Work has begun on a new state housing development on Puriri Park Rd expected to be completed in a year. Hundreds of new public and transitional houses are coming, says Emily Henderson. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Work has begun on a new state housing development on Puriri Park Rd expected to be completed in a year. Hundreds of new public and transitional houses are coming, says Emily Henderson. Photo / Michael Cunningham
FROM PARLIAMENT
Kia ora, Whangārei! I am delighted to be your new MP and I'm looking forward to using these columns to chat about what's going on here, and in Wellington, and what I'm working on for Whangārei.
For those who don't know me yet, Whangārei's been home since I was7 and I'm a Family Court lawyer by trade. My husband and I still have three of our four kids at home, and our eldest is at university, so life is pretty busy.
For my electorate office, I've joined up with Minister Kelvin Davis, Te Tai Tokerau MP, and we're sharing his space at 66A Bank St. You're welcome to drop by.
We're open throughout the week, even when I'm in Wellington, and I have regular clinics in the office and out and about on weekends. We've got an enthusiastic local team, looking forward to working with you on any personal or wider issues you bring us.
My Wellington team is pretty motivated, too. This Government is determined to make real change for all New Zealanders. It's a real joy to be part of such a driven and diverse group of people, able to speak for all corners of this beautiful country.
Our caucus has the most Māori, Pasifika and LGBTQIA+ people of any ever, and we've got the most women MPs (55 per cent). It's a pretty highly qualified bunch as well. I think we've also got the most doctors of any caucus – a good thing when we're dealing with Covid.
This Government is very much focused on improving the basics for all New Zealanders. That means keeping us safe from Covid, while repairing long-neglected state housing, hospitals and schools, and making sure everyone has a decent standard of living, especially our children who bear the brunt of any deprivation.
Emily Henderson writes a fortnightly column in the Northern Advocate each Wednesday. Photo / Supplied
This week saw the first child poverty statistics that actually start to capture Labour's work in the last term. We're thrilled to see things are improving across all the measures, but we know it's only a start.
My motivation to stand for Parliament was to address the grassroots problems I saw in my years in the Family Court. This is such a great district, but for far too long we've been missing out on the investment in our people and our economy that we need.
Northland is among the parts of New Zealand where levels of deprivation are greatest, and I want to see that change. I am actively working to bring our needs (and our opportunities) to the attention of ministers.
Things like our badly run-down hospital and our housing, but also the massive potential of our port area.
Already, the Government has made the first major investment in state housing in Whangārei in decades, with hundreds of new public and transitional houses in the pipeline.
Improving housing affordability here and across the country is a work in progress, but we're on the right track.
In future columns I'll talk about this and other issues in more detail, but in the meantime please do email me or drop in to one of my clinics or community hui, and follow me on Facebook for more news.
• Emily Henderson is the electorate Member of Parliament for Whangārei.
