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As the clean up continues following the flooding on March 30 the real extent of the damage is becoming clear.
Last week Labour candidate Denise MacKenzie and I visited some of the affected areas and Local Government Minister Chris Carter will be taking a look for himself this week.
In events such as this the immediate importance is the preservation of life and ensuring the provision of basic necessities, such as clean water, food and medicines. This was done and is a credit to our civil defence, emergency and local government staff under very adverse conditions.
The assessment of damage and losses comes later and is a time-consuming task as farmers check fencelines, stock, equipment, paddocks and tracks and home owners assess damage to houses and other property. These assessments will be dealt with as they come in.
Added to this is of course damage to roads, drains and bridges.
Some immediate clean up and financial help may be available through Taskforce Green so I encourage people to contact the Masterton Department of Work and Income office to see what their entitlements are.
Again my thanks for the way the community rallied around to help neighbours and friends.
A new $6 million initiative to help support, develop and promote outstanding examples of technology education in secondary schools has been launched by Associate Education Minister David Benson-Pope.
New Zealand needs more students to be better prepared for tertiary study and careers in technology. We need to ensure we have young people training in areas that will ease New Zealand's current skill shortages, and help our economy grow.
The largest project and one of the first to start will be Beacon Practice. Thirteen schools from around New Zealand with innovative technology programmes, including our own Tararua College, have been selected to receive extra funding and professional support as part of the initiative. Beacon Practice teachers will be supported in their schools by a Professional Support Facilitator, who will work alongside teachers. This facilitator will coach, model and mentor the teachers, along with outside help from industry and tertiary experts. The results will then be shared with secondary schools around New Zealand.
It is about helping to enhance the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning in secondary schools, with the aim of inspiring young people with the possibilities of a future career in technology.
Contributing to the professional development of staff across the education sector is an important focus for the Government. We will spend over $67 million dollars this year helping teachers and principals further advance their skills and knowledge. That is a 125 percent increase in funding since 1999.
We believe the investment is well worth it.
Beacon Practice is part of the Government's Growth and Innovation Framework (GIF) - Technology strategy, with a long-term aim of delivering long-term sustainable growth to improve the living standards of New Zealanders.
Paedophiles who groom children for sexual activity will face up to seven years' imprisonment under an amendment to a Bill currently before Parliament.
A new offence of sexual grooming will be added to the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2) when Parliament debates the Bill's committee stage within the next few weeks.
It is currently illegal for a man to engage in sexual activity with a young person under 16, and this Bill broadens that offence to cover women.
The sexual grooming amendment further extends the protection of young people from sexual predators by covering situations where a person contacts or arranges to meet a child, with the intention of having sexual activity, whether or not the intended abuse occurs.
Those who offend sexually against children are often habitual, repeat offenders. The Government has already enacted special laws to deal with the particular nature of their offending, such as the new extended supervision regime, and changes to make preventive detention more available. The new grooming offence will allow authorities to intervene and deal with those who sexually offend against children before a further victim is created.
New technology such as the Internet and cellphones have made it easier for sex offenders to groom their intended victims. Specifically criminalising this activity is part of the response to the problem, but equally important is education to ensure that parents and caregivers, as well as children, are aware of the risks and the steps they can take to keep safe.
As well as containing the sexual grooming offence, the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2) closes a loophole allowing women to escape punishment for committing sex offences against children.
Congratulations to Masterton farmers Trevor and Jo Lucas, who have been named 2005 Greater Wellington region Ballance Farm Environment Awards Supreme Winner.
Other winners include Peter, Penny and David Gawith, Miles and Janet King (who won two categories), Bill Benfield and Sue Delamare, Howard Egan, and Ed and Marilyn Beetham.
The Farm Environment Awards attracted a record 179 entries in seven regions and it is heartening to see our region so well represented.
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