It was a busy, full-on week with some great things happening across Hawke's Bay, and it was a privilege to be part of them.
We opened the new 28 bed inpatient unit at the hospital, Pan Pac’s new Central Support Hub, and even found time to head to the races, and door knock, and participate in candidate debates.
The only way to keep up the amazing progress is party vote National!
Opening the new 28-bed inpatient ward at Hawke’s Bay Hospital
Built in just nine months, this new ward will play a vital role in improving patient flow across the whole hospital, helping more patients get the care they need, when they need it.
The ward is fully staffed already and include 13 nurses joining Hawke’s Bay Hospital for the first time.
The ward is part of other major investments across the hospital, including the new Cancer Centre now under construction and the radiology expansion and refurbishment, which has already doubled scanning capacity.
These upgrades are all part of our plan to invest in better healthcare, grow the workforce, and deliver improved health services for Hawke’s Bay.
Developing a new appreciation for digger work!
It was great to celebrate our Civil Contracting Industry over the weekend and have a new appreciation for their work after hopping in a digger for a noughts and crosses competition!
Check out the bling!
I also love a shiny truck! What a great way to celebrate our Civil Contracting Industry in Hawke’s Bay and the thousands of families who work hard in contracting businesses across our region.
National is the party of infrastructure, roading and development and we will continue to support this industry.
Thanks to all our Civil Contractors who do an incredible job across Hawke’s Bay.
Race Day is back
Races are back in Hawke’s Bay after 3 years and what an incredible day! A sell out and an amazing crowd. So good for our region. Well done Hawkes Bay Racing.
Celebrating Pan Pac's new Central Support Hub
Pan Pac’s new Central Support Hub building is now open and what a special moment to share with the Pan Pac Team.
The Whirinaki site was devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle, silt up to 2m high throughout the site. Pan Pac have continued to focus on serving their customers while slowly building back behind the scenes.
It was special to be there to not only open their new building, but recognise their resilience and presence in the community as one of our largest employers in Hawke’s Bay.
Congratulations Pan Pac Forest Products and the team.
Thank you Forest and Bird for the opportunity to talk about our environment policies at the candidate debate!
I am deeply passionate about our environment and proudly part of our Bluegreens and was the Chair of the Environment Committee in this term of Government.
We strongly believe that we can support development and protect the environment for future generations.
It was a great opportunity to speak pragmatically about the RMA Reform, our conservation work, and the work to be predator free by 2050 as well as acknowledge our amazing hunters who are some of the best conservationists.
We also had a good conversation about Hawke’s Bay’s water challenges, which I believe can be solved with water storage.
Thanks to Greg and the team for a respectful debate. Forest and Bird members do an incredible job in our community, and we appreciate all your work to protect our environment and your advocacy.
Warm welcome at Summerset in the Orchard
It was so lovely to be warmly welcomed back to Summerset in then Orchard. I always get such a nice reception and great engagement from the residents.
Thank you so much for having me along.
NATIONAL PARTY POLICIES AND GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
National’s plan to welcome more Kiwis home
A re-elected National Government will legislate and direct five key commitments in its first 100 days aimed at encouraging young New Zealanders to stay or return home to build their future.
National wants to make New Zealand the most attractive place for our young people to raise a family, build a career, start a business, and make a contribution to our country.
If re-elected, National will legislate and direct five key commitments in our first 100 days to make New Zealand more attractive and affordable for young people to live and work.
These five commitments are:
Lowering student loan repayment rates for Kiwis living in New Zealand so they have more take-home pay when they need it most.
Widening access to 5 per cent deposits for first home buyers so more people can overcome the barrier of the standard 20 per cent deposit
Extending paid parental leave from 26 weeks to 30 weeks within three years so that parents have more financial security while caring for their baby
Strengthening KiwiSaver, including a $1500 Baby Boost payment and changes to contributions for parents on paid parental leave, so people can build bigger savings nest eggs to ensure greater financial security
Prioritising and expediting work and visitor visas for partners of New Zealand citizens, so Kiwis who meet their partners overseas can bring them home when they return.
National's fiscal plan
If re-elected National Government will:
- Not impose new taxes
- Continue investing in health, schools, law and order, roads, defence capability and other frontline services New Zealanders rely on
- Reprioritise spending and show ongoing restraint so that overall government expenditure comes down towards 30 per cent of GDP
- Return to surplus in 2028/29 and stay there, and
- Keep government debt on a downward trajectory towards 40 per cent of GDP and maintain debt below 40 per cent of GDP over time.
National will lift school leaving requirements
A re-elected National Government will require students to stay at school until they complete Year 11 giving more young people time to build the knowledge and skills they need for a successful future.
Currently, students can leave school when they turn 16. Many reach that birthday during Year 11, allowing them to leave before completing the year.
National is scrapping NCEA and from 2028 will begin replacing it with new national qualifications that are clearer and more credible and will give students, parents and employers confidence in what young people know and can do.
With these new qualifications, our expectation is clear. Students should complete at least a full Year 11 of compulsory science, English and maths, and have the opportunity to gain the new Foundational Award in literacy and numeracy.
Strong literacy and numeracy skills give young people a better chance of gaining employment or continuing on into Trades’ training or other learning. This change will mean more students stay at school longer and complete that important year of study.
National’s plan for healthy fisheries
If re-elected, National will:
- Establish a new marine reserve off Waiheke Island and further expand the size of Goat Island/Te Hāwere-a-Maki Marine Reserve.
- Support recreational fishers – ensuring fishers have a seat at the table in fishing reforms, ruling out a recreational fishing licence and preventing the commercial sale of marlin.
- Ban commercial fishing in Hauraki Gulf’s High Protection Areas and review designated trawl corridors.
- Invest in innovation – with a $20 million Fish Tech Innovation Fund.
- Increase protection of the EEZ and preserve our seamounts with an aim to increase protected areas from 32% to 50% by 2040.
- Keep the ban on shellfish and marine species from rockpools to support the recovery and impose higher penalties and strict enforcement.
- Increase the number of Honorary Fisheries Officers to 200.
- Increase penalties and infringements for exceeding catch limits.
Diesel reserve extended to maintain fuel security
The Government has extended an agreement for a 550,000-barrel strategic diesel reserve until August 2027 to maintain New Zealand’s fuel resilience.
The diesel will continue to be stored in tanks at Marsden Point, refurbished with $21.6 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund. The storage allows for around 90 million litres of fuel, equivalent to roughly nine days of typical national consumption.
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