Melling gets funded - again

What a relief - Melling funding confirmed!
Dear John,

The big news of the last couple of weeks has been the announcement ([link removed]) that the funding for Melling has been reconfirmed - what a relief! ([link removed]) It's been a worrying last month or so after the government suddenly revealed ([link removed]) a month ago that projects initially announced in January 2020 as "fully-funded" were at risk, including Melling (as well as four laning Otaki to north Levin).

In recent weeks thousands of people signed my new ‘Commit to Melling’ petition and many emailed the Minister directly telling him to commit to Melling. Thank you for doing that! I know it was a frustrating process after all the work in 2019 to get Melling over the line and then the funding announcement in January 2020, which everyone thought had settled the matter. The new price tag is $420 million which is expensive, but it'll be worth it. Construction is due to start at the end of next year and I'll be watching progress closely. How the mess of Melling being funded, then maybe not, then funded again came about is nicely covered in this long article from Stuff ([link removed]) on the weekend.

While it's great Melling will go ahead, we also need progress on a range of other transport projects in the Hutt as well, including the Cross Valley Link, Petone to Grenada, and an upgrade at the Kennedy Good/Kelson intersection. The Council has just included funding for the Cross Valley Link in the new Long Term Plan, which is great to see, but the government will have to come to the party with funding too. National's policy is to fully-fund (from central government) the Cross Valley Link and Petone to Grenada as a new state highway, and I've said to the Council that while we're not in government, I will advocate as hard as I can for the government to commit to these projects. Watch this space.

Still on transport, I'm holding a public meeting about a second access road for Wainuiomata ([link removed]) on Thursday 1 July from 7pm at the Bilderbeck Hall in Wainui. Come along and have your say - it's an important issue. My view is Wainui needs a second access to increase resilience and to unlock more land for housing to help address the Hutt housing crisis.

Parliament's been back for the last couple of weeks and I remain focused on the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, which continues to be messy. We're now well into June and so group 3 should be well underway but I'm hearing so many stories of people trying without luck to obtain information about when they'll be able to get vaccinated. We were meant to have done all border/MIQ workers and their household contacts by the end of March but 3800 or so border workers haven't had a single jab ([link removed]) and thousands more of their household contacts haven't either. Meanwhile, GPs say they're just as confused
([link removed]) about what's happening as the public!

I'm worried, like the Auditor-General, that the roll-out won't achieve its goal of every adult being offered a vaccine by the end of the year. I'd be interested in your views and experiences. Flick me an email (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Vaccination%20experience) with what you've experienced if you're willing.

You can read about what else I've been up to in the rest of this newsletter, including presenting an important new petition to Parliament, visiting Goodtime Music Academy in the Hutt and hosting the NZ Schools' Debating Champs at Parliament. It's been a busy couple of weeks!

Finally, a reminder I'm hosting a fundraising dinner on Monday 28 June with Judith Collins. Details below. Be great to have you along. Tickets here ([link removed]) or email us. (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Dinner%20w%20Judith%2028%20June)

Have a great weekend,

Chris

P.S Did you see the this great profile of Petone from Newstalk ZB? Check it out. ([link removed])
Great news on Melling!
What a relief! I've been proud to lead the campaign - again - to get Melling funding over the line.
Divorce Law Petition
[link removed]
Meet Ashley. Did you know that in New Zealand, you need to be separated for 2 years before you can file for a divorce, even in the case of family violence?

Ashley wants to change that and she's put forward a petition to Parliament ([link removed]) which I'll be proud to present to Parliament soon.

Ashley has very bravely put herself forward as someone who has been affected by abuse within a marriage. She says that the current law allows abusers to continue to have power over former partners for up to two years, and that in some cases it keeps people in abusive relationships because it feels like there is no way out, or causes those that do try leave to be sucked back in by their abuser.

Lots of other countries have exceptions to the stand down period for divorce for those that have suffered domestic violence. If you agree, please sign Ashley's petition.

