Todd McClay: This has been a good year for Rotorua

Lake Rotorua was a winner this year.

Rotorua has had a good year with much to be proud of. We have achieved a lot together, with important work done in many areas that have an impact on people's lives.

Our focus has been on better health services, the environment, improving education standards and building a safer community.

Free doctors' visits and free prescriptions were announced for all children aged under 13 years of age. I know this will make a huge difference to many Rotorua families. It means families are more likely to get their child to a doctor before their condition gets worse.

Crime was down again in Rotorua for the fourth consecutive year. In the year to June, recorded crime dropped 12.4 per cent. All credit to Rotorua police, who do a great job under difficult circumstances. With their continued focus on protecting Rotorua's streets, our families and children remain safer. But the Government has done its bit as well. We have funded more police patrols, equipped all frontline officers with smartphones so they have more time on the streets and less in the office, and we opened the long-awaited $18.5 million Rotorua Police Station.

One of the highlights of the year must have been the end of legal highs. Parliament voted to remove all remaining psychoactive substances from sale in May. At the height of this scourge, there were 20-30 stores selling these highs in Rotorua and I heard first-hand about the damage they were doing to families. That's why I marched with the Rotorua people in protest at their continued sale.

I was very happy to make sure that no psychoactive drug could be tested on animals. As minister responsible, I put in place a moratorium on animal testing to allow Parliament time to put in place a more robust law.

Rotorua and the wider Bay of Plenty has benefited from the Government's commitment and investment in infrastructure. More than $500 million has been spent in the region in the past six years. This includes upgrades over the last few years to Lake Rd and Fairy Springs Rd, as well as progress on the Rotorua Eastern Arterial, Tauranga Eastern Arterial, and Tauranga Direct Road. The $120 million Rotorua Eastern Arterial, between Te Ngae Rd and the Lake edge, is still in its planning stages but it is vitally important for the future of Rotorua and the economic growth of the wider Bay of Plenty. The Government has invested $2 million in the widening of Lake Rd and $5 million on upgrading Fairy Springs Rd.

Lake Rotorua was another winner, with the reallocation of $24 million to deal with legacy issues of nutrient leaching, including the many years that urban waste water flowed into the lake.

Matched with another $24 million from the regional council, the real action to clean up the lake can go ahead.

Rotorua families would have been pleased with the increased paid parental leave announced in the Budget this year - an extra four weeks will give parents 18 weeks in total. We also increased the parental tax credit from $150 to $220 per week.

Next year there is still more to do, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with our community. In the meantime, this year has been a good year for Rotorua.