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My thanks again for the support and understanding shown to both myself and my staff over the past few weeks - it is greatly appreciated.
Jo is back on board in the Masterton office but I have to take things a bit quieter until after the June recess so that I can make a full recovery.
In the meantime, Karen, Sheryll and Jo are able to help with any problems.
The Retirement Villages Act 2003 was passed by Parliament late last year.
The aim of this legislation is to protect the occupational and financial rights of residents of retirement villages. An important part of the new Act is the Code of Residents' Rights which summarises the basic rights residents are entitled to under the Act.
These rights are:
- The right to services and other benefits promised in the occupational right agreement.
- The right to information relating to any matters affecting, or likely to affect the terms and conditions of residency.
- The right to be consulted by the operator about any proposed changes in the services and benefits provided and the charges that are paid that will or might have a material impact on occupancy; or ability to pay for the services and benefits provided.
- The right to complain to the operator and to receive a response within a reasonable time.
- The right to a speedy and efficient process for resolving disputes between resident and the operator or with other residents of the village.
- The right, in dealings with the operator or other residents of the village, to involve a support person to represent residents. The cost of involving a support person or person to represent residents must be met by them.
- The right to be treated with courtesy and have rights respected by the operator, the people who work at the village, and the people who provide services at the village.
- The right not to be exploited by the operator, the people who work at the village and the people who provide services at the village.
The Code recognises that all other residents have similar rights. The operator, the people who work at the village and the people who provide services at the village have rights also. In the same way as these people are expected to respect residents' rights, it is expected that residents will respect their rights and treat them with courtesy.
The aim of the Code is to promote a harmonious and positive village environment in which all residents can peacefully enjoy their retirement years.
More local government services are to be available on-line.
An agreement reached by Local Government New Zealand and the State Services Commission's E-government Unit will support the government web portal www.govt.nz with local government information.
This is a significant joint achievement which will benefit all New Zealanders. On-line government saves people time and is a popular, easy-to-use way of delivering services to New Zealanders.
The government portal already includes information from central government agencies, crown research institutes and the details of every local authority. Now, internet users will be able to access more and more local and regional council information on everything from dog licences and rating information to the opening hours of their local library, all from one portal.
The new agreement will extend the scope and range of the government portal, making it an even more valuable resource for accessing government services on-line. Currently, there are more than 120 council services listed on the portal.
This agreement will ensure that information is updated automatically and new information is created when there are generic changes in the local government sector, such as new legislation.
As you are aware, the Budget was announced last week and I am sure the main points have been well canvassed, but anyone wanting more information can log on to the Beehive website at www.beehive.govt.nz/budget.
A breakdown of early announcements include:
- $5.52 million over the next four financial years to build on the New Zealand Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy;
- an additional $39 million to tackle the illegal methamphetamine trade and organised crime over the next four years;
- $2.3 million for initiatives to build skills and assist in the transformation of the textile, clothing, footwear and carpet industry;
- a near doubling of funding for home energy efficiency retrofits so more than 6000 low-income families will have warmer, drier, healthier homes;
- $14.9 million over four years for the creation of four Family Safety Teams to provide a collaborative approach to dealing with family violence issues;
- new funding of $16.5 million over the next four years for Adult and Community Education;
- $4.3million over the next four years for a nationwide radio communications network for fisheries compliance officers to combat increasingly sophisticated poachers;
- jurors' fees will increase and they will be able to claim parking and childcare expenses as part of a $9 million package;
- a $56.9 million package of new and expanded initiatives to cement in the Government's commitment to provide all 15 to 19 year olds with a kick start to their working lives.
Finally my congratulations to Johanna Forrest, of Tararua College, who will be my representative at this year's Youth Parliament.
My thanks to all those who sent in applications. The standard was extremely high and it was very difficult to make a final selection.
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