while also being a hands-on electorate MP, has certainly been a learning curve. But it is a role I have absolutely loved. From visiting schools and businesses to attending community events and meeting with local organisations, staying connected to the people and places that make Napier so special has always been my priority.
With just 38 days to go until Election Day, I am certainly not taking this experience for granted. Instead, I'm energised, grateful, and more determined than ever to continue working hard for our community.
This month, we were pleased to welcome Minister Chris Bishop, Minister Todd McClay, and Minister Matt Doocey to the Napier electorate. Ministerial visits provide a valuable opportunity to showcase what's working well across our region, while also highlighting where additional support and investment are needed. In this edition, you'll also find some of the exciting events, visits, openings, and community milestones I was fortunate to be part of throughout September.
I would like to sincerely thank the schools, businesses, marae, community groups, and families who have welcomed me into their spaces and shared their stories with me. Those conversations, relationships, and experiences help shape my advocacy for Hawke's Bay in Wellington every single day. If your business, organisation, or community group has a story to share, I'd love to hear from you.
As always, if my office can assist you in any way, please don't hesitate to get in touch at Katie.NimonMP@parliament.govt.nz or 06 835 2569
In this Issue:
- Minister Bishop's Visit to the Bay
- Minister McClay, a Woolshed, and Viticulture
- Minister Doocey opens the Hawke's Bay Crisis Cafe
- Te Kahikatea - EIT's new Nursing Suite
- Last Days in Parliament
- Highlights
- Hawke's Bay Wine Auction
- Runway for a Reason
- On the Ground in Wairoa
- Notes
As always, I’m committed to keeping Potaka, Napier, Tutira, Wairoa, Mahia, Matawai, and everywhere in between front and centre. I'm here to listen, and here to help.
Minister Bishop's Visit to the Bay
It was a pleasure to welcome Minister Chris Bishop back to Hawke's Bay this month. Catherine Wedd and I were proud to showcase the significant progress being made on the Hawke's Bay Expressway. If you've driven through the area recently, you'll have seen just how quickly this project is taking shape. The pace of construction is impressive, and the Minister was genuinely blown away by the progress that has been made since his last visit. Once complete, the Expressway will deliver safer, more efficient journeys while creating a stronger and more resilient transport network for our region. How good!
We also had the opportunity to visit the future site of the Wharerangi Road Development, a collaborative project between Hāpai Housing and Mana Ahuriri Trust, being delivered by TW Group. This exciting development will be a fantastic addition to the Napier community, bringing together mixed-tenure housing, aged care living, commercial amenities, and high-quality public and recreational spaces.
It's incredibly encouraging to see this kind of growth and investment happening in Napier. Developments like this help meet the needs of our growing community while creating vibrant places for people to live, work, and connect. I'm particularly pleased to see Government reforms, including changes to the Resource Management Act, helping to remove barriers and make it easier for projects like this to get underway.
Minister McClay, a Woolshed, and Viticulture
One of the most valuable parts of hosting Ministers in Hawke's Bay is the opportunity to showcase both the strengths of our region and the challenges we need support to address. It's always a win for our electorate when decision-makers can see firsthand what's happening on the ground, meet the people driving our local economy, and hear directly from those affected by policy decisions.
That's why I was pleased to welcome Minister Todd McClay, whose portfolios include Trade and Investment, Agriculture, Forestry, and Associate Foreign Affairs. Given the importance of horticulture and viticulture to Hawke's Bay, it was a great opportunity for the Minister to hear directly from the people and businesses at the heart of these industries.
Throughout the day, we visited a number of outstanding local businesses, including Apatu Farms, Church Road Winery, and Vintech. While each business shared its own perspective and priorities, a common theme emerged time and again: water security.
Whether it was discussions around water availability, storage, or the long-term resilience of our primary industries, it was clear that water remains one of the most important issues facing growers and farmers across our region. It's a topic I regularly hear about when out and about, and I was pleased that Minister McClay had the opportunity to hear those concerns firsthand. It was certainly one of the key messages he took away from the visit and a reminder of just how important water security is to the future growth and prosperity of Hawke's Bay.
Minister Doocey opens the Hawke's Bay Crisis Cafe
Catherine Wedd, MP for Tukituki, and I joined the Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey to open the new Hawke's Bay Crisis Recovery Cafe, Te Wāhi Poutoko Hūmārie. This is a service for those who are in need of mental health and addiction support.
This cafe is peer-led and will allow people faster access to support from people who can link them back to community services, lend a listening ear, and offer people experiencing distress a safe place to go. The cafe will be led by Connect Community Trust alongside a group of local mental health and addiction providers, building on the work they are already doing. They have already built strong relationships and will be a real asset to the cafe.
