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It is a new year and I hope everyone is now settled back into work and school after the summer break. My congratulations to all who succeeded in their school work last year.
It is great to see the weather vastly improving but the downside to the golden weather is that farmers have been telling me that we need some rain now to ease dry conditions. Hopefully this will be without a repeat of last year's disastrous floods.
Of great importance to the Tararua District, ACC will continue to fund local rescue helicopters in the same way as they do at present. I personally took the matter up with ACC Minister Ruth Dyson and she has assured me Tararua District will keep their locally-based rescue helicopter service.
My thanks to Tararua Mayor Maureen Reynolds for her campaign opposing any change.
On the parliamentary front, the year has started with a hiss and a roar with the National front bench in disarray and a rousing speech by the Prime Minister.
In it she outlined Labour's top 10 achievements, which are:
- Growth higher than OECD average for the past five years (and now 4.6 percent)
- More than a quarter of a million more jobs in the past five years
- Unemployment down 44 percent from September 99 to September 04; and numbers of adults living on benefits down by over 100,000 - a drop of 23 percent
- Nearly 7000 new Modern Apprentices
- Minimum wage raised six times in six years
- Crime rate down to its lowest level for 21 years
- Health and education spending up by over 39 percent
- 3.7 million New Zealanders enrolled in Primary Health Organisations, with lower doctors fees and prescription charges for the young and old
- 2700 more teachers over and above those required for roll growth
- Working for Families package - benefiting 300,000 families and worth $1.1 billion per annum when fully implemented
This has got to be good for our country.
As for the National front bench, I was saddened that we started yet another year with Mr Brash demoting one of his leading women MPs.
Katherine Rich this year and Georgina Te Heuheu last year and he is losing Lynda Scott at the coming election due to his downgrading of health as a priority.
We in Wairarapa knew the importance National put on health as we put our hands around our hospitals.
Regarding the latest beneficiary bashing, there are 100,000 fewer beneficiaries under Labour than there were under National. Their policies have been tried and failed.
I know the majority of beneficiaries don't want to be there - I was there myself and know the feeling well. Penalising them still further will not create opportunities.
The year is shaping up to be an interesting contest.
I want to see the Muldoon's corner project on the Rimutaka Hill Road to be put back on its original track for construction.
Everyone in Wairarapa would like to see the project restored to its previous priority ranking and I'll be exploring the possibility of using some of the $100 million set aside for strategic roading in the Wellington Transport Project announcement.
I will work with Transit to ensure we get the right solution - and get Muldoon's corner sorted as soon as possible.
Much has happened since my last column but most notable must be the devastating Boxing Day earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
While it occurred in the Indian Ocean region, its effects were felt around the world as the death toll mounted in many nations. New Zealand families too were directly touched by this tragedy. Some of our people will never come home and some may never be identified.
Our thoughts are with their families and friends.
Much has again been said about the so-called surplus but Wairarapa workers don't have to look very far to see how the Government is spending their hard-earned tax dollars.
There is no huge surplus waiting to be spent or given in tax cuts. This myth is being spread by those who think it might just fool people.
The Government is spending the revenue it receives on essentials for economic growth, innovation and the betterment of New Zealand, with a huge focus on infrastructure.
In the Wairarapa electorate, government revenue, including some tagged as "surplus", is going into essential community projects including:
- A Crown capital contribution of $24.8m for the redevelopment of Masterton Hospital
- A share of the $200m Crown injection to upgrade the rail network
- New rail carriages start in service this year on the Wairarapa to Wellington line, after $10.6 million in direct government funding was added to $15.85 million from Transfund.
- The recent purchase of an adjoining site for redevelopment of the Masterton Police Station
- Nine schools in Wairarapa are receiving a total of $820,000 in funding to upgrade their school properties,
- Around 6000 people aged 65 and over living in Wairarapa can get cheaper doctor visits and $3 charges for many prescriptions
Some of the rest of the "surplus" is going to ensure the security of superannuation and to pay off government debt.
Until next time.
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