It is also a safe place to live, and making sure that it stays that way is a top priority for me.
Community events like the superb Corstorphine Community Hub Christmas party over the weekend builds trust between neighbours.
We had a brilliant time eating barbecue and hangi, running for lollies, licking ice-creams, opening presents, listening to music and enjoying each other’s company and the sun.
Santa made a grand entrance on a motorbike thanks to Riders Against Teen Suicide.
I do not remember him being quite that cool when I was young.
The party was a huge success.
The contribution of preparing and serving food and putting the events together shows great role modelling by parents for our young ones coming through.
While Corstorphine may not have the wealthiest households in Taieri, it is one of the richest communities when it comes to social cohesion and resilience – and our young people are testament to that.
As a Government, we are committed alongside our local community to collectively support our young people who are navigating their way into adulthood and will support those who may have taken a wrong turn to get back onto the path to success.
Our Government is focused on tackling the problems that cause crime with solutions that are proven to work, while also making sure that appropriate consequences are in place.
We have rolled out a raft of measures to achieve this, including our Better Pathways package.
Announced in September, this package expands programmes that support young people back into education or employment, and it is already having an impact on offending.
Around half of the most serious and repeat young offenders that have been identified and targeted are now in education or training, and wrap-around support is in place to help them get back on the right track.
Now we are taking the next step in our plan with a circuit-breaker for a specific group of children who engage in serious and repeat offending.
It will ensure children who commit serious crimes will be dealt with immediately and receive the support they need to stop them offending again.
We know there is no single solution to tackling crime or the causes of it, but we are absolutely focused on putting in place solutions that work and helping at-risk young people turn their lives around.
