Dear John

In this issue:

• Minister's News

• In the House

• Electorate News

• Upcoming Engagement Opportunities

Minister's News

China Delegation

I was delighted to accompany the Prime Minister on his trade mission to China this month in my capacity as Minister for Tourism and Hospitality. The delegation included Minister Mark Mitchell, a senior business delegation, a kapa haka group and a media contingent.

China is our largest trading partner and also our third-largest tourism market. It plays a vital role in our economic story. Our visit to Shanghai and Beijing focused on growing trade, strengthening our tourism and education links and maximising opportunities for New Zealand businesses. It was also an opportunity to have bilateral talks. I was honoured to meet President Xi and Premier Li in Beijing as part of our government-to-government engagements.

A range of deals, memorandums of understanding and agreements were signed across the three days including a strategic partnership agreement between Tourism New Zealand and Trip.com to support tourism growth from across Asia, and a cooperation agreement between Tourism New Zealand and China Media Group. These agreements reflect the strength and opportunity in the New Zealand-China relationship and our people-to-people links.

We announced that we’re making it easier, faster and cheaper for Chinese visitors to transit via New Zealand.

We also launched Tourism New Zealand’s new global campaign in Beijing. More tourism means more visitors spending in towns and cities across New Zealand, including the Taupō electorate. It’s fantastic news for our economy and for all New Zealand families.

Jetstar Takes Off for Australia

I recently welcomed the first international Jetstar flight into Dunedin. Trans-Tasman flights between Hamilton and Dunedin and the Gold Coast, and Hamilton and Sydney, have begun this month creating more opportunities for tourists to visit to New Zealand, particularly for the ski season at this time of year.

Opening Soho

It was a pleasure to open the new Soho Basin and express lift at Cardrona, increasing its capacity from 4500 to 7000 people per day and making it New Zealand's largest ski field.

Fieldays

As always, Fieldays© was fast and furious, catching up with businesses and individuals from the Taupō electorate and those related to my portfolio areas (particularly Tourism) and hearing their highlights, especially around Budget 2025 announcements.

It was great to talk to exhibitors and Fieldays attendees about Investment Boost and the many Agriculture announcements that Government recently made to boost productivity, profitability and sustainability for our hard-working farmers and growers. One Taupō car dealer told me he’s sold 15 vehicles this month thanks to the Investment Boost tax deduction!

I had some great feedback on the action Government is taking. The mood in the primary industry sector especially seems more positive and optimistic.

I met with Zespri to discuss how they are hiring jobseekers into their orchards, DairyNZ who are focused on hiring local jobseekers on dairy farms, and tourism providers – such as Real Native and the Forgotten World Highway in Whangamōmona.

Anecdotally, business owners are preparing to invest more in growing their businesses, and as the primary sector is our largest export earner, followed by Tourism, that's a win for all New Zealanders.

Tourism Growth Roadmap

Tourism is playing a key part in our Government’s focus on Going for Growth. I was pleased to announce a $13.5million investment in international tourism marketing at Auckland Airport with the Prime Minister a few weeks ago. This investment is expected to deliver an extra 72,000 international visitors to our shores.

Encouraging more visitors means more people staying in our hotels, eating in our cafés, spending in our shops and visiting our attractions. This creates jobs and lifts incomes for New Zealanders.

Big Shout Out – Volunteer Week

At the beginning of the month, I had the pleasure of attending COMAVOL in Taupō both as the local MP but also as Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector.

June is Big Shout Out month and is a time for us to thank all the volunteers in our lives. There are so many fantastic volunteers across this country – providing support to those who need it while also undertaking life-saving work such as firefighting and search and rescue. Thank you to all of them.

I couldn’t be an MP without my local volunteers, so I want to thank all of my volunteers across the Taupō electorate too.

I also hosted a breakfast at Parliament with Volunteering New Zealand to thank the many volunteers that make New Zealand a better place.

In the House

Legislation

June has been a very busy month for passing key legislation in the House.

