|
You may be aware that I have been unwell for the past few weeks and last week I had surgery to remove my gall bladder. Regrettably, I have had to cancel a number of commitments and I apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. I am extremely grateful to those who have sent me such lovely get well wishes. My recovery will take a few weeks therefore I am unable to commit to any invitations/constituency clinics until at least the middle of next month, and again I apologise for this. Please do not hesitate to contact any of my offices for assistance during this period. My Masterton Office was closed last week due to the death of Jo Seddon's mother. My staff in Wellington and Dannevirke, however, have been available to deal with any urgent queries. I wish to thank everyone for their patience during this difficult time. The Masterton Office will reopen on Tuesday 25 May.
Tararua windfarm
The opening of TrustPower's expanded Tararua windfarm on the 18th May marks the beginning of an era of rapid growth for wind power in New Zealand, by the end of this year New Zealand will have nearly four times as much wind generation as it does now. TrustPower's expansion of the Tararua wind farm is the first of several wind power developments that will come onstream in the near future, the windfarm, in the Manawatu Gorge area increases from 48 to 103 turbines, generating enough electricity to supply 28,000 average households. Electricity from wind farms and other new clean energy projects reduces the need for generation from gas or coal. This reduces the greenhouse gas emissions that help cause climate change, which is good news for the environment. It certainly is a spectacular site and wonderful landmark for the region.
Price of Petrol
Recent petrol price rises have sparked a number of reports in the media, unfortunately the increases seen recently in New Zealand is due to the increase in prices internationally. The international price of crude oil is at the highest it has been for ten years, as a result of the OPEC cartel restricting the supply of oil to the world market and the recent instability in the Middle East. The international price of petrol has actually increased more than that of crude oil because of high demand combined with low stocks in the USA. The Government monitors the margin between the cost of imported petrol and the price at the pump, and makes this information available here. This margin covers the cost of distribution, retail costs and profit and, as can be seen at the linked website, it has remained fairly steady in recent times. New Zealand is disadvantaged in terms of the cost of importing oil products because it is a small market situated a long way from the main suppliers. When making international price comparisons, the situation is complicated by differing tax regimes between countries. Compared to Australia, however, Ministry of Economic Development officials report that for the quarter ending March 2004 prices in Hobart and Darwin, excluding tax, were higher than in New Zealand main centres.
Crack down on drugs and crime
The Government's war on crime has received a $39 million boost aimed at putting those responsible for producing and pushing P behind bars. The money, from this year's Budget, will give Police a third 'clan lab' team and more drug intelligence officers, and ensure forensic analysts can meet the growing demand for their work in support of 'clan lab' prosecutions. The National Interception Centre - the Police's key weapon in combating gang involvement in the drug trade - will also get more staff and surveillance equipment. These initiatives are part of the Government's push to make communities safer by ensuring Police have the resources to effectively target crime. Over the last four years this Government has made a huge investment in policing. There is now a record number of police and a record Police budget of over $1 billion. As a result, the crime rate has fallen 13.8 percent since 1996 and crime resolution rates are the best they have been since 1987. We have also passed legislation, such as the new DNA profiling laws that came into effect last month, that greatly improve the Police's ability to apprehend and convict criminals. The result is more people are being brought to court and sentenced for their crimes. New sentencing laws passed in 2002 mean serious offenders are receiving longer sentences and serving more of that sentence in jail.
|
|
|
