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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:
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.
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) Tertiary institutions won't struggle without Te Pūkenga - Simmonds Tertiary institutions won't struggle without Te Pūkenga - Simmonds | Stuff.co.nz Simmonds back into business Simmonds up for the task https://www.odt.co.nz/southland/southland-express/simmonds-huge-task Simmonds excited to move Southland forward https://whatsoninvers.nz/new-minister-penny-simmonds-excited-to-move-southland-forward/
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] Thank you for your support Penny Simmonds
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