May
The month of May has brought about the inevitable dip in temperatures and the onset of autumn. However, it did not stop me attending a couple of BBQs in Onehunga. The first was organised by the local Police for youth in the area produced a great response as youth from different schools mixed well to take up the free sausages. It built on the relationships between the Police and youth in the area. The second was during National Youth Week and was a great way to celebrate youth and their contribution to our community.
I had the pleasure of attending the “Be a Hippie for HIPPY” fundraiser at the Onehunga RSA organised by the Onehunga Rotary Club. It was a great night of disco, dancing and weird dos (I borrowed an afro for the night!). Most importantly over $7,000 was raised for a worthwhile cause (the HIPPY program at Onehunga Primary School) in our community.
On 21 May I joined 150 guests to commemorate the opening of the Brother Priscillian Performing Arts and Cultural Centre at the Martin Hautus Institute on Onehunga Mall. It was not of great humour, colour and exceptional musical and cultural performances by the students of Martin Hautus.
Parliament has also been busy given May is Budget month. The Government produced a budget which built on the fiscal restraint of 2009. Budget 2010 produced the biggest reform of the tax system in nearly 25 years. The changes are designed to help boost economic growth, create jobs, boost incomes, raise living standards and help hard working Kiwis get ahead.
From October 1, tax rates will be cut across the board. This means 73 % of tax payers will pay no more than 17.5% income tax. GST will rise from 12.5 to 15 %. However, Superannuation, Benefits, Working for Families, Student Allowances and other income support will rise by 2.02 % to compensate for this.The average wage earner will be about $15 a week better off and the average family will be about $25 better off. You can calculate your tax cut at www.taxguide.govt.nz.
Other tax changes include cutting the company rate from 30 to 28 cents from 2011. This is positive for the many small to medium sized businesses in our area and will put New Zealand ahead of Australia's rates. Budget 2010 sees an extra $2.1 billion for health over the next four years, with $512 million this year. This includes $8 million for breast reconstruction surgery and $93 million for extra disability services.
The Budget sees an extra $1.4 billion for education, with $417 million this year. It includes $107 million extra for early childhood education and continued funding for 20 hours ECE.
$1.45 billion has been tagged for infrastructure projects, including $200 million for ultra-fast broadband, $500 million for rail (including rail to Onehunga), and $177.4 million for new school buildings.
April
April has been a great month in Maungakiekie.
I had the pleasure of attending the fundraising gala for Tayana Tutu, a young local girl who was fundraising to have a lung transplant in Australia. Held at Te Papapa School it proved a great way for the community to come together to support a local girl in need. The day provided live entertainment, tasty food, quick fire raffles and some real bargain purchases. Over $5,000 was raised. Tayana and family are currently in Melbourne awaiting her transplant and many in our community wish them well.
This month I also had the privilege of addressing the National Council of Women. The Council is an umbrella organisation for women’s issues and I enjoyed meeting with and exchanging ideas with the group about women’s issues of today. These include pay parity and the role of women in Government.
The Government released a document setting out options for a possible replacement of the Foreshore and Seabed Act. The Government’s proposal would place the foreshore and seabed in the public domain guaranteeing public access for all, respecting customary rights and interests and protecting existing use rights to the expiration of their term. I attended a hui in Mangere with Hon. Chris Finlayson, Minister of Treaty Negotiations in which the public were given the opportunity to provide constructive feedback on the proposal.
I had the privilege of watching the Onehunga High School 1St XV play in their promotion/ relegation match against Tangaroa College. The last time the team played in the A grade in 2003, I had the honour of being the team’s assistant coach. The team play an exciting brand of running rugby and were clearly the best team on the paddock (no bias intended!) However, Tangaroa scored a try deep into injury time to draw the game 17-17 and retain their status in the top division. My commiserations goto Steve Frier their coach, the team and their supporters. It was gut wrenching for all concerned but I know their time will come.
Finally I had the pleasure of hosting a breakfast for the US Consul General Randy W. Berry. A lifelong diplomat, Mr Berry has served in Bangladesh, Egypt and Uganda. He is one of first diplomatic appointments under the Obama administration. He spoke of the strong relationship between our countries and the importance of trade to both nations.
