|
I am sure that you are all very busy and sometimes frazzled at this time of the year. The first few weeks of December always seem to be frantic and, with the House sitting until close to Christmas, MPs are also feeling the pressure.
So it will have been extra frustrating for the large number of you who have been affected by the delays on the Wairarapa-Wellington rail service over the past few weeks. As you can probably imagine, I have received many complaints about this and am doing what I can to get Tranz Rail to act on these.
Unfortunately my hands are tied as Tranz Rail is a private company. However, I am working with the Wellington Regional Council and the local councils to try to force full disclosure to enable the Regional Council and its partner to purchase the service, giving Wairarapa ratepayers more control.
I have already written to both Tranz Rail and the Minister of Transport, the Hon Paul Swain, asking for urgent action over these delays and I'm pleased that following a meeting with the Minister last week Tranz Rail has agreed to bring forward its timetable to de-stress the Wairarapa line.
Previously this work was not going to be carried out until late 2003. However, as a result of Wednesday's meeting Tranz Rail has guaranteed to complete this work in January 2003, in line with its deadline to complete the de-stressing of the Wellington metro network.
I can sympathise with the frustration being felt by commuters, having been a regular passenger myself until recently, and you can rest assured that I will not stop exerting what pressure I can on Tranz Rail.
Good news for commuters though is last week's release of the New Zealand Transport Strategy and the introduction of the Land Transport Management Bill to Parliament. This will allow for more long-term planning of transport projects in Wairarapa with our roading and passenger transport projects aimed at reducing traffic congestion continuing to be the focus.
Already this year the Government has committed almost $96 million for projects in the wider Wellington region. And I am particularly pleased to see that funding for much-needed seal extensions on Mataikona Rd, Mt Holdsworth Rd and White Rock Rd have been approved.
On a completely different subject, I feel it's important to counter the assumption at large in the media that the government has "backed off" the repeal of Section 59 of the Crimes Act that gives parents the right to physically discipline their children. The truth is that the government is working through the issue and has not yet arrived at a conclusion.
More recently Cabinet discussed a paper looking at the kinds of options which might allow us to meet the requirements of the United Nations but it has at this stage made no final decisions. However, it did decide to invest in a campaign to provide parents and caregivers with alternatives to smacking.
A change to the law would mean children would be treated like everyone else in society. Adults are not allowed to physically punish or assault each other yet Section 59 currently provides a defence for adults who use force on children. Repeal of Section 59 would mean children would be protected from physical discipline within the family and their rights would be brought into line with those of adults.
This would not mean that a parent who restrained a toddler trying to get onto a busy road would face prosecution. Nor would a parent who smacked a child on the bottom. Such obviously necessary or trivial actions would not attract the attention of the law.
There is no doubt that any changes to laws concerning the physical discipline of children will be controversial. That is good. It is time for New Zealanders to think long and hard about the amount of violence that is aimed at children. The Wairarapa has lately had more than its fair share of children being maimed or killed by violent adults. Changing the way adults think about children and what is an appropriate way to discipline them is central to lowering the number of children who are scarred for life by violence.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have worked for the Aplin and Jetson families and their wider whanau over the past year.
It has been an extremely trying time for all concerned but last week's guilty verdict will help reinforce the message that violence will not be tolerated.
My sympathies once again to the family and I hope that they will now be left alone to grieve in peace.
The short lives of young Olympia and Saliel will not be forgotten and I hope their untimely deaths will remind us all that we must nurture our young people in an environment without abuse.
On a more positive note, last week we heard that two early childhood education centres in the Wairarapa will receive $386,487.50 to extend, upgrade or develop their buildings. This money will create an extra 25 places for children in licensed and chartered centres in Wairarapa over the next year. The funding comes from the early childhood education discretionary grants scheme and is part of the Government's recently launched 10-year strategic plan for early childhood education - Pathways to the Future: Nga Huarahi Arataki - which acknowledges the value of early childhood education for our children, and focuses on policies to increase participation and improve quality. In particular the plan focuses on getting more Māori, Pasifika and low socio-economic status children participating in early childhood education. Masterton East Kohitanga will receive $343,237.50 and Carterton Playcentre $43,2560 to upgrade their buildings.
The Wairarapa was also fortunate to receive a grant last week of $11,250 to help fund regional economic summit, as part of a new round of Industry New Zealand funding for regional initiatives.
I hope the next two weeks are not too stressful for you. Please try to take time out to soak up the aroha of your whanau, our beautiful weather, and the peace that we enjoy here in our special part of planet Earth.
|
|
|
