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Well it's great to be back on deck after a bit of a break over Christmas and New Year. I hope everyone had a happy holiday and is ready for what the year ahead will bring us all.
I took the opportunity to get out and about over the break, which is often difficult when the House is in session, and am pleased to have been able to chat to quite a few constituents.
Some of you may have noticed that my electorate agent Jo Seddon has been somewhat out of action over the last few weeks after breaking her leg while visiting the Pinnacles. She has bravely struggled to keep the office going and I would like to thank her for her dedication in spite of her incapacitation. And thank you for your patience, if you were not attended to quite as promptly as usual.
Jo is now on the mend and things in the office are back to normal. We have moved into our new office at 80 Queen and our phone and fax numbers and email address remain the same.
A few items of interest that have happened over the past few weeks include:
- In education Minister Trevor Mallard welcomed the recommendations of the Alternative Disputes Resolution Panel on the issue of pay for non-degree teachers. The panel had been considering which non-degree teachers should be able to access the new top pay step and salary increments which were part of last year's secondary teachers settlement.
Personally I'm relieved the issue has been settled by the panel and I am pleased the new school year has started positively and with a clean slate, so teachers and students can focus on learning, without any other distractions.
- Also in education legislation passed by Parliament in the lead-up to Christmas now empowers the Government to set maximum fee levels institutions can charge. The first fee "maxima" will be set as part of the 2003 Budget for the 2004 academic year, as well as indicative fees for 2005 and 2006.
It is essential that students and their parents are able to accurately calculate what the cost of gaining a qualification will be.
The cost of tertiary study is a significant investment in young New Zealanders' futures. Until the new government froze fees, students and their parents had no idea what the cost of study would be, with fees rising on average 14 percent per year during the 1990s.
- For those concerned about the safety of travelling the Government has revised the presentation of its travel safety information into a user-friendlier format.
The new format enables people to easily find summary advice at a glance for a specified country on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website. It also links directly to any detailed advice New Zealand has issued for that country, as well as to the advice of our consular partners (Australia, the UK, US and Canada.)
The MFAT travel advisories can be accessed at the MFAT website www.mfat.govt.nz, clicking on the "Travelling Overseas" link.
- In rural matters a group has been set up to study issues around access to land.
Rural Affairs Minister Jim Sutton says the group has been set up due to concerns over the need to clarify and enhance the legal situation pertaining to public access over private land and the foreshore of lakes and the sea and along rivers.
The legal situation around the Queen's Chain is sometimes confusing, public understanding incomplete, and access over such land sometimes discouraged. People have the impression that the Queen's Chain applies to all beaches and rivers and that simply isn't true.
- The Government has launched an education campaign on new victims rights, which include:
- Victims must be kept informed of progress in the case against the accused/offender
- Information for preparing a Victim Impact Statement must be sought from all victims
- The range of offences under which victims may join a victim notification system has been extended. Those who have registered with the victim notification system are automatically informed of New Zealand Parole Board hearings involving consideration of the home detention, parole or release of the offender.
- All victims are entitled to make written submissions to the New Zealand Parole Board
- Where the Parole Board holds an attended hearing, victims who are registered with the victim notification system are entitled to appear to make submissions and other victims may, with the leave of the board, appear. Victims may also seek a pre-hearing interview with a board member when the parole hearing is to be unattended
- The court is required to take the views of victims into account when making a decision on final name suppression
Finally a cheering start to the New Year was the number of Wairarapa citizens who were justly acknowledged in the New Year's Honours list.
It is wonderful that the years of dedication from Colin Scadden, Grace Wheeler, Harry Walsh, Jan Burns, Kingi Matthews, Rt Hon Wyatt Creech in the southern end of the electorate and Ngaire Mountfort, and Diana Petersen in the northern part have been recognised.
Congratulations to you all.
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