Dear John



After such a wonderful endorsement at the recent election, it is a great privilege to be back working for the people of the Invercargill electorate as your MP.



I want to take this opportunity to once again thank you for your wonderful support. Southlanders have put their trust in me, and I intend to repay that by continuing to champion the needs of our province in Wellington.







New Ministerial Roles



I was honoured to be asked by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to accept several new ministerial roles, in the coalition Government, including Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills, Minister for the Environment, Minister for Disability Issues and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment.



My new portfolios have particular synergies with Southland and it’s exciting to be given work to do that is important, both for this province and wider New Zealand.



I intend to use my position to promote Southern interests and enhance the regional economic development of this province. 



Our 100 day plan



It’s good to be back at work and exciting to be part of a Coalition Government that is starting out the way we mean to go on. 



We’ve set out an ambitious plan for our first 100 days in office. 



We know the last few years have been incredibly tough for many people across Southland and New Zealand. 



That’s why we've wasted no time announcing 49 actions, we’ll deliver within 100 days, to start improving New Zealanders’ lives.



Our plan sets out key actions to get our country back on track including:



- Repealing the ‘Ute Tax’

- Introducing legislation to refocus the Reserve Bank on a single mandate of price stability

- Repealing the Fair Pay Agreement legislation

- Stopping blanket speed limit reductions

- Starting work to establish a new regulation agency to improve the quality of regulation

- Introducing legislation to repeal Three Waters

- Introducing legislation to ban gang patches

- Requiring primary and intermediate schools to teach an hour of reading, writing and maths per day starting in 2024

- Banning the use of cell phones in schools

- Setting five major targets for the health system, including for wait times and cancer treatment

- Introducing legislation to disestablish the Māori Health Authority

- Begin work to repeal the Therapeutics Products Act 2023



New Zealand faces a number of challenges and New Zealanders can have confidence that the Coalition Government has both the team and the strategy to address them.



You can read our full 100-day plan here. <[link removed]>











Mega-Polytechnic has to go



The Te Pukenga transformation has begun. Millions of dollars have been wasted employing consultants and staff at head office, with no real efficiencies, benefits for students, or communities. The centralisation of vocational education has failed and it is now time for communities to take back ownership of their local polytechnics and their local training needs.







New plaque honours those who served



It was wonderful to recently unveil a new RSA plaque, on the Bluff War Memorial, to honour all service personal who served between 1946 to 2023. The plaque acknowledged the efforts of those involved in the Malayan, Vietnam and Afghanistan wars. 











Wyndham A&P Show



It was a beautiful day at the Wyndham A&P Show this month. A great chance to catch up with so many friends and constituents, and to celebrate all that’s good about farming in this area.











Invercargill Xmas parade



What a fantastic way to mark the beginning of the festive season, with the Invercargill Christmas parade. I was delighted to be involved and to see so many people attending. 











Festival of Lights 



The Indian Community Southland Inc celebrated the Diwali Festival of Light in style at Stadium Southland earlier this month. It was an amazing event and I was thrilled to enjoy the festivities.







In the news:



Penny on Mike Hosking Breakfast



Student safety prioritized when halting the polytech amalgamation (newstalkzb.co.nz) <[link removed]>



Tertiary institutions won't struggle without Te Pūkenga - Simmonds



Tertiary institutions won't struggle without Te Pūkenga - Simmonds | Stuff.co.nz <[link removed]>



Simmonds back into business



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Simmonds up for the task



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Simmonds excited to move Southland forward



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My Diary



December 12: Parliament sitting, Wellington



December 19: Parliament sitting, Wellington



As always, I’m here to help. Please contact me at my Invercargill office on Ph- 03 218 5060, or email me at: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>



Thank you for your support



Penny Simmonds

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National Party Invercargill - New Zealand

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