The petition closes on 22 June and after that I will present it to Parliament. You can sign it here. ([link removed])
Dinner with Judith Collins
This is my major annual fundraiser and it would be great to have your support - tickets from here. ([link removed])
We're falling behind on vaccines
New Zealand is one of the slowest countries in the OECD for rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine. We were told this would be the ‘year of the vaccine’ and that we would be at the front of the queue. We're not.
Public Meeting: Wainuiomata Second Access Road
Please come along and have your say on this important issue.
Schools' Debating Champs Final
It was a pleasure last Monday to host the Grand Final of the NZIER NZ Schools' Debating Championships at Parliament. Wellington faced off against Hawke’s Bay in a spirited debate on abolishing the MMP threshold. Was tough for me sitting in the audience as I used to coach Hawke’s Bay when I was a uni student, but won the competition back in 2000 for Wellington! It was a fun debate and Wellington were the eventual winners. The NZ Schools Debating Championships is a fantastic competition and one I am very proud to be associated with.
Farewell Nick
Said goodbye to my mate Nick Smith MP last night who gave his final speech in the House yesterday afternoon. Wore my blue/green tie in honour of him 🙂

Nick was one of the MPs who hired me for the National Research Unit when I was finishing uni back in 2007/8. I enjoyed working with him. He has a prodigious work ethic and loves his job. He was an outstanding Minister across many different portfolios and a great performer in the House.

Nick has been a valued friend and mentor to me since I became an MP. He won the seat of Tasman for National in 1990 and then won the seat of Nelson in 1996, which he held until the most recent election. Nelson has always been a swing or marginal seat and the fact Nick kept winning it was a real tribute to his incredible local work.

In my own work in the Hutt as first a List MP, then MP for Hutt South, now as a List MP I have tried to model myself on Nick’s tireless and boundless enthusiasm, his advocacy for local projects, people and causes, and his passion.

Parliament will miss Nick. I know I will.
Hutt Valley Sports Awards
Incredible Hutt Valley Sports Awards on Thursday night last week. Always a brilliant evening. Well done to the organising committee and all the winners and nominees. Pictured here with Upper Hutt City Councillor, Dylan Bentley.
Visit to Goodtime
Loved my visit to Goodtime Music Academy a couple of Fridays ago to check out the Goodtime Foundation programme which I help sponsor. On Friday afternoons the Foundation provides a free music scholarship programme - a safe, fun and creative environment with positive peers/role models for disadvantaged kids who would otherwise not have access to learning an instrument. The Foundation collects the students from school by bus and returns them once the learning is done in the afternoon. An amazing charity doing great work. I even had a go on the drums, check out the video here! (http:// [link removed])
Visit to Wesley Rata Village
National's Housing Spokesperson Nicola Willis and I called in at the new Wesley Rātā village in Naenae the other day to check out the housing development there. There are 25 newly-built homes constructed on the former site of the Wesleyhaven Resthome and Hospital. Affordable rental built specifically for families on the social housing waiting list. Great to see the land repurposed and Wesley Community Action do a great job providing a real sense of community too - while I was there I had the privilege of drawing the raffle at one of the regular afternoon teas in the hall.

The old Wesleyhaven in Naenae was established in 1952 and provided aged care for Hutt seniors (particularly vulnerable and high needs folk). My family had a connection to it through the Methodist church and my Nana spent some time there in respite care when she was ill. It closed in 2017, but it's great to see the site still providing housing for people, just in a different way. Pretty cool also that the houses were built with Kiwi Can Do, which supports young people on the benefit into building jobs.

Submitting on my Bill
Bit of an unusual experience last week - normally I am the one listening to submissions on Bills before Parliament, this time I was submitting on my own Bill! This is the my Lawyers and Conveyancers (Employed Lawyers Providing Free Legal Services) Amendment Bill which amends the law to allow a lawyer who is an employee to do free legal work other than for the lawyer’s employer on conditions set by the New Zealand Law Society. Will help increase access to justice and make it easier for people to get some free legal work.
The Bill is currently before the Justice Committee.

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Help there's a cloud on my couch
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