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Dear John, Back in January a constituent came to me concerned that the train and ferry that he needed to take to get to work from Papakura were overcrowded for the Covid-19 Red alert level scenario. He wanted to know why Auckland Transport were not following the need for social distancing on their public transport offerings. Auckland Transport when asked, said that due to low demand at the time of year a limited timetable was being run and that more options would be provided ‘soon’ and the red setting did not require social distancing. They did not comment on the indoor gathering number being 100 at the time. During the worst of the lockdowns in Level 4 we were amused to note the empty buses running to timetable when out for the allowed walks. But why were they running – what was being gained when we were all required to be in our homes and not going anywhere? Now Auckland mayoral candidate Leo Molloy is asking why taxi and Uber drivers are fined $60 a time by Auckland Transport parking wardens for stopping in Auckland’s Viaduct area to let off or pick up booked passengers? As we know taxis and Ubers are generally quick and they stop to drop off or pick up very briefly. Mr Molloy is asking why some central city roads are constantly under repair using up rate payers’ money while others like Mill Road in the Papakura Electorate are ignored. As we know Mill Road’s upgrade had consented and consulted plans to improve and widen it back in 2016. These plans were shelved by Auckland Transport who are responsible for Auckland’s regional roads (at the behest of the government) at least twice. We do not know why this is when Mill Road and other roads like the East-West freight link to Onehunga are clearly needed to reduce traffic congestion and to prevent daily queues of commuter vehicles. Mr Molloy says he wants to hold Auckland Transport to task on their road improvements around the city. They have a huge fund of money from the regional fuel tax and they are not spending it to benefit Aucklanders at this time. Mr Molloy has also spoken out saying the government’s approach to covid-19 had “destroyed industries” and “torn the city apart”. He believes that inside capacity limits for hospitality businesses should be based on venue size, not the “one size fits all” approach taken by the government. Here in Papakura we have seen what Covid-19 hospitality restrictions have done to our own RSA organisation. It has not renewed its lease in Elliot Street because of increasing costs and declining numbers of members and visitors. An auction is going to be held for the fixtures and fittings on 9 April. And sadly there will be no public ANZAC Day Services or Parade in Papakura this year. It has not been widely publicised and I am sure it will come as a shock to many Papakura residents and families. If I am asked what the government could do to help similar clubs, restaurants and the hospitality industry generally, I would agree with Molloy who says that “there should be a person listening to the small business community.” ANZAC DAY 2022 The Papakura RSA is having a private ceremony on 25 April 2022 and the Papakura Local Board and the Papakura Business Association will be laying wreaths at the Papakura Cenotaph. Drury township is having a ceremony at 11am on 25 April 2022 to commemorate 100 years since the Cenotaph in Drury was commissioned. Auckland Council ANZAC Day events will be available on this website in the next week or so: https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/events/2022/04/anzac-day-2022/ National Caucus Economic Update Overall inflation in the last quarter of 2021 was 5.9 per cent and it is expected to rise. We know that supply chain problems especially around building products, commodity shortages and the current energy crisis are contributing. But New Zealand’s inflation is higher than Australia’s which is 3.5 per cent or even the UK where inflation is 5.4 per cent. Rising housing and transportation costs have contributed considerably with food not far behind, up 6.8 per cent in February 2022. Housing costs include rates rises of 7.1 per cent and new housing costs are up 16 per cent. Rising rentals are out of control and Labour’s plan to remove interest deductibility and extend the bright line test has made this worse as landlords sell their rental properties. Officials warned the Government that this would happen, but they ignored the advice and now low and middle income families are suffering higher rentals as a result their arrogance. Our tight employment market is also contributing to inflation as wages have to increase due to minimum wage increases, pay parity and labour shortages. This will potentially cause an upward wages and price of goods and services spiral. The Government will forge ahead with a plan to force petrol retailers to green their fuels with biofuels next year, which will likely put up petrol and diesel prices by 5 to 10 cents a litre, according to fuel industry officials. The current surge in inflation is a risk to everyone and it affects and threatens economic growth across New Zealand. All of this plus hiking interest rates will hurt average income earners. National is proposing to adjust tax brackets for inflation to reduce the negative effects. It will also protect low and middle income earners. We want an affordable standard of living for all New Zealanders. Best wishes, Judith Hon Judith Collins
Hon Judith
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