Dear John,
I hope you've had a great week as the weather gets colder and we near the longest day. When I last wrote to you, Nicola Willis had just delivered the government's first Budget and Parliament was sitting under urgency (and we kept going that weekend until midnight on Saturday night!). Parliament has been in recess for the last couple of weeks and I've been getting around the country alongside a lot of constituency work in the Hutt. It's been great to be back in the community for a couple of weeks, hearing direct from people about their hopes and concerns.
With regard to the Budget, I've had a lot of people come quietly up to me in the last couple of weeks and say variations of "well done" and "keep going". I reckon a lot of New Zealanders know that things have been off track in NZ for a while, and we've got as serious clean-up job on our hands. It's not going to be easy - and I think people know that. But we're making the tough but right and fair decisions to set New Zealand on a new course - one where we're careful with what we spend, we focus on the frontline services, we invest in infrastructure, and we reduce taxes so people keep more of what they earn. And don't worry, we will deliver on our commitments around cancer drugs!
A major theme of the last couple of weeks for me has been housing - last week in Dunedin I opened a new social housing development run by the Salvation Army in an old heritage building, on Tuesday this week the Prime Minister and I opened a new 295 apartment "Build to Rent" complex in Sylvia Park in Auckland, and on Wednesday I opened the Otautahi Community Housing Trust's new development of 40 units in Christchurch.
Developments like the ones in Dunedin and Christchurch are really important at looking after some of our most vulnerable Kiwis, and the government's 1500 new social housing places funded in Budget 2024 will ensure we see more of these developments. Our community housing sector does a great job of looking after people in need and I'm working on ways for the government to support them even more.
If you're wondering what "Build to Rent" housing is - these are purpose-built, medium-to-large scale rental properties developments, often within walking distance to key transport links. The developments tend to be professionally managed, with good amenities, and offer residents a variety of lifestyle options. The Resido development by Kiwi Property is pretty cool - it has a co-working space, a gym, 24/7 staff onsite, and good security. These sort of developments are common overseas but are just getting started in NZ. This week I introduced new legislation to encourage foreign investment into Build to Rent. It's not a silver bullet for our housing crisis but it will certainly help.
Melling: Progress continues on the Melling Interchange and RiverLink - in the last week NZTA has released a new, upgraded design for the new interchange (you can see it below, or click here).. NZTA say it includes new and improved walking and cycling paths, better connections for residents and business on Tirohanga and Harbour View roads, better access to public transport (with the relocation of the Melling train station and park and ride facilities) and a reduced number and length of pedestrian crossings at the interchange when travelling between Lower Hutt and the Western Hills, improving safety, and helping traffic move along more efficiently. What do you think?
Sport: Mixed feelings this week as the Hurricanes gear up for their semifinal at the Cake Tin this Saturday... but gee, the Black Caps haven't done well have they? I'm looking forward to the game on Saturday - if you see me there please say hello. And of course there's the little matter of McBain (Hutt Old Boys' Marist v Petone) first up....
Have a great weekend.
Chris
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Congratulating Nicola Willis on her first Budget speech.
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NZ SCHOOLS' DEBATING CHAMPIONSHIPS GRAND FINAL
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A real privilege for me to host this event. The competition brings together the best secondary school debaters in regional teams from around New Zealand for a weekend of debating, culminating in the final at Parliament.
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SHRI SWAMINARAYAN MANDIR TEMPLE VISIT
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Have you wondered what is being built on Cambridge Terrace in the Hutt? It's a new BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (temple). When built it will hold over 800 people. It will be an incredible structure and a real community hub! I got the chance to take a look around and see the progress a couple of weeks ago.
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SOUTHERN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
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Spoke at Business South’s post-Budget lunch in Dunedin. This is a Budget that starts the process of getting NZ back on track.
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Opened Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust’s latest development on Wednesday in Carey St, Christchurch. Mix of affordable rentals, social and shared equity for first home buyers. Big congrats to the Trust and their partners for this great new development. Local MP Vanessa Weenink has been a strong supporter and it was wonderful to see her there.
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Great game from the Canes, onto the semis!
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MASTER BUILDERS COMMERCIAL PROJECTS
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A real pleasure to speak at the Master Builders Commercial Project Awards recently. A wonderful night celebrating some remarkable projects around the country.
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SCHOOL SPORTING LEADERS VISIT
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A few weeks back I caught up with sporting leaders from Nga Tawa, Rangitikei College and Feilding High School with local MP Suze Redmayne. Really enjoyed talking about sport and how important it is in our schools and our communities. Thanks for having me!
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FUNDING FOR 1500 NEW SOCIAL HOMES
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The community housing sector has a big role to play in housing Kiwis in need - its why I was proud to announce funding for 1,500 new social homes to be provided by community housing providers as part of the recent Budget. The Suzanne Lund Community Loft Apartments in Dunedin, which I was honoured to formally open last week are a fantastic example of what providers like the Salvation Army can do - in this case, taking an old rundown heritage building (which at one time housed a go kart track!) and turning it into 30 apartments for people on the social housing wait list. It’s been a labour of love for so many on the project team, and I know its new residents will love living there.
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LARGEST BUILD TO RENT DEVELOPMENT IN NZ
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Stoked to help the boss cut the ribbon at the opening of Resido, New Zealand’s largest Build To Rent development this week - and to announce that today we have introduced legislation to make it easier for overseas investors to build more fantastic housing developments like this one. Build To Rent developments, where the apartments are designed to be rented long-term rather than sold individually, are increasingly popular overseas, and here in NZ they’ll be one part of the solution to our housing crisis.
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