Dear John,
Three big bits of news last week at Parliament.
On Wednesday the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care was tabled in Parliament. It's a huge document - thousands and thousands of pages - and it is the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand. It took place over six years and the inquiry heard from over 2000 survivors of abuse.
The inquiry report is a harrowing, horrifying read. As the Prime Minister said on Wednesday, "as a society and as the State we should have done better. I am determined that we will do better". The Crown will formally apologise on November 12, and the government will now be carefully considering the 138 recommendations of the report alongside the 95 recommendations from the interim report released in December 2021. The PM spoke to the report in Parliament on Wednesday - you can find his speech here.
Second, on Thursday we announced that the government is investing $803m into the Wairarapa and Manawatu rail lines! There’ll be a new fleet of 18 4-car units, so 72 in total. The new trains will double peak services on both lines, plus mean more off peak services. It'll create 15 minute time savings for Wairarapa commuters. This is great news for the Hutt as the Wairarapa line goes through the Hutt - so expect more trains and greater reliability. The new trains arrive 2028 and will enter service in 2029.
Third bit of news - the replacement of the Health NZ Board with a single commissioner, Dr Lester Levy. The previous government's health reforms have been an utter shambles, and we now have an overly centralised operating model, limited oversight of financial and non-financial performance, and fragmented administrative data. The government put a record amount into health in this year's Budget but Health NZ is currently overspending at the rate of approximately $130 million a month. Professor Levy is tasked with implementing a turnaround plan and a lot of work is going to be required. There will be a real focus on back office savings - between March 2018 and March 2024, back-office staff numbers which formerly sat at district health board level grew by around 2,500 people.
Tax Relief: In happier news, in two days time New Zealanders will get their first bit of tax relief for 14 years, with the Coalition Government's tax relief package kicking in. Check out the details here and you can check out the tax calculator here. National campaigned on tax relief and now we're delivering it! The reductions are modest but meaningful - and I know they'll make a big difference for many Hutt families.
Olympics: Have you managed to catch any of the Paris Olympics action yet? I always enjoy the first week in particular because of the swimming (I still remember Danyon Loader bringing home those two golds at Atlanta 96), but I'm rooting for all of our incredible athletes. I'll be there in Paris for the second week of the Games and for a range of diplomatic and trade functions - I'm looking forward to it. Shame about Erika Fairweather - 4th in the 400m Women's Freestyle - so close!
Kainga Ora anti-social behaviour: National campaigned on ensuring there are consequences for antisocial Kainga Ora tenants. When we came to office I directed the Board to replace their Sustaining Tenancies policy and take action, and we're starting to see some change. In the past three months 14 Kāinga Ora tenancies have been terminated due to disruptive behaviour or persistent rent arrears. Kāinga Ora also has an additional 25 applications to end tenancies for these reasons awaiting decisions by the Tenancy Tribunal. This is compared to only eight tenancies terminated for disruptive behaviour or rent arrears the whole of 2023. Still work to do but good progress!
Around the Hutt: A busy week last week around the Hutt, even with Parliament sitting. I enjoyed dropping into the big Pink Ribbon fundraiser at the Hutt Bowling Club organised by Bhakti Mistry from Bayleys and the inimitable Trish Perrins, I enjoyed catching up with people in one of my regular sessions at the Riverbank Markets last weekend, and it was good to see lots of people donating to Hutt Valley Women's Refuge on Saturday. On Friday Jenna and I enjoyed date night at the Eastbourne Scouts fundraiser - lots of money raised for a good cause.
Enjoy the rest of the week and as always if you need a hand with anything, please reach out.
Chris
PSA: Congrats to Cameron Harrison Butchery, who took out 4 massive awards at the Bacon and Ham Awards last week, as well as Hardy St Quality Meats!
|
|
|
Joined Simeon Brown, Nicola Willis and the chairs of the two Regional Councils for the announcement of new trains for the Wairarapa and Manawatu rail lines.
|
|
|
NZ'S BIGGEST ELECTRIC DUMP TRUCK
|
|
|
This ginormous dump truck up at Winstone Aggregates quarry in Belmont is fully electric! It's the second EV dump truck in NZ and the biggest. Was heaps of fun to go for a ride in it around the quarry. The electrification of the economy is a key way New Zealand will meet our climate goals and grow the economy.
|
|
|
Date night at the Eastbourne Sports and Services Club for the Eastbourne Scouts Soiree fundraiser. Lots of fun!
|
|
|
COLLECTING FOR WOMEN'S REFUGE
|
|
Collecting for Hutt Valley Women's Refuge on Saturday morning at Mitre 10 Petone. Thank you to everyone donating!
|
|
|
Was a wet morning last Saturday for one of my regular market sessions - hopefully better weather next time!
|
|
|
HIBS YOUNG ENTERPRISE TEAM AT BREWTOWN MARKETS
|
|
|
Well done to Carter and Koby from HIBS Young Enterprise team Beeswax and Beyond. Ran into these guys at the Brewtown Markets last Sunday. They’re selling a beeswax candle! Looking forward to trying it out.
|
|
|
WE'RE TAKING ACTION TO REDUCE ROAD CONES!
|
|
|
What a nightmare! This image is precisely why we are introducing new guidelines for temporary traffic management, with the aim of cutting unnecessary expenditure. We are also reviewing the Health and Safety at Work Act and the impact it has had on temporary traffic management, to see if changes are required.
|
|
|
Dropped into the Pink Ribbon fundraiser at the Bowling Club last weekend. My job - selling raffle balloons :)
|
|
|
OLYMPICS ARE SET TO BEGIN!
|
|
|
It was very cool to get at tour of AUT Millenium to see where so many of our Kiwi athletes train. Can’t wait to cheer them on as they step up to represent us on the world stage.
|
|
|
No matter how many times you see it, it's always a pleasure to take in.
|
|
|
FORTNIGHTLY JEREMY UPDATE
|
|
|
Watching the Petone v Ories nailbiter a couple of weekends ago at the Petone Rec :)
|
|
|
|
