Palmerston North MP Tangi Utikere joined the health workers rally in Palmerston North recently.
Palmerston North MP Tangi Utikere joined the health workers rally in Palmerston North recently.
Tangi Utikere attended local nurses protest
New Kāinga Ora homes open on North St
Centrepoint celebrates 50 years
A regular column from Palmerston North Labour MP Tangi Utikere
OPINION: Workers’ rights are making headlines at the moment, and recently I’ve been out hearing from our local nurses, midwives and care workers, who are advocating for more Government support.
The NZ Nurses Organisation took its Ratio Justice bus tourright across the country as its members fight for more health funding to implement safe nurse-to-patient and midwife-to-patient-ratios.
Nurses and midwives are vital members of our community, so when the tour bus swung into Palmy, I was there to lend my support. It was great to see the community stand up for our healthcare workers.
Labour MPs also joined the nationwide Pay Equity rallies. Locally, I went to tautoko the Palmy rally, which was calling on the Government to prioritise pay equity for care and support workers.
Palmerston North MP Tangi Utikere joined the health workers rally in Palmerston North recently.
These workers do a sterling job caring for some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and deserve to be paid fairly. It was miserable weather for the rally, but even this didn’t dampen the strong support they received.
Now that winter has really settled in, it’s wonderful that 10 brand new Kāinga Ora homes on North St are ready for their first tenants. These two-bedroom homes were purchased by Kāinga Ora from a developer, and will provide warm, dry living spaces for those who need them.
Kāinga Ora also intends to purchase a further 50 two- three- and four-bedroom homes and a community space on North Street, which are due to be completed early next year.
It was great to see the community taking the opportunity to have a look through these new homes before tenants move in, and to talk with Kāinga Ora staff. Engaging with the community is a really important part of Kāinga Ora’s role, so it’s helpful to have these drop-in sessions where locals can raise any concerns, and have their questions answered.
I’m really proud of the new public housing being built in Palmy, and I’m sure the new tenants will enjoy moving into their new homes.
It’s disappointing that the National Government has cut $435 million from the Kāinga Ora house build programme in this year’s Budget when we need more public housing for our community. Everyone deserves a warm, secure place to call home.
I’m a huge supporter of Centrepoint Theatre and love attending shows there, so it was a privilege to join in celebrating Centrepoint’s 50 years of theatre in Manawatū recently.
Centrepoint Theatre is the only remaining professional production house left in regional Aotearoa, and the second oldest theatre in the country, behind Christchurch’s Court Theatre.
This is something all of us in Palmy can be extremely proud of. Congratulations to everyone who has played a part in this success over the last five decades. The longevity of Centrepoint is an incredible achievement.