Last week, our Government passed legislation to fix the inconsistent treatment of boarder and rental payments to ensure boarders and renters will be treated equally when considering housing assistance. And we also passed legislation to strengthen oversight of Oranga Tamariki to ensure our young New Zealanders are better protected when in care.

Law and Order

Government is restoring real consequences for crime, including those who assault our first responders and prison officers who work hard to keep us safe.

The criminal justice system will be strengthened by:

• Capping the sentence discounts that judges can apply at 40 per cent when considering mitigating factors unless it would result in manifestly unjust sentencing outcomes.

• Preventing repeat discounts for youth and remorse. Lenient sentences are failing to deter offenders who continue to rely on their youth or expressions of remorse without making serious efforts to reform their behaviour.

• Responding to serious retail crime by introducing a new aggravating factor to address offences against sole charge workers and those whose home and business are interconnected, as committed to in the National-Act coalition agreement. 

• Encouraging the use of cumulative sentencing for offences committed while on bail, in custody, or on parole to denounce behaviour that indicates a disregard for the criminal justice system, as committed to in the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement. 

• Implementing a sliding scale for early guilty pleas with a maximum sentence discount of 25 per cent, reducing to a maximum of five per cent for a guilty plea entered during the trial. This will prevent undue discounts for late-stage guilty pleas and avoid unnecessary trials that are costly and stressful for victims.

• Amending the principles of sentencing to include requirement to take into account any information provided to the court about victims’ interests, as committed to in both coalition agreements.  

Two aggravating factors are also included which respond to:

• Adults who exploit children and young people by aiding or abetting them to offend

• Offenders who glorify their criminal activities by livestreaming or posting them online.

Scrutiny Week

Scrutiny Week is an opportunity for opposition parties to question Ministers' decisions, this month around Estimates (the Government's spending plans for the financial year ahead as set out in the recent Budget).

It is a good opportunity to clarify any misunderstandings.

GP Funding Boost

In addition to recently announced investments to boost the number of doctors and nurses working in primary care, general practices will get a 13.89 per cent funding increase this year, the largest funding boost ever, helping them provide better access to timely, quality healthcare.

General practices will be able to enrol more patients, improve access to appointments, improve immunisation rates, and keep fees as low as possible, especially for low-income earners.

They will also be able to perform more minor procedures, reducing wait times and taking pressure off hospitals.

Foreign Affairs

New Zealand continues to call for diplomacy and dialogue in the Middle East.

We’ve been encouraging New Zealanders to evacuate the Middle East for some time in case of increasing hostilities. This advice has been escalated and people are being encouraged to evacuate overland as soon as safely possible as air space in the region is closed.

New Zealand’s Embassy in Tehran is temporarily closed and staff have been evacuated.

As part of government efforts to pursue all options for assisting New Zealanders in harm’s way, government personnel and a C-130J Hercules aircraft have been deployed to the Middle East and will stand ready to assist if needed. The Government is also in discussion with commercial airlines to assess how they may be able to assist.

Have Your Say – RMA

The Government has opened public consultation on a package of changes to national direction under the Resource Management Act.

You can 'Have Your Say' on a range of issues including:

• Freshwater national direction reform

• Infrastructure and development (quarries and mines)

• Renewable electricity generation

• Granny flats and papakāinga

• Primary sector regulations

Public consultation will be open until 27 July 2025.

Electorate News

South Waikato Future Careers Expo

The South Waikato Future Careers Expo in Tokoroa last month exposed attendees to a wide range of career ideas and information for navigating life.

Well done to SWIFT, Toi-Ohomai, Space to Grow and South Waikato District Council for staging this successful event.

Waipā 2025 Community Careers Expo

If you're looking for inspiration for your next career move, Cambridge and Te Awamutu secondary schools are running a Community Careers Expo at Cambridge Town Hall from 1p.m. to 6p.m. on Thursday 24 July. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

Tīrau School Visit

Thanks to Tīrau Primary School Principal Siobhan Patterson and the school ambassadors who showed me around their vibrant campus on Friday – the last day of term and Pyjama Day! It was great to see the students so excited about their learning, including launching rockets!