Connect Community Trust will also bring peer support into the Hawke’s Bay Hospital Emergency Department, with Peers in ED expected to be operating by the end of 2026.
I am proud of the work our Government is doing to support Mental Health and those who struggle with addiction. I hope we get the opportunity to continue expanding and reinforcing programmes like this one.
Te Kahikatea - EIT's new Nursing School Suite
Cyclone Gabrielle devastated so much of our region in 2023, including the nursing building at EIT's Taradale campus. That's what made the 3rd of September such a special day. I had the privilege of attending the opening of Te Kahikatea, EIT's new Clinical Simulation Suite at the Hawke's Bay campus. This purpose-built space will give our nursing students the hands-on environment they need to develop real clinical skills before they step into the workforce.
Bringing EIT back into local ownership has been one of the proudest achievements of my time as MP for Napier. It meant we could fight for the right funding to help EIT recover from the cyclone and rebuild even stronger than before. I'm pleased that our Government was able to commit $10 million towards rebuilding EIT's Taradale campus.
We are incredibly fortunate to have EIT here in our region. With this state-of-the-art new facility, I have no doubt we'll see more students choosing to study in Napier and more skilled nurses coming through to support our community.
Last Days in Parliament
First week of Parliament. October 2023
Last week of Parliament. September 2026.
Pictured: All of the MPs who started alongside me in 2023.
This month included the final sitting days of the 54th Parliament, and I honestly can't quite believe it. I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have represented the Napier electorate in Wellington, and proud of what our Government has achieved across law and order, health, education, the cost of living and so many other areas. I am also very grateful to the incredible team in Wellington and, of course, my team back home who have supported me every step of the way.
Now it's time to get back out into the community. I have been knocking on doors, meeting people, and getting out there so I can hear what matters most to our community. I would be incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve another term as the MP for Napier.
Highlights
Hawke's Bay Wine Auction
The Hawke's Bay Wine Auction is New Zealand's oldest wine auction, established in 1991. I was lucky enough to attend with RCP! Guests were able to taste wines from Hawke's Bay's finest wineries and vineyards while mingling with the winemakers themselves, then take part in a live auction where people bid on some of Hawke's Bay's finest wines, a travel package, or a feature art piece.
It was such a fabulous afternoon! What makes it even better is that a total of $454,182 was raised for Cranford Hospice. This incredible result is a testament to the generosity and skill of our Hawke's Bay winemakers, alongside the local businesses, organisations, and community members who got behind the auction and gave so generously.
The Hawke's Bay Wine Auction will be held on Saturday the 11th of September 2027. Save the date. A brilliant afternoon out, all for a great cause.
Runway for a Reason
An afternoon of fashion, fun and fundraising at Runway for a Reason at Bupa Willowbank and more than $22,000 raised for Parkinson's Hawke's Bay.
A huge thank you must go to the organisers for bringing everything together, and to Laurel for so generously offering up some of her collection for the occasion. The pieces were absolutely stunning!
I was also very lucky to be the winning bidder on one of Laurel's beautiful dresses. It has a bit of an Art Deco feel to it, and I'm already excited to get it on display in my office.
A wonderful afternoon for a very worthy cause, and another great example of the generosity and talent we have right here in Hawke's Bay.
I must acknowledge Brayden Coldicutt from Harcourts Hawke's Bay for running both auctions and contributing to such valuable fundraising efforts.
On the Ground in Wairoa
I always enjoy my trips to Wairoa and unfortunately due to the Sitting Calendar this year, I haven't been to Wairoa nearly enough. It was so lovely to be back and catch up with Deputy Mayor Benita Cairns.
We stopped into the Limery and caught up with Di Downey, who is truly an inspiration. If you're not familiar with Di's story, the Limery is New Zealand's only lime-juicing operation, founded by Di and her husband Paul Hyslop. On four hectares, they built the business from scratch, cultivating around 3,500-4,000 lime trees across four varieties, with a full facility for growing and processing both whole fruit and juice for market. Di has faced real obstacles, including Paul's passing and the devastating Wairoa flooding, but she hasn't let it slow her down. She continues to produce and inspire, not just in Wairoa but across New Zealand.
I was fascinated to learn that the Limes processed by the Limery team not only make lime juice, but are key ingredients in other products such as powder for horses. Who'd have thought!
Notes
Coming up on the 6th of October I am hosting a Community Pop-in Clinic from 11:00am to 12:30pm.
What is a community pop-in clinic? It's a chance to come along for a one-on-one chat. Whether it's a local issue you'd like to raise, a question about what's happening in Parliament, or simply something you'd like to discuss, I'd love to hear from you. No need to book, no formalities, just a chance to sit down, have a conversation, and connect. Feel free to bring a friend along if you'd like. I look forward to seeing you there.
