Dear John,

It was a great pleasure to have Dr Shane Reti in the Electorate last week as we went to Drury to open the new Park Estate Home and Hospital. This brand-new purpose-built facility will be home to 52 residents. There is high demand and there are few places left for more residents.

Dr Reti and I were asked to unveil a plaque and we cut a blue ribbon with special scissors held by two charming little children. The building of this facility, delayed by Covid, has been a labour of love for the Reddys and their two sons. They hope to make a genuine contribution to the well-being and good care of older people and to take account of people’s differing needs physically, nutritionally, socially, culturally and spiritually.

The opening celebration was extra special as one lovely resident was turning 100 that same week. The Reddys provided a suitably inscribed keepsake for me to present to this amazing, spritely centenarian. She then cut a beautiful birthday cake after blowing out the candles.

Dr Reti spoke and outlined the challenges that businesses in the Health and Care sectors face and highlighted the need for health workers of every level to be either trained here or allowed to immigrate with special conditions.

As you may know he recently announced that when National is the government it plans to build a third Medical School for New Zealand students based at Waikato University.

As Health spokesperson Dr Reti wants to see a health system that benefits patients and their families and provides care that is timely and of high quality. He said that facilities like Park Estate Home and Hospital provide quality care for older people and he acknowledges the vision of the Reddy family and their staff and their ongoing commitment to providing excellence in aged care.

Health and Safety

A good friend of ours fell and badly broke her shoulder recently and then waited 12 days for her surgery to fix it. This was a very long, painful wait and we wish her all the best for her recovery. It has highlighted the need to be careful no matter what your age, the consequence of breaking a bone is painful and drawn-out. Check before you step.

Food Prices peak again

Food inflation have peaked at 12.5 per cent once again with a negative effect on families already struggling with the cost of living.

It is tough to hear the Finance Minister Grant Robertson saying last week that inflation had peaked and was coming down. But this week it is confirmed New Zealand is entering its third year of out-of-control inflation at 6 per cent, with the domestic component - non-tradable inflation – running at 6.6 per cent, meaning most of the problem is local.

New Zealanders are continuing to be slammed with higher prices everywhere they look, and the Government has refused to rein in spending, reduce costs or fix worker shortages. This has fuelled our home-grown inflation fire, helping constant price rises become entrenched in our economy.

The Reserve Bank has no choice but to crank interest-rates ever higher for mortgage holders.

Further, fresh fruit and vegetables have soared by 22 per cent in the last year – with Statistics NZ pointing the figure at the cost of basics like tomatoes, kumara, and potatoes.

While New Zealanders need a real plan to beat inflation, Mr Robertson has spent six months discussing, devising and consulting experts on a wealth tax that has been rejected by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

The Government has fuelled inflation with record spending and instead of focusing on practical ways to fix the economy, Mr Robertson has been obsessively designing a new tax his party don’t want.

National has a plan to beat inflation. Nicola Willis has made it clear she would remove costs on business, clear out the blockages in the economy, deliver tax relief for the squeezed middle, return the Reserve Bank to a single focus on inflation, and restore fiscal discipline.

To help bring down food prices, National is committed to unshackling the rural economy by scrapping 19 broken regulations. This will reduce costs on farmers, ensuring agriculture can grow more and Kiwis will pay less for home-grown food at the checkout.

Labour’s soft on crime approach sees crime surge in Counties Manukau

The latest crime statistics have borne out what the people of Papakura already knew.

Crime is out of control in New Zealand. it rose 16 percent and violent crime increased 10 percent when comparing the first four months of 2022 with the first four months of 2023.

Here in Auckland south the trend continues, with reported crime up although thankfully less than Auckland central or Canterbury.

Victims are not just statistics. These are our friends, and families and our neighbours. Real people getting hurt because of Labour’s slack approach to criminals.

Under a National Government, offenders will face consequences for their actions, whether they are youth offenders, ram raiders, or gangs.
Our law-and-order policies will restore order back to New Zealand and allow ordinary Kiwis to again feel safe in their homes, businesses and neighbourhoods.

National will bring in policies banning gang patches, creating military academies for young offenders, and giving remand prisoners the opportunity to attend rehabilitation courses.

National will not tolerate a ram raid every 10 hours as the new normal. And anyone filming a ram raid will face consequences. I note Labour have pinched this policy in recent days.

All New Zealanders need better than we have, and I for one want peace, order and greater opportunity.

Best wishes,
Judith