Hi John, 

I just wanted to send a brief email to you now that we are more than three weeks into the Covid-19 Lockdown period. It covers:

• Where you can get help,
• Anzac Day,
• Electorate boundary changes,
• A few ideas to occupy some time for your kids or yourself.

I know there are a lot of questions, and often not as many answers, but it has been very reassuring to see how well we have all been following the guidelines, self-isolating, and helping to stop the spread of this virus. Now it will be important to get the economy back up and running, and ensure we're supporting businesses to save jobs.

I'd also like to thank the huge number of people who signed up to my Adopt a Street campaign, and help our community during this time. We ended up with over 2000 homes which is an amazing result.

Where to get help

I would like to acknowledge how difficult this period will be for many among us. There is so much uncertainty around which jobs will still be here in a month or two months' time. Employees are worried about still having a job and being able to make ends meet; employers are just as worried about how they can continue, and how many jobs they may have to lose. I have heard from many of both over the last two weeks, and I know just how stressful it is. There is no silver bullet, but having a robust plan to rebuild our economy and create jobs will be vital over the next six months. This isn't just about protecting incomes, this is about saving jobs. Small and medium businesses are the engine room of our economy and we must support them as we move out of level 4.

In the meantime, at the bottom of this email are some contacts that may be helpful for you, and if you want to know more about Covid-19, you can visit https://covid19.govt.nz/.

Anzac Day

I’m proud to have served our country in the armed forces, and I’m proud to be backing the RSA's call to #StandAtDawn. Please join me.

Instead of attending a dawn service, we are encouraging all New Zealanders to go down to their gates and stand and observe one minute’s silence at 6am (or whatever you can safely do within your bubble).

If you've been following my Life under lockdown series online, you'll see a strong Anzac Day focus over the next week, hearing from other veterans within our community. 

Electorate Boundary Changes

You may have seen that today the new electorate boundaries were announced for the 2020 election. There are no changes to our Ōtaki Electorate. At this stage the election is still planned for Saturday September 19th. We need to wait and see if the Government choose to change this.

A few ideas

Finally, there are lots of ideas for things to do at home at the moment. Visit my facebook page for some ideas; the daily videos have some great ideas from other members of our community, and a number of websites like twinkl have some great free resources for your kids at home.

I'd also encourage you to join me in supporting The Creative Project. Make something creative, submit a photo, and it culminates in an exhibition once it's safe to hold one. This is a great way to occupy a bit of time, maybe use some recycled items, and keep those creative ideas flowing while you're stuck at home. 

My best wishes for you and your family during this time, as always I am here to help.

Tim Costley
https://timcostley.national.org.nz/