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Hi John, here’s your June update. See below for an update on 110km/hr on TG, boy racers, design changes to Ō2NL, and a special event for our South African community. The budget up frontBefore I get to the monthly update I do want to cover a few big highlights in the budget that was released May 22nd:
Also this month:
First up, I have to acknowledge what’s happening on our roads. Three key areas. 110km/hr on TG?This month Transport Minister Chris Bishop and I announced that we are consulting on increasing the speed limit on SH1 Transmission Gully and Raumati Straights to 110km/hr. TG has brought huge growth to our region, with significant benefits including increased connectivity for families and productivity for local businesses. It’s a world-class safe road that has never had a fatality. Have your say on the speed change here. Boy racers in LevinSome of you will have seen the update I wrote on a recent boy racer event in Levin. I drove up to Levin that weekend to join the Police Minister (Hon Mark Mitchell) and the Police Commissioner (Richard Chambers) the next day. We spent time with Horowhenua Police thanking them and seeing their strong response to end a dangerous, unwanted and idiotic activity. I had been working with Police and drafted a Member’s Bill to support the Police response, and this has now been incorporated in our new Government law change to really crack down on both the drivers and the spectators. The new laws strengthen penalties for anti-social road users; anyone involved in illegal street racing, fleeing from Police, or taking part in intimidating convoys will face harsh consequences, including the forfeiture or destruction of their vehicle after only one offence. Read more about the changes here. Ō2NLFinally on roads, I’ve been really active over the last couple of months fighting for improvements to the final design for the new Ō2NL Expressway. NZTA proposed a number of changes to the design, and while I support the need to stick to both a budget and a timeline, and I support a number of the changes proposed, there are also some that concern me. These include the removal of the Tararua Road Interchange, the southbound on-ramp at Taylor’s Road, and the over-bridge at Manakau Heights Drive. The next step is that NZTA take their proposal to the Board and the Board make the final decision (not an MP or Minister). So I’ve worked hard collecting and collating local submissions, and working hard to demonstrate the strong local support for the best possible road. This is all about working hard as an MP to gain influence and shape the outcome we want as a community. I’ve sent my final plea to NZTA in time for their final submission to the Board for approval, and I’m really hopeful that my work and all of your support will achieve us getting the best possible result we can from here, and an improvement on what was previously announced as the final design. Calling our South African community
Kom geniet saam met ons. I love engaging with every community and ethnic group in our region. This event is especially for our amazing local South African ex-pats. I'd love to invite everyone from that group to join me at the South African Pantry on Rimu Road in Paraparaumu, Thursday July 3rd, 5.30-7pm. No cost and light refreshments provided. Hosting Nicola WillisAs part of a busy month (see below) it was fantastic having our Finance Minister, Hon Nicola Willis, in our region to speak about this year's budget, and to get a better understanding of our local Going For Growth story. We attended the Electra Business Breakfast where Nicola was keynote speaker for a crowd of 200; next was the Kāpiti Coast council's Going For Growth summit with key council, iwi, business and community leaders; we visited the Ōtaki Memorial Hall to meet children from the Ōtaki Kid's Market (they are amazing!); we visited the new Waikanae Coastguard shed, the construction of the new Waikanae Boat Club, and spoke to a group of over-60s.
I'm always proud to bring Ministers and MPs to our region, with other visiting Ministers over the last month including Hon Simon Watts and Hon Scott Simpson, attending a range of events across Horowhenua, Kāpiti and Whitby/Plimmerton. This is my favourite part of NZ and I'm proud to represent it and show it off to others. Local eventsIt’s been another chocka-block month with over 40 local events and visits to community organisations, including Porirua Whanāu Centre, Porirua (Wellington) Free ambulance, Kāpiti Youth Support, Paremata local businesses event, Raumati Homes4All, Kāpiti Health Centre, Levin Police Station, Kāpiti Economic Growth and Investment summit, He Tangata Housing village, Antipodes Audio Ōtaki, Electra Business Breakfast, the new Levin Health Hub site, Vets on Riverbank, the opening of the Waikanae Coastguard Shed, Horowhenua District Ratepayers Association Public Meeting and Charles Fleming Retirement Village – to name just a few. I also ran Youth Advisory Panels at Paraparaumu, Waiopehu and Horowhenua colleges alongside my Youth MP, Aroa. I took part in the Mary Potter Hospice Street Appeal and hosted three Ministers above, all around my usual time in Parliament three to four days per week, and visited other electorates to pay-back those who visit our region.
In the newsBudget 2025 – A “no BS” Budget There has been a lot of talk about the Budget this year, including over $7.5bn in new health funding initiatives, $2.5bn for education, more local GP appointments, expanded after-hours medical, 2 million extra teacher aid hours in our classrooms (which is HUGE compared to where we are now). One Levin Doctor told me that our change to prescription rules (you can now get 12 months, not just 90 days) means that he can see 15 extra patients per week and it will "dramatically shorten" wait times for your local GP. But I want to highlight one really popular policy I’ve heard lots of feedback on: Investment Boost. Investment Boost means that any business, any tradie, any farmer can claim an immediate 20 per cent deduction on the cost of a new asset from their taxable income, on top of normal depreciation. I’ve already heard examples of new tractors, new tools, new industrial equipment and more being purchased, which all pumps money into the local economy. One farmer said he bought three tractors the next day directly because of this policy. That's good for the farmer, the retailer, and all those local businesses that the money flows to. This all sits against a backdrop of a Government focused on reducing inflation and interest rates, so that (along with policies like Investment Boost) we accelerate growth in our economy. The reason is simple: helping businesses to succeed is the route to more jobs, higher incomes and better public services. Delivering for Kiwi families remains my top focus, and that of our National-led Government. Read more about Budget 2025: https://www.national.org.nz/budget2025 A few helpful links to find out more: 18/19-year-olds who don’t study or work Nicola Willis on Investment Boost Christopher Luxon on Investment Boost Nicola Willis OCR announcement
Upcoming eventsStill plenty to join in at:
That's it for this month. Best wishes,
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