Minister not meeting Pure HB

Housing Minister Nick Smith

Cabinet minister Nick Smith will be carrying his twin portfolios of both Environment and Building and Housing as he visits Hawke's Bay today.

Travelling from Gisborne, Dr Smith will visit the Wangawehi Catchment Restoration Project near Mahia, before heading to Hastings for a HomeStart first-home buying scheme roadshow stop in Havelock North tonight.

The visit will also include a National Party Tukituki electorate members' function.

It is not expected to include any meeting with Pure Hawke's Bay, which is undeterred, however, and has taken the opportunity in a Talking Point opinion piece in Hawke's Bay Today to express its opposition to any hopes Dr Smith may have of removing opportunities for Hawke's Bay to be positioned as a food production region free of genetic-modification of plant life.

Pure HB says it is "hard to fathom" Dr Smith's "stated desire to strip Hawke's Bay councils of the ability to keep our fields free of GM crops".

The HomeStart Roadshow meeting, the latest in a series which started in April, is in Lantern Gallery at the Havelock North Function Centre. Dr Smith will introduce KiwiSaver HomeStart and specialists will offer advice on the scheme.

The scheme provides eligible first-home buyers with a grant of up to $5000 for individuals and up to $10,000 for couples towards existing or older home purchase, or $10,000 for individuals and up to $20,000 for couples to help with the costs of purchasing new homes.