Youth Advisory Board

I enjoyed meeting and reconnecting with senior high school students from across the electorate who attended my second Youth Advisory Board in Tokoroa on 13 June.

Youth MP Ryder Miller led some of the agenda items in preparation for his visit to Parliament this week. Ryder consulted other students about the Parliamentary Working Group (PWG) that he is part of. The PWG's inquiry topic is: Unlocking potential: Education, training and employment for disabled people.

Ryder also put a question to me as the Minister for Disability Issues in the House. The question the Youth Advisory Board agreed on is: What specific steps is the Ministry currently taking to ensure that rangatahi with disabilities in rural and underdeveloped areas have equal access to education, employment, and community opportunities, and how is the success of these initiatives being measured?

I look forward to seeing the Youth MPs in action this week. The proceedings will not be live-streamed, but a recording will be available after the event.

Malcolm Flowers Insurances Taupō Winter Festival

The tenth Taupō Winter Festival has kicked off (27 June to 13 July). A full programme includes stage shows, winter sports, and arts and crafts for people of all ages – a great way to chase the winter blues away.

Cambridge Friendly Forum

It was nice to catch up with those who attended my Friendly Forum on such a wet day in Cambridge last week and to answer questions and listen to your concerns so I can better represent you in Parliament. I appreciate your candid questions and feedback.

This is one of the ways I make myself accessible to my constituents. I represent everyone in the electorate. You do not have to be a National voter to attend or seek my assistance!

2025 Waipā Networks Business Award Winners

Last week I visited some more Waipā Networks Business Award winners. The Chiro Lab Ltd chiropractic and functional health clinic in Cambridge was awarded Excellence in Small Business. Well done team!

Leisurecom Homes

Leisurecom Homes build turn-key modular and relocatable homes at their factory in Cambridge and have built homes for sites as far away as Waiheke and Matarangi. It's always good to see local businesses creating innovative solutions to our housing challenges.

Speight's Taupō Marathon

The Speight's Taupō Marathon (2 August) offers everything from the Trail Tiger Kids' Dash and a 5km run to the full 42.2km marathon and will attract athletes from far and wide. Standard entry fees apply until 31 July, but to allow time for your name to be printed on your bib, get your entries in before midnight on Monday 14 July.

Registration on Friday 1st August 2025 and Saturday 2nd August 2025 (unless sold out prior) will incur a late fee. Late fees don't apply to the Kids' Dash.

Rural Assistance Payments

Farmers whose incomes have been severely affected by drought can apply for Rural Assistance Payments (until 28 October 2025) to help with essential living costs. Apply through the Ministry of Social Development (0800 559 009) or your local Rural Support Trust.

Attending Events

If you are organising an event that you would like me to attend, please contact my office well in advance (details below). My calendar fills up quickly!

Upcoming Engagement Opportunities

Facebook Live

You can join me online to discuss the issues that currently concern you on the second Tuesday of each month. 

To join my next live chat, head to Louise Upston MP | Facebook on Tuesday 8 July 2025 at 8 p.m. and type your questions or comments.

You can watch the last Facebook Live here.

Clinics and Friendly Forums

Note: Dates are subject to change.

Taupō Friendly Forum

Friday, 18 July, 10:00–11:30p.m.

Lake Taupō Rotary, 12 Story Place, Taupō

Taupō Clinic

Friday, 18 July, 2:00–3:30p.m.

Please call 07 3765563 or email [email protected] for an appointment.

Cambridge Clinic

Monday, 4 August, 2:00–3:30p.m.

Please call 07 8275572 or email [email protected] for an appointment.

South Waikato Friendly Forum – Putāruru

Friday, 15 August, 10:00–11:30p.m.

The Plaza, 50-56 Kensington Street, Putāruru

South Waikato Clinic – Tokoroa

Friday, 15 August, 2:00–3:00p.m.

Please call 07 8865554 or email [email protected] for an appointment.

Electorate Assistance

Cambridge Office:

Phone 07 8275572 or email [email protected]

South Waikato:

Phone 07 8865554 or email [email protected]

Taupō Office:

Phone 07 3765563 or email [email protected]

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Kind regards

Louise Upston
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