Good to get out and meet people

As I wrote this column, we were in Parliament for the first Scrutiny Week. This is where each select committee scrutinises the government’s spending plans, and what public entities achieve with that spending, to hold the government to account.

Last week was also Volunteer Week. I want to give a shout out to all those who make our communities a better place by offering their time and expertise without payment.

Dawn Ewing, my Oamaru office manager, visited the Oamaru Steam and Rail team and the Waitaki Resource Recovery Centre with scones, sweets and savouries to show our appreciation for the work they do. Well done and keep up the good work.

The last month has been pretty busy in Parliament with the announcement of our government’s first Budget.

Budget 2024 will make a welcome difference for the back pocket of hardworking New Zealanders. Average-income households will get up to an extra $102 a fortnight, and eligible families will also get up to $150 every two weeks for childcare through FamilyBoost. If you have not checked yet, visit budget.govt.nz/taxcalculator to find out how much relief you will get.

I have been getting up to more than just the Budget this month, though.

It was great to get out of Wellington and back into the community.

One thing I really love about this job is meeting so many different people: the individuals, the businesses, and the organisations. I want to give a special mention to Rex and Mitch Church whom I met recently in Waimate. Rex is captain of rodeo’s Invitational Indigenous New Zealand Māori Team, and will travel to the Mt Isa Mines Indigenous Rodeo in August. This is the first time an indigenous team from outside Australia has been invited to the rodeo and it will be a real privilege to compete and be part of a great history of this competition. Hopefully another transtasman trophy comes home.

Recently, I attended Fieldays with many of my National colleagues to hear from farmers around the country and discuss our latest announcements for the agriculture sector.

This government is ending the war on farmers because we know that the agriculture sector is the backbone of New Zealand’s economy.

As promised, we are taking agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme. It does not make sense to shut down farms only to send production overseas and raise global emissions.

We understand that farmers need practical tools to reduce their emissions without reducing production or exports. That’s why we are investing heavily in research and development to accelerate commercialisation and find innovative solutions to lower on-farm emissions.

I was also privileged to be invited to speak at the opening of the Ag Hub at Waimate High School. This is another community-driven initiative that will offer additional opportunities, including technical and specialist support for young people to enter the agricultural sector. I would like to congratulate all those involved. Well done.

This government is backing farmers because a profitable agriculture sector is key to rebuilding the country’s economy, easing the cost of living, and delivering the public services New Zealanders deserve.

I know there are many in the district who are happy that we are reviewing the earthquake-prone buildings system to make sure we are getting the balance right between public safety and costs put on building owners.

We are also working hard to reverse Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions as quickly as we can — I wish it could be today. Labour took two years and four months to sign their speed-limit rule. We are signing ours within a year of taking office.

And just this week we are changing the Building Act and Resource Management Act so that granny flats can be constructed without the need for a resource consent or building consent, making it more affordable for families to live the way that suits them best.

This government, to get our country back on track, is cutting the red tape holding back our economy.