Dear John 

Yesterday we heard that the Level 4 lockdown is continuing, at least until Friday this week for those of us outside of Auckland.

I know that this wasn't the news many wanted to hear, but with such low rates of vaccination, we must do whatever we can to curb this outbreak so that we can go back to enjoying the relative freedoms we are used to. 

Thank you to everyone who is writing to me, expressing your concerns with the Government's current handling of the outbreak. We've had a lot of correspondence from people questioning the Government's failures at the MIQ facilities that let the virus escape into our community and its slow vaccination programme

People are also concerned, however, about some other serious issues facing New Zealand. Issues like the Three Waters reform, over-regulation of rural NZ, lack of midwives and closures of birthing centres, lack of cancer funding, to name a few.  I'll cover some of those issues in my blog on my website and in my next newsletter.

I'll be going live tonight, Tuesday, 24 August 2021, at 8pm on Facebook to reflect on those and yesterday's announcement. It will be great if you can join me and share your thoughts, concerns and ideas. 

The National Caucus continues to work full steam to hold the Government to account for their decisions on behalf of all New Zealanders. Despite the Prime Minister deciding that Parliament won't reconvene just yet, we continue to ask the hard questions via other means, including written questions to Ministers directly. Ministers will be appearing before online select committees this week and you can watch some meetings live.

I hope to see you online tonight.

Kind regards,

Hon Louise Upston
http://louiseupston.national.org.nz/

Businesses can now apply for Wage Subsidy and Resurgence Support Payment (RSP)

As of today, Tuesday 24 August 2021, businesses that have seen at least a 30 per cent drop in revenue since Tuesday last week due to the Covid lockdown will be able to start applying for the Resurgence Support Payment. Businesses can already apply for the Wage Subsidy August 2021 payment.  More information here.

Suspension of Parliament is wrong

The Prime Minister has unilaterally decided she is suspending Parliament, thereby impacting MPs abilities to ask her questions directly and hold her to account for decisions on our behalf. It is now that we need to be able to exercise our democratic right to ask questions, and by shutting down our ability to do so directly, the Prime Minister's decision is mind-boggling and avoids scrutiny of her Government's actions.  Read Leader Judith Collins' press release.  

Vaccination target vital to avoid future lockdowns

The Prime Minister said on the AM show this morning that she doesn't believe in setting vaccination targets. She feels that people will have a 'she'll be alright' attitude and not get vaccinated if there was a target. We've said that New Zealand needs to set at least a 70-75 per cent target of eligible New Zealanders to avoid future countrywide lockdowns. In addition, our slow start to the vaccination programme means that many frontline and essential workers have to turn up to their jobs without vaccination. Leader Judith Collins shares her thoughts on this issue here.  

Rural NZ is being bombarded with pointless and onerous regulations and rules

Labour's latest regulatory hurdle for rural water schemes shows it is deeply out of touch with provincial New Zealand, National's Rural Communities spokesperson Barbara Kuriger and Local Government spokesperson Christopher Luxon said.  The Three Waters reform debacle is already a direct attack on local democracy and now the Water Services Bill that will see rural water schemes that supply water, for example, between a farmhouse, dairy shed, and worker's house targeted. The potential compliance cost and administrative burden for farmers will be significant. National will be opposing the reforms until issues are addressed, and we have launched a petition against the Water Services Bill. More information on this here.  

Lack of MIQ capacity for skilled dairy farmworkers

The latest lockdown could not have come at a worse time for dairy farmers who have started calving their cows. Farmers are telling me they are working extremely long hours because there aren't enough workers, placing additional strain on farming families already under the pump. My colleague Joseph Mooney MP has launched a petition seeking 500 allocated MIQ capacity for skilled dairy farmworkers. More on this here.