Hope everyone had a good Easter break. I certainly feel refreshed and excited to be out working hard, with another strong action plan announced by our government this week.

We continue to be a government of action and delivery.

 

I’ve enjoyed getting out and about in the electorate this week following a very big week in Parliament, where I chaired the Finance and Expenditure Committee as we prepare for our upcoming budget. On the Primary Production Committee, we opened a briefing on rural bank lending after concerns from the Primary Sector.

Big week in Parliament:

Me and Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck 

Our space and horticulture industries are both hugely valuable to our NZ and the Hawke’s Bay economy.

It was really exciting to hear about the growth and opportunities and meet entrepreneur and Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck. 

Since founding the company in 2006, he has grown Rocket Lab into a global organization that develops and launches advanced rockets, satellites and spacecraft.

In Hawke's Bay the rockets are launched from Mahia.

We also launched the kiwifruit season with Zespri.

The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent late last week, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union.

Kiwi fruit exporters Zespri estimates tariff removals will generate an average annual savings of up to $16,000 per kiwi fruit grower this year.

Zespri International Limited is the world’s largest marketer of kiwifruit, selling kiwifruit in more than 50 countries. They retain the exclusive rights to export kiwifruit from New Zealand to all countries other than Australia.

Upon entry to force on May 1, the Agreement is set to increase our total exports to the EU by $1.8 billion annually.

More Parliament news:

We had five big announcements at Parliament including EU-FTA gaining Royal Assent. See below for a brief snapshot:

• FamilyBoost credit for ECE - From July 1, our FamilyBoost Policy will ensure eligible families can receive up to $75 per week to help with early childhood education expenses. All families earning up to $180,000 with early childhood education costs are eligible, with a sliding scale for those earning more than $140,000 to ensure that aid is directed to families in the most financial need. 
• Budget Policy - Our priorities are tax reduction, infrastructure, identifying savings, improving public services, and controlling government spending. Tax reductions will be funded within the operating allowance through a mixture of savings, reprioritisation and additional revenue source.
• National Travel Assistance changes - The Government is providing an $18m boost for Kiwis travelling to access health treatment. Specifics in the scheme changes being announced today include- mileage rates rising from 28c to 34c a kilometre and nightly accommodation rates from $100 to $140 a night, the rate for those staying with friends or whānau will increase from $25 to $35 a night, more flexible payment options, including pre-payment and the ability to do more online, will also be piloted and phased in. While some districts offer pre-payment options, most whānau currently need to fill out paper-based forms to seek reimbursement after travelling.

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Out and about:

I paid a visit to CHB and was heartened to see innovation and drive amongst the locals. While there I visited Simon White and saw firsthand his incredible innovation which adds value and enables diversification and creates jobs and opportunity for our region.

With Simon White at his 'state-of-the-art' seed drying facility. A North Island first!

Watch this space for their first hemp milk.

Our government is planning to double renewable energy by 2050 - so we can electrify NZ and move away from fossil fuels.

Building solar farms will help achieve these renewable energy targets and I was excited to spend the afternoon with Helios and landowners in Central Hawke’s Bay to learn about the potential of a commercial solar farm on what they say is relatively unproductive soil.

The landowners say they will still be able to graze stock between the solar panels, when there is sufficient feed.

The solar farm will have the capacity to power 29,000 houses here in Hawke’s Bay.

Here with Helios and the landowner, and the model of what a solar panel could look like.

The panels will likely be built on what is largely unproductive soil.

It was exciting to be part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate Hawke's Bay's first harvest of export table grapes to Japan.

This was a wonderful milestone for Greencollar who are working hard to create jobs and opportunities in our region.

Ribbon cutting ceremony at Greencollar 

It's great to see this investment creating jobs and opportunities in our region.

 

I also paid a visit to EIT (Te Pūkenga) to see the progress they have made since Cyclone Gabrielle.

Normal academic service came to an abrupt halt at the Taradale campus on February 14, 2023, when flood water swept through the buildings.

The cyclone caused extensive damage with up to 90 per cent of the ground-floor buildings – more than 500 rooms – being damaged by flood water and contaminated silt.

EIT | Te Pūkenga management and kaimahi (staff) moved quickly to ensure that programme delivery at the Hawke’s Bay campus got back on track as quickly as possible, first online and then in up to 45 temporary sites across Napier and Hastings. This became known as “the  EIT | Te Pūkenga extended campus”.

A significant step was taken in January 2024 when three blocks – G, M and A – were blessed at a karakia and have since been reopened.

This development means that about 65 per cent of the campus is now open with about 85% of all learners back on campus, with the Hawke's Bay Campus in Taradale set to partially reopen for some key programmes from semester 2.

Over the weekend we also delivered 30,000 brochures to your letterbox, where you can read more about the actions we have taken in our first 100 days as a government. 

In our first 100-days we had a 49-action plan and we delivered on every single one.

The work does not stop there. It is now time for the next steps in our plan to rebuild our economy, restore law and order and deliver better public services.

We’ve got 36 new steps we’ll take top achieve this; some highlights are:

• Pass a Budget that reduces wasteful spending and prioritises frontline services.
• Deliver tax relief for hardworking New Zealanders
• Set targets for improving public services like education and health
• Launch an Attendance Action Plan to get kids back to school
• Restore Three Strikes to hold serious, repeat offenders to account
• Establish a Regional Infrastructure Fund to boost economic growth in the regions.
• So much of our action plan is focused on the economy because we understand the only way you can get ahead is through a strong economy.

We are committed to getting our country back on track, so you and your family have that opportunity.

Please don't hesitate to contact the office anytime, our team is happy to help.

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