Petty crime a blemish on a positive summer
Summer continues on the Coromandel and around our region.
There are still plenty of visitors wanting to make the most of what I hope will be several more months of good weather. Recently we’ve played host to some really impressive events.
The Wings and Wheels festival in Thames was a great day out and it was stunning to see the aero display over the town.
I also attended the Paeroa Highland Games and Tattoo, which continues to be a standout event on the local calendar and it’s not going to be long before Whangamata¯ ‘s famous Beach Hop returns for another year.
A huge thank you to everyone who was and is involved in organising these and other events around the region.
However, it hasn’t been all good news. A few incidents of petty crime marred what was otherwise a positive summer.
The damage done to property was completely unacceptable and people are rightfully frustrated by these senseless acts of vandalism. It’s going to take some time to restore law and order, but we must move away from the soft-on-crime approach that we’ve seen over the last six years.
My hat goes off to our local police, as well as those brought in over the summer, for the work that they do to keep our communities safe.
In terms of politics, the political year is now well underway, and the coalition Government has been
However, it hasn’t been all good news. A few incidents of petty crime marred what was otherwise a positive summer.
making its way through our 100-Day Plan.
After every election, ministers are briefed on the state of their portfolios. These make for grim reading and illustrate the turnaround job ahead. The top priority is rebuilding the economy and getting it working for all New Zealanders.
The wasteful spending has to stop. I’m pleased we’ve put an end to Labour’s ill-conceived and massively expensive Three Waters project.
A strong economy means we can afford better healthcare, education and build the roads and infrastructure we need. That’s where our focus needs to be and it is.