Recent Policy Announcements
Lots of policy announcements have been made this month. Please click on the links below to learn more.
Building and Construction
Govt delivers earthquake-prone building reforms – read the Beehive PR here
The Government has unanimously passed legislation to ensure New Zealand's earthquake-prone building system is appropriately focused on risk to life, saving communities billions in remediation costs, Building and Construction Minister Simon Watts says.
“Today we are delivering significant reform that will save Kiwi building owners and the New Zealand economy a staggering $8.2 billion,” Mr Watts says.
Around half of all buildings currently designated as earthquake-prone are expected to be removed from the system.
Health
Free cervical screening for all women – read the Beehive PR here
Cervical screening will be free for all eligible women from 1 March 2027, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Women's Minister Nicola Grigg say.
"Today I am pleased to announce that this Government will make cervical screening free for all women aged 25 to 69," Mr Brown says.
More funding for children and young people’s dental services – read the Beehive PR here
Dentists and oral health therapists have reached a new national agreement that will support the delivery of oral health services for children and young people, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says.
“This is great news for our children and young people; good oral health is an important part of keeping children healthy and well. We want children and young people to get the dental care they need, when they need it,” Mr Doocey says.
$78 million is being invested in child and adolescent oral health services in 2026/27, including a 5 per cent increase in funding to support free dental care for 0- to 17-year-olds.
Better planning frees 1500 bed nights in Hawke's Bay – read the Beehive PR here
Patients at Hawke's Bay Fallen Soldiers' Memorial Hospital are getting home faster, with better planning freeing up more than 1,500 bed nights over the past year, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
"When a patient is well enough to leave, every extra night they spend on a ward is a night away from their family and their own routine. It also means that bed is not available for someone else who needs it," Mr Brown says.
A bed night is a single night in a single hospital bed, so each one freed up is a night that bed was available for another patient.
Housing
Faster and fairer retirement village repayments – read the Beehive PR here
The Government is strengthening protections for retirement village residents through faster repayments, earlier access to money, fairer contracts and stronger minimum standards, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says.
“We have listened carefully to older Kiwis and their whānau, and we are acting.
“The maximum repayment period will be shortened from the 12 months we had initially indicated to nine months, and operators will have to pay a resident who is moving 10 per cent of their net termination proceeds within four weeks rather than interest after six months.
Development contributions strengthened to recover Fast-track infrastructure costs – read the Beehive PR here
The Government will change the Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill to ensure councils can set appropriate development contributions that reflect the growth-related infrastructure costs associated with Fast-track projects, Housing and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Local Government Minister Simon Watts say.
“Fast-track is helping desperately needed housing, infrastructure, energy and investment projects move through the consenting system without being bogged down in unnecessary red tape,” Mr Bishop says.
Justice
Move on, or face the consequences – read the Beehive PR here
Police can soon issue move-on orders to people being disorderly in public places with legislation passing its final reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.
“Move-on orders are going to reclaim our streets and town squares for the enjoyment of those who visit, work and live there.
Local Government
Rates Capping Bill passes first reading – read the Beehive PR here
Legislation to halt excessive rates increases and ensure councils’ focus to be on fixing the basics and keeping rates affordable has passed its first reading in Parliament today, Local Government Minister Simon Watts says.
Under the Local Government (Rates Capping) Amendment Bill, councils will be required to keep annual rates increases within a target range of 2-4 per cent.
Bill passed to get councils back to basics – read the Beehive PR here
The Government is delivering changes to get councils focused on the basics, with the Local Government (System Improvements) Amendment Bill passing its third reading, Minister Simon Watts says.
“The Bill is a significant step forward for councils and their communities. It means a stronger focus on core services, clearer information on performance and greater accountability for the decisions councils make.
Trade and Investment
New Zealand and India ratify free trade agreement – read the Beehive PR here
New Zealand and India have formally ratified the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, marking the start of an exciting new chapter in our growing relationship, Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay says.
Mr McClay exchanged formal documents with India’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, H.E. Ms Muanpuii Saiawi in Parliament today, confirming that New Zealand has completed all its necessary domestic procedures.
What's happened in the House?
During sitting weeks, the House of Representatives meets in the Debating Chamber to debate legislation, ask and answer questions, and more. Click here to view Sitting Calendar 2026
Parliamentary Business
Daily progress in the House is a summary of what Parliament is doing. This report is updated throughout the sitting day. Read what's been happening in Parliament today.
To see bills at varying stages and find out the status, follow this link.
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