From house debates to some local delights
Juggling parliament with community activities
This week I want to touch on a few of the things I’ve been involved with in Parliament over the past week, as well as my usual community round-up. But one quick note up front on how Parliament and our community can meet. I’m inviting any local artists who would like to display art in my office in Parliament and in our region to submit a photo of their piece (any medium) and we’ll organise a rotation of local art to be proudly displayed in Parliament and in my local offices. You can send photos to otakievents@parliament.govt. nz and we can provide more details, or look on my Facebook page. I’m superproud of our region and want to display the amazing talent we have here.
In the House (the debating chamber you see on TV with all the green seats) I’ve been involved with passing legislation to enable New Zealand to bring the European Union Free Trade Agreement into force. The reason I’m involved is that I also sit on the foreign affairs, defence and trade select committee. By working with parties across the House, we’ve been able to pass this legislation a month or two earlier than expected. This is really important because at the moment New Zealand’s kiwifruit exports are about to arrive in Europe, and if we pass this legislation early then we save another $43 million for Kiwis. So when you read that Parliament is all conflict and arguing, and that National is rushing things through, read it with a grain of salt: we have worked with Act, Labour and the Greens to move this through quickly, and moving it quickly is absolutely in the best interest of Kiwis (and kiwifruit!).
In select committees (groups from all parties of about 7-9 MPs from all parties who specialise in different areas) this week I’ve been completing annual reviews of Government departments and agencies to assess their annual performance on behalf of Parliament. One trend is clear: budgets and headcounts have skyrocketed; the output or results have not. As a guide, in the Public Service the headcount has gone up over the past six years from about 47,000 to 63,000, and Government spending has increased about 80 per cent. A reduction of 6.5 per cent in this context is (to quote Nicola Willis) “a drop in the ocean” and still leaves budgets well above where they were even just a couple of years ago.
The other thing I’ve done with select committees is meet with diplomats and MPs from other countries. This week I met with the British High Commissioner and her team in New Zealand, and I met with MPs and ambassadors from Lithuania (viz Zoom). We discussed the Free Trade Agreement, the war in Ukraine, and other global issues including their perspective on China, the Pacific and more. I’m really enjoying my role representing Kiwis on these committees.
Closer to home, I hosted Dan Bidois (MP for Northcote) in our region last Friday. It was great to show him around and show off our region. We held a public meeting in Manakau with really strong attendance and a fantastic morning tea. I’ll keep hosting morning teas for seniors, as well as a range of events for other groups, so keep an eye on my Facebook page.
I also visited Lead The Way (leadership training with horses), held a pop-up clinic in Ō taki, met the mayor and CEO of HDC, the Yeah Girlz primary school cricket final game, Potter Brothers Chocolate, The Horowhenua Company (talking economic development for our region), Waikanae School Fair and Paraparaumu market, met with the chief executive of the RSA (nationally) as well as visiting the Levin RSA, Zespri, Canterbury University, the Kā piti Coast Youth Hui, Ō taki College, visited Foxton (to talk about the river) and the Greenery in Manakau. This just gives you a taste of the diversity we have in our amazing region, and I’m working hard for all of us to get across every bit of it and ensure I’m hearing your thoughts on what’s important to you, so I can represent you well in Wellington.
Can I finish by wishing you all a happy and relaxing Easter. I hope you get to enjoy some time with family and friends.