Hosting the PM a real privilege
PM’s visit a chance to share Ō taki's local success
It was a real privilege to host the prime minister in the Ō taki electorate last week. He had just returned from his trip to Asia and I was able to convince him to come up the road and visit our town, before he headed to Auckland for Anzac Day.
I wanted to bring the PM to Otaki ¯ because I wanted to show off what an amazing place our region is; the coast and the people. I was particularly proud to show him the amazing work that happens at a really local level. I believe in the value of towns like Ō taki, Waikanae and Paraparaumu, and that the decisions we make as a Government should be based on our experiences, not just what happens in the big cities.
We visited Te puna Oranga o Otaki. ¯ They do amazing work in preventative health, school lunches, after-school programmes and helping our rangatahi or youth into work. I’ve loved getting to know them a little over the last few months. Our Government believe in local solutions and empowering our community sector, so it was the perfect place to bring Chris Luxon. I want to acknowledge Heniti Buick and her team for the amazing work they do.
When the PM visited we heard and saw National’s commitment to this region, from Ō 2NL to tackling the cost of living, growing our economy and improving public services like health and education. There is lots of work to do here and I’m committed to working hard to get the very best for all of us. As part of this, over the last month I’ve visited paramedics and a local health clinic this month, trying to find a way to deliver more support locally. I’ve visited local schools, and in particular I want to single out the team at Manakau school for a fantastic morning in the sunshine, playing football with the kids and talking to them about Parliament and the Air Force.
It was also special to join Anzac Day commemorations. The dawn service in Paraparaumu was a moving start to the day, in particular the family of Sergeant Al Don adding his name to the memorial gates in acknowledgement of his service and sacrifice in Vietnam. I also attended the Levin War Vets retirement service, the Levin civic service, the Ohau community service, and the Ō taki sunset service. Thank you to everyone who organised, attended, and supported these events.
There is still one more week to sign my petition to speed up our expressway to 110km/h. See the link on my Facebook page, or visit https://www.national.org.nz/makekapitiexpressway110. This is a safe, world-class expressway designed to be safe at higher speeds. No one has died on this new section of road, and I believe this is the right time to align the speed limit with the speed it was designed for, just like the new roads in Waikato and Bay of Plenty already at 110.
Finally, I’d love some support from our local youth. I’ve set up a local Youth Advisory Panel in Kā piti. I want to hear what matters to our young people and I want to give them more of a voice. The first meetings are in our local schools the week May 13-17 . If you’re not involved and would like to be, please let me know.