March
This month I hosted visits from Hon. Maurice Williamson who held a meeting for owners of leaky homes, Hon. Tim Groser who visited the CMA recycling plant in Onehunga, Hon Judith Collins who visited local Police stations and the Hon. Stephen Joyce who announced that the Mangere Bridge upgrade is seven months ahead of schedule!
We also held two successful meetings on National Standards with the Hon Anne Tolley. We had the biggest turnout in the country with a strong mix of parents, principals, and teachers discussing plans on how to improve achievement in our schools.
Another issue affecting our children are the more than 30,000 students who are truant from schools on any given day that is why the Government has doubled the funding to tackle this issue. We will also extend initiatives like electronic attendance registers; text messaging parents whose children are missing from school; reducing the time it takes to get non-enrolled students enrolled; and helping schools prosecute parents of persistent truants.
Last week three local high schools in Maungakiekie nominated a student to represent me in Youth Parliament 2010. To select a winner we asked the candidates to give a 5 minute speech on why they think they should be a Youth MP. They all gave fantastic speeches, but there can only be one winner. I’m pleased to announce that Monisha Singh of Onehunga High School will take up my seat in Parliament.
The plight of our youth is important to me so I am pleased that cabinet will consider action plans to help reduce the number of New Zealanders who die on our roads. Young Kiwis have a 60 per cent higher fatality rate on the roads than young Australians. These plans include raising the driving age to 16, zero blood-alcohol limits for young drivers and repeat drink drivers, introducing alcohol interlock technology and making changes to our give way rules.
Recently I attended the 18th Pasifika Festival. There was a great turnout of pacific people celebrating the diversity of pacific culture, dance, crafts and food. It was great to see so many Aucklanders participate in what has become an iconic festival bringing people from all over the world together.
Finally the highlight for me was the Onehunga Festival. It was a fun day out with beautiful Onehunga weather. - I even enjoyed taking a refreshing plunge at the dunking machine!
February
Gong Xi Fa Cai. Happy Year of the Golden Tiger.
I celebrated Chinese New Year at the ASB showgrounds in Greenlane. This is an important date in Auckland’s cultural calendar. It was a fun day spent with Aucklanders of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities.
On 12 February it was an honour to be a signatory to the agreement in principle between the Crown and Ngāti Whātua o Ōrakei. Once finalised this agreement will transfer the ownership of One Tree Hill/Maungakiekie into a trust. The trust will hold the maunga and will be co-governed by a board with equal membership from the Auckland Council and local iwi. I will be strongly advocating that this board re-plant a tree on One Tree Hill/Maungakiekie, an issue that residents of the area have requested for some time.
Our Government believes that the tax system has major problems with integrity, fairness, and incentives. We are carefully considering the way property is taxed, and a modest increase in the rate of GST, to no more than 15 percent. Prime Minister, John Key has made it clear that any increase would be accompanied by across-the-board reductions in personal taxes, as well as up-front increases in benefits, NZ Superannuation and Working for Families payments.
I’ve been blown away by the huge response towards plans to improve achievement in our schools through National Standards. It is clear that there is a lot of support for the plans to assess every child’s progress in reading, writing and numeracy, and report this to parents. I will be holding a public meeting with the Minister of Education Anne Tolley on this issue on Thursday March 11 between 5pm to 6pm at the Onehunga Community Centre.
In February I was proud to support James Roiauri and the New Zealand College of Massage who hosted a two day charity event, “Massage for a Difference”. The event raised over $8000 for the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation. It was great to see around 200 people, including sporting celebrities Valerie Vili and Yvonne Willering support such a worthwhile event. I’m proud of James, who as a leukaemia survivor has turned his adversity into a fundraising venture. He is a brave man who has done a lot to increase awareness of this cause.
And lastly, I look forward to seeing you at the Onehunga Festival on Saturday 20 March. It is always a fun day for friends and family.
Archived Months:
Month in Review: November 2009
Month in Review: September 2009
