Angie’s New Year message

KBy Angie Warren-Clark Bay of Plenty List MP

ia ora Ōmokoroa whānau, welcome to 2022. Happy New Year! 2021 was a tough year involving hard work, compromise and significant changes to daily life. The switch from elimination to minimisation and protection has called for New Zealanders to adapt and respond in real-time. At the end of the day, we are doing what needed to be done, and overall New Zealand has done extremely well.

As long as we continue to wear our masks, scan in, wash/sanitise our hands and keep our vaccine passes handy we’re on track to minimise spread and protect our people. A huge thank you to everybody for all you have done for the team.

How awesome it is to now be enjoying the summer with friends and family, with whom you can find me at the beach – in or on the water. We’re so lucky in New Zealand to be able to swim, surf, fish, snorkel, dive and maybe even forget for a moment that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic.

While you’re out there, make sure you know your fishing limits and if you need a refresher check the MPI website or better yet download the ‘NZ Fishing Rules’ app so you have the info on hand.

My message to our communities is to look after our individual and collective health, safety and wellbeing. At home with our families, out and about, while we’re getting from A to B. With the relative freedom we have, let’s remember to be patient on the roads and drive to the conditions.

In honour of our wonderful lifeguards – local heroes that they are - swim between the flags. To honour yourself… ‘slip, slop, slap and wrap’ to protect your skin and eyes from UV radiation. This just needs to be second nature in a country with such high skin cancer rates.

Be kind and remember there is usually a reason somebody views things in a way that seems new to you. There is strength in diversity, and nobody wants to be bored, right?