Viewpoint – Minister out and about

I hope you all had a happy and safe festive season, and enjoyed time with family and friends in whatever corner of our stunning country you chose to be in.

It was good to see our own slice of paradise bustling with so many people choosing to spend the holiday break on our beautiful coast.

Our surf lifesavers do an incredible job at keeping people safe in the water, and I want to give them a big shout out for their work over another busy summer. I am very proud to be the Ōrewa club patron and support our surf lifesavers to do the valuable work that they do.

It’s hard to believe we’re in February already. It’s been a big start to the year with my portfolios, which have seen me travel all over the country. I was in Westland a few weeks ago for the Metservice red alert for the severe weather they were getting down there. It was an opportunity to offer my support, and being on the ground I was able to meet with the local emergency response teams, and see first-hand the important work they do, many of them volunteers, in these emergency situations.  

As a country we are going to continue to have these weather events, and it’s important we’re ready in terms of resilience, readiness, and recovery. This is a large focus for me over the next few years in my emergency management and recovery portfolio.

We’re still seeing a number of robberies in our retail sector across the country, and sadly our community is not immune. Recently I did a welfare check after a violent aggravated robbery at Michael Hill Jewellers in Silverdale that took place on January 28. I was really impressed with the staff who were very quick in their actions to move shoppers to the back and call the Police immediately. I also want to acknowledge the security personnel on-site who did as much as they could under the circumstances. Thanks to the immediate response by our local fire service and police the alleged offender was in custody within 20 minutes. 

The Penlink road remains a hot topic on the list of local issues, and I will be continuing to track progress closely. All advice is in front of Transport Minister, Simeon Brown and Hibiscus Matters will report when there is any additional information. 

If you have any issues you need help with or topics you want to discuss with me my Ōrewa office is open and I look forward to seeing you all this year.