I love being the Member of Parliament for Tauranga and having the opportunity to meet with many of you and represent our amazing hometown in Wellington.
Constituents tell me the number one issue facing them is the cost of living. Inflation has come down from 7.3% to 2.7%. and the RBNZ has lowered interest rates by a whopping 2.5%! The average mortgage holding Kiwi family gets to keep $330 more per fortnight. There’s still a lot of work to do because many Kiwi families are doing it tough out there, with council rates, insurance and power costs continually blowing out.
I’ve been strongly advocating on behalf of Tauranga CBD. I’ve asked TCC to consider free parking for the first 30-60 minutes and free after 3pm. We should cut the anti-car ideology, listen to local businesses and get people back into town. It used to be a thriving hub, and that was with two-way streets and lots of car parks! Let’s encourage people back into our city and make it the vibrant town centre it once was.
A Regional Deal will deliver a huge boost to our local economy and provide more jobs and better incomes. It will deliver long term agreement on key infrastructure, such as state highways (Takitimu Northern Link from Tauranga to Omokoroa, Tauriko West, SH29 and SH29A Barkes Corner to Tauriko), deliver thousands more homes that we desperately need and a number of other key regional projects. Many people have worked hard on this and I’m stoked that we’re likely to be the first cab off the rank.
A couple of years back law and order was a big issue, now it doesn’t register as much. That’s because there’s more Police on the beat, gang patches are a distant memory, ram raids are down 85%, youth crime in the Bay of Plenty is down 33% and across NZ there are 29,000 fewer victims of violent crime. Astonishing results in such a short space of time. I love it that we back our Police, support victims of crime and continue building safer communities together.
Good news for families; we are proposing to replace NCEA with a new national qualification. Our students need strong foundations for their futures, along with the knowledge and skills to succeed. NCEA has allowed students to drift – we say that’s no good and we want you to reach your potential! Further good news; Learning Support Coordinators will be rolled out to all state and state integrated schools across NZ. Teachers tell me this will significantly help students with additional challenges, ensuring they get the support they need and enable teachers to focus on teaching.
I regularly hear that health is a major concern. That’s why we’re spending more on health than ever before and have significantly boosted doctor and nurse numbers. Locally, Tauranga Hospital has undergone a significant upgrade, with intensive care and high dependency capacity increasing from 10 to 16 beds, with further expansion of the coronary care unit (CCU) enabled. The upgraded critical care services at Tauranga Hospital will strengthen healthcare for the local community and the wider Bay of Plenty region, ensuring patients have access to the critical care they need, exactly when they need it.
I’m thrilled to see Tauranga selected to host a high-profile World Triathlon event. This is a huge opportunity to showcase our city on the world stage, welcome international visitors, and celebrate our strong sporting culture. The Government is investing $2.65 million through the Major Events Fund to support Tri NZ to host the World Triathlon World Cup in 2026, the World Triathlon Championship Series in 2027, and the World Triathlon Championship Final in 2028.
Thanks for your support, Tauranga. We live in the best part of New Zealand and together we’ll make it even better.
Authorised by Sam Uffindell, Parliament Buildings, Wellington