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Wairarapa artists, architects, designers and landscape architects may be interested in the Prime Minister's call for "expressions of interest" for the planned New Zealand Memorial project in London's Hyde Park.
Plans for the memorial were announced in July 2003 and funding of $3 million over two years for its construction was announced in this year's Budget. Now the Government is starting the process of selecting a design for this important memorial and I'd like to see some of our very talented artisans among them.
Artists, architects, landscape architects and designers who would like to be considered are invited to register their interest with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
The memorial will commemorate the strong relationship New Zealand has with Britain, and the sacrifice made by New Zealanders who fought side by side with the British in times of war.
It will provide a focus for future London ceremonies, such as those marking ANZAC Day and other anniversaries important for New Zealand, and is to be sited at Hyde Park Corner, near the memorials established by other Commonwealth countries.
Those eligible to register an expression of interest are New Zealand residents or New Zealanders living overseas.
Wairarapa seasonal workers and some retirement village residents will be pleased the Government has introduced the Social Security (Social Assistance) Amendment Bill, which makes three significant amendments to the social security system.
These include extending eligibility for Accommodation Supplement to residents of retirement villages who have licence to occupy tenure and ensuring that benefit applicants who work for part of the year, such as seasonal workers, are not financially disadvantaged, by enabling them to elect a 52 week or 26 week income assessment period for the calculation of their stand down period.
It also includes changes to the regime which encourages sole parents to establish paternity for their children or apply for Child Support.
The Bill extends eligibility for Accommodation Supplement to residents of retirement villages who have a licence to occupy tenure, and who meet the other qualifying criteria for Accommodation Supplement, including an income and cash assets test.
From 1 July, 2005, it is expected that several hundred retirement village residents will qualify for an Accommodation Supplement of, on average, between $37 and $54 a week.
A stand down of between one and 10 weeks applies to most new applicants before their benefit commences. The stand down is currently calculated on the applicant's income in the 26 weeks before becoming entitled to the benefit and the number of children in their care. From 1 May 2005, all benefit applicants will be able to elect a 52 or 26 week income assessment period for the calculation of their stand down period.
At the moment some seasonal workers who work for part of the year can be disadvantaged by the 26-week assessment.
This change will benefit approximately 4500 people a year by reducing the length of their initial stand down and will also reduce disincentives for people to undertake seasonal work.
A further important change in the Bill is an increase in the reduction of benefit for sole parents who do not name the other parent, or apply for Child Support, or attend a hearing and give evidence at proceedings brought under the Child Support Act.
From 1 July, 2005, where three months have passed since the initial reduction of $22 per week was imposed, there will be a further reduction of $6 per week per beneficiary.
The State will step in to help one-parent families when they can't support themselves financially but in doing so the State expects the other parent to contribute to the costs of the child.
However we recognise it's not always possible to force sole parent beneficiaries to comply with their obligations.
Currently, the reduction in benefit does not apply when there is insufficient evidence to establish the identity of the other parent in law, where the sole parent is taking active steps to legally identify the other parent, or where the child was conceived as a result of incest or sexual violation.
From 1 July, 2005, there will be two new exemptions.
First, no reduction in benefit would apply where sole parent beneficiaries or their children would be at risk of violence should the sole parent comply with their obligations.
Second, no penalty would apply when there are compelling circumstances for the sole parent's failure to comply with their obligations and no child support is likely to be collected from the other parent in the foreseeable future.
New Zealand women, and that includes us in Wairarapa, are being encouraged to celebrate the 111th anniversary of women's suffrage by exercising their right to vote in the upcoming local body and district health board elections.
I am personally urging women of all ages to exercise their right to vote on October 9.
By doing so you can have your say about how your local community should grow and develop or the provision of health services in your region.
Suffragettes campaigned for the chance to influence society and ensure that future generations could have their say about the big issues affecting both the country and their lives.
Two months after women won the right to vote, 85 percent of New Zealand women were enrolled to vote and 65 percent of women actually voted in the 1893 election.
Today voting is a right that many women in New Zealand take for granted, with research showing that women remain less politically engaged than men.
New Zealand made history by being the first nation to introduce universal adult suffrage in 1893 so let's not let our forebears down.
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