Focus on delivering the best for Kiwis

I’ve had an amazing week out in the community, from a local kindy to paramedics, the Hurricanes Poua in Levin, and beach art in Waikanae.

I’d like to give a big shout-out to Jenna-Lea Philpott of Beach Art Kā piti and all of the artists who joined us on Waikanae Beach on Saturday to create sand art. I had a great time with my daughters.

It was amazing watching artists Anja Wilhelmer and Ilana Singleton create huge temporary artworks like a giant jellyfish, as well as so many members of the public. I’d love to see this event grow as I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend a weekend afternoon in Kā piti. But before we get jokes about jellyfish and backbones, on to the rest of my week.

Last week the Government announced our latest action plan, which contains the things we’ll do in the next quarter to rebuild the economy and ease the cost of living. There are 36 action points to achieve by June 30.

This action plan is focused on three key areas: rebuilding the economy and easing the cost of living, restoring law and order, and delivering better public services. So what does that look like for us in Kā piti and Horowhenua?

Advocating for public services in our electorate is a major focus for me. This week I met with healthcare providers like Francis and Liz from Paraparaumu Free Ambulance and local clinics, and also education providers like the team at BestStart Childcare Waikanae.

These services are crucial to our community. The work we have done already prioritising visas for teachers makes a tangible difference, and even in our local ECE we rely on teachers from overseas. Wellington Free Ambulance service is just one piece of the health puzzle when it comes to delivering better services locally, and I’ll have more to say on that soon.

As part of the Q2 action plan, we have set clear and robust targets for improving public service outcomes, like decreasing wait times in ED, shorter wait times for ‘elective’ treatment (knee or hip surgery), and increasing school attendance.

Making tough decisions in the Budget is essential to supporting these services and reducing costs in our community. I am constantly reminded of how tough Kiwis are doing it. I see it in the supermarket and I speak to people about it every day.

To deliver on our promise of easing the cost of living we will pass a Budget that reduces wasteful spending and takes pressure off inflation. We will legislate to let you keep more of what you earn so you can meet the increased costs from the last few years, and we are delivering up to $75 a week to help with early childhood education costs.

We know these changes will make a difference to New Zealanders and there are more to come. I’ll keep working each week to ensure I’m out and about in the community, hearing the very real experiences, like I did this last week, and to ensure you are delivering the results that make life a little better for each of us.