Dear John,
First the good news - summer is on the way, the Black Caps have made yet another World cricket final, and our vaccination rates in the Hutt and Wellington are pretty good.
Now to the bad news, of which sadly, there is quite a bit. My big role this year has been shadowing the government on their COVID-19 Response. In 2020, the government did well. We entered 2021 with freedoms much of the world didn't have. But this year has not gone well and right now, things are a massive mess. Consider this:
- Auckland has now been in lockdown for thirteen weeks. The Prime Minister has visited once, by airforce plane, but she went to a business that didn’t have to close.
- Once every DHB hits 90% double vaccination, we enter the traffic light system. Except two weeks after announcing the targets the Prime Minister said the whole country could move on November 29 whatever the actual numbers are.
- Aucklanders may be given a government allocated time to leave Auckland over summer. I said this was the stupidest idea I'd ever heard on radio, and I stand by that. Aucklanders should be able to leave over summer.
- Legislation for the traffic light system hasn’t even been introduced to Parliament.
- Vaccine certificates aren’t ready to go yet, even though the traffic light system depends on them. Work only started on their development in July. Every OECD country has them except us.
Frankly, it looks like the government is making it up as they go along. There has been a real failure to plan for delta and in fact government documents back that up.
A big focus for me in the last week has been a new campaign to the lottery of human misery that is MIQ. National launched a petition to end MIQ last Thursday and the response has been extraordinary - we've had over 80,000 people sign it already. You can do it too online - and please share it around. I've done a quick video which I've had very good feedback on: please check it out.
Right now there are over 1200 people with COVID isolating at home (three have died) but fully vaccinated New Zealanders without COVID go into MIQ. It doesn't make any sense and public health experts agree with National. The risk of ending MIQ is not zero but it is negligible - fully vaccinated Kiwis coming to New Zealand should be able to come home and skip MIQ. That will free up quarantine rooms for people who actually have COVID and enable them to get support they need.
NZ can't remain a hermit kingdom forever - and right now there are tens of thousands of Kiwis stuck offshore. The stories that hit my inbox each day are heartbreaking. It's time to do something about it and National is going to keep pushing hard.
In other news in the last couple of weeks, the government has released yet another round of options for consultation as part of the trainwreck that is "Let's Get Wellington Moving". The take home point is that nothing will happen until 2028 at the earliest. For four years now all that has happened in Wellington is debate, discussion and delay. It'll be fifteen years - 2043! - before the programme is complete. I'll be 60 and I became an MP when I was 31. Crazy stuff.
Finally this week, the Hutt is just 542 first doses away from hitting 90%! Please go and get vaccinated today if you haven't already.
If you'd like to support the work I'm doing in Parliament and the Hutt, I'm hosting a wee fundraiser with Nicola Willis and Erica Stanford in early December - details below if you'd like to come along.
Enjoy the weekend.
P.S Happy Diwali! I filmed a little video for Hutt Councillor Shazly Rasheed which has made people giggle a bit. Check it out.
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The contrast is clear - National wants to end MIQ right now; Labour says they'll wait until quarter 1 next year. That will mean thousands of Kiwis can't come home for Christmas. Please sign our petition.
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If you'd like to come along to Christmas Cocktails with Erica, Nicola and I at the end of the year then please head here. Would be great to see you.
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Happy Diwali! Jenna and I celebrated with a lovely meal at Ruchi on Jackson St.
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What a wonderful production of Aladdin by Wainuiomata’s youth theatre group, Acting Out. I loved the opening night. This group has really gone from strength to strength since being formed four years ago and their productions each year are always a highlight!
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Electric Plane Visits Wellington
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Exciting day last Monday at Wellington Airport as the first ever electric plane - yes you read that right - to cross Cook Strait landed. Zero emissions and cheap to run.
This is just a two seater, but SoundsAir has plans to run a 19 seater by 2026.
With electric buses on our roads, increasing numbers of EV cars, the electric ferry soon to launch in Wellington harbour, and soon planes… the future is bright.
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Visit to Pertronic with Nicola Grigg MP
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Real pleasure to take my friend and colleague Nicola Grigg MP to one of my favourite companies in the Hutt, Pertronic Industries last week. Nicola is our Trade spokesperson and doing a great job. David Percy gave us a tour and we chatted manufacturing; technology and exporting. A great Hutt company and a TIN100 company too.
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What a win by the Black Caps!
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Can't wait for the final against Australia - what an incredible victory by a remarkable team.
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Hutt Valley Vaccination rates by area
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Here is the breakdown of the Hutt Valley vaccination data by statistical area (roughly, each suburb). This is by first dose.
Seven areas are now above 95 percent: Trentham South, Normandale, Petone Central, Petone East, Petone Esplanade, Waterloo West and Eastbourne. Note the graph shows 95 but the numbers are actually higher (higher than 95 the Ministry doesn't give exact numbers so have gone with 95).
The majority of Hutt areas are now at 90 percent for first doses, which is awesome!
However there are nine Hutt Valley areas which haven't hit even 85 percent yet (Homedale East, Naenae Central, Arakura, Glendale, Pencarrow, Naenae North, Naenae South, Taita South, and Delaney). This is really concerning. I have written to the DHB about the plans for these areas. It's vital we get vaccination rates in these areas up, ASAP.
As Chris Hipkins says: Delta is coming. It's going to spread. It will make its way to the Hutt. We need to be ready and that means being vaccinated.
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A massive congratulations to the Hutt’s Gabrielle Cabauatan, who did so well at the National Finals of the Impact Dance Experience a couple of weeks ago. At the Gala night, she was declared the Overall Champion in her age category!
I’m told she has completed all her graded dance exams in Tap, Jazz and Contemporary and received Honours with Distinction in all 3, plus the examiner also awarded her with National Scholarships in all 3 genres. She will compete early February 2022 for the National Scholarship Awards. Congratulations Gabrielle!
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Beautiful day for monthly Waiwhetu Stream clean on Sunday!
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Been making this face a lot recently...
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Your regular Ladyhawke photo
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