Palmy folk pull together to stay safe

Thanks to all of you for a great job in a really tough time

As we continue to face the Covid challenge, I want to, once again, say a huge thank you for everything you’re doing to keep our community safe.

New Zealanders have been doing it tough since Covid entered Aotearoa, and the people of Palmerston North are no exception. Wearing masks, getting vaccinated, and staying home during lockdowns have become almost normal, but I know many of you who have been unable to see friends or family for the past two years, and have felt these effects of Covid.

As we take the next step in our plan to reconnect with the world, I know many people here in Palmerston North will be looking forward to reuniting with family and friends from overseas.

Thanks to changes announced this month, vaccinated Kiwis overseas can now return to New Zealand without entering MIQ or having to self-isolate.

This means travellers can hop off a plane and immediately connect with family and friends.

This is an important step in our Covid response, and one I know many people here in Palmy have waited a long time for.

Being separated from loved ones has been, for many, one of the hardest parts of the pandemic.

While it’s been tough, this effort has saved countless lives.

Our border controls have resulted in New Zealand having fewer Covid deaths than most other countries, and ensured we could protect more people with boosters before Omicron spread into our communities.

Thanks to these efforts, I was able to enjoy an afternoon in Awapuni recently, where I met with constituents, checked out the council’s newest Buzzy Bee playground upgrade, and caught up with members of our Bhutanese community among the Community Gardens, where they were busy harvesting beans and pumpkins from their plots.

I’ve enjoyed being out and supporting local at our Farmers’

Markets, and it’s great to see many of you doing the same.

I also took part in Palmy’s Plastic Pollution Challenge recently, where I helped to clean up rubbish at Clausen Reserve.

As we continue to face the Covid challenge, I want to, once again, say a huge thank you for everything you’re doing to keep our community safe.

The next few weeks may not be easy, but I know that if we continue to work together and keep up those important health behaviours, we’ll make it through.

Please take care of yourselves, and each other, and continue to support our community in the coming weeks.