OPINION:
I often get asked what my plan for the city is. I can tell you straight up, my plan for Palmerston North is that you are represented by an engaged MP, and one who participates fully in the parliamentary process.
With that in mind, it's been a busy and productive few weeks.
My member's bill, the Local Government (Pecuniary Interests Register) Amendment Bill, was recently drawn from the ballot. The ballot box is in fact a biscuit tin purchased from the chain store DEKA in the 1990s.
"Biscuit tin democracy", as it has been affectionately called, is a reminder of both the sense of fairness that pervades our Kiwi psyche and the practical no-nonsense approach we take to problem-solving.