June 2013 Kia Ora!

I hope that you all had an enjoyable Queens Birthday weekend! It is welcoming news to hear the road toll over the long weekend was zero for the first time since records began in 1856. It reflects a collective effort from all of us to ensure safety comes first. Lets keep safe on our roads every day.

Queens Birthday Honours: Mana Electorate I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge two of our community pillars that have received Queens Birthday Honours. This is a source of great community pride. Congratulations to John Ombler who has been awarded the Queens Service Order for his services to the state, and Professor Piri Sciascia who has been awarded the ONZM for his services to Mori arts. Well Done!

Budget 2013
May was a great month with the Budget 2013 announcement. We are making huge investments in the future for all New Zealanders. This is our opportunity to make a difference in the quality of living standards, in continuing to provide and develop a world class education system, in providing preventative health care for those who need it most and to stabilise and grow our economy. In this issue I would like to highlight some of the elements of our Budget at a local and national level. For complete information on Budget 2013, please visit:
http://www.national.org.nz/budget2013.aspx

KickStart Breakfast Investment

The big news right now is that our National-led Government has announced investment in the KickStart Breakfast and KidsCan programmes. Our Government is investing up to $9.5 million over five years matched in value by teaming up with Fonterra and Sanitarium to distribute Weet-bix and milk five days a week to all decile 1-4 schools that opt in. This is important information to the 27 decile 1-4 schools in the Mana electorate and I encourage you to please ensure this news is spread far and wide. By opting-in those schools will start in the programme before the end of 2013. This is a great example of a true three way partnership between Government, business, and community. The community part of this is working with the local school to organise the breakfast club so that teachers do not have an additional burden on their time. Families who are struggling may find that helping is a way of contributing. We all understand that education is the best passport for our children for a better life. We want our children to be in a position where learning is earning and to do that, we want to ensure that hunger is not getting in the way of that. We need to activate that old adage that it takes a village to raise a child.

Another key contribution the Government is making is to KidsCan - an increase to $1.5 million over three years to provide other support to those children most in need of raincoats, shoes and so on. For more information visit: http://www.national.org.nz/Article.aspx?articleId=41129

Education Budget Announcement

I made a pre-Budget announcement for education at Porirua College. Our National-led Government has invested $80.5 million over four years to help support parents and communities play their role in lifting the educational achievement of young people. We recognise the important role of our parents and communities in the life of all students and are committed to supporting them. I am very proud of this investment. I understand as a parent what it means to want the best for our children and the importance of having meaningful support for our communities in order to raise achievement. I was delighted to be hosted by lovely, confident students at Porirua College. I was particularly excited to hear about the wonderful things that the students are doing in the Positive Behaviour for Learning programme. Porirua College has led the way in embracing this programme and owning it. I was pleased to announce to them that our Government has also invested $63.6 million to go towards the programme for parents, teachers and schools, to address problem behaviour in children and young people. I commend our local college for being great role models in this programme. We recognise the contribution parents make to their childrens school through volunteering on Boards of Trustees. Over 16,000 trustees are elected and carry out a full range of governance roles aimed at raising achievement. We have invested $14.5 million over four years to help support them an 86 percent increase. I congratulate all those who have put their names up for the Board of Trustees elections and as the votes are being counted I hope that together we can continue to help all our children raise their achievement. For more information visit: http://www.hekiaparata.co.nz/index.php?/archives/430Budget-2013-Announcement-at-Porirua-College.html

Student leadership at Porirua College with Principal Susanne Jungersen and 2012 Board Chair Kate Calvert

Electorate Youth Parliament Announcement

I am thrilled to announce Liam Booth from Aotea College as my 2013 Youth Parliament representative. Liam is a passionate and insightful young man. Liam will attend Youth Parliament 16-17 July, and has already participated in the Ministry of Youth Development workshop to prepare him for this experience. I have invited him to Parliament to visit the public galleries of the Debating Chamber in Parliament House. He will take a tour of Parliament and meet some of the key players in our Government. Congratulations, Liam!

My Youth Parliament Representative Liam Booth at my electorate office in Porirua.

Porirua Business Expo

In early May, the Porirua Chamber of Commerce organised the Porirua Business Expo at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua. Whilst I was unable to attend my team inform me that it was a vibrant and positive environment. The Mana electorate has so much to offer and I am proud to be representing National in this electorate. I am particularly interested in sustained economic growth in our electorate and the Porirua Business Expo is an opportunity to showcase local businesses and opens up great opportunity for all.

My electorate supporters at the Porirua Business Expo earlier this month

Government
Ministerial Portfolios: Education and Pacific Island Affairs
In addition to my Education Budget announcements, I also released the following key messages in May which you can find the detail for on my website: Encouraging participation in Samoan Language Week Next steps for 19 greater Christchurch schools Rotorua Education Initiative Interim decisions for Aranui Schools in Christchurch No Funding Cuts for Pacific Island Affairs Strengthening teachers and leading for the 21st Century Top Scholars Prime Ministers Award for Academic Excellence More early childhood education in places of highest need Education Amendment Bill provides further opportunities for New Zealand education system Inviting Australia to International Summit on the Teaching Profession in 2014

If any of these subjects interest you please go to www.hekiaparata.co.nz where you will find details and context for each item.

Rheumatic Fever Investment

Health Minister Tony Ryall also made a pre-Budget announcement in Porirua. This National-led Government is investing $24 million in a five year campaign to reduce rheumatic fever and $35.5 million for diabetes and heart disease. Sore-throat drop-in clinics will reach high-risk families whose children dont attend schools with throat swabbing services and provide for those who need a check-up outside of school term. Free clinics will be set in high risk communities including Porirua, in our electorate, and suburbs of Auckland. This is a time of positive change. The choices made today affect the lives we live tomorrow. As a parent, I encourage all parents, whnau, aiga and communities to take on the opportunity to have all our children checked. For more information: http://www.national.org.nz/Article.aspx?articleId=40903

Housing Improvements
Budget 2013 unveiled a raft of measures to make housing more affordable and improve access to social housing for those who need it. The Government is working with local councils to provide thousands more houses. Housing accords between the Government and councils will free up land and streamline developments, allowing new homes to be consented and built faster.

Were working to stop the sharp rise of development contributions charged by councils, reducing construction costs, and making changes to get compliance costs down. We are also invested heavily in improving skills and productivity in the construction sector. We want to help grow the community housing sector and support community housing providers to play a greater role in providing social housing. The Mana electorate has a higher than average statistic of families with more than one child, the changing in social housing will reflect this and better serve the needs of our community. The most important considerations must always be the needs of the family and the quality of the house. Income-related rent subsidies will be extended to community providers. This opens the door for groups such as charities, churches, and disability providers to integrate the support they already provide with housing assistance. Were investing $100 million in a new three-year insulation programme to deliver warmer, drier, and healthier homes to around 46,000 low-income households. The Mana electorate experiences a wide range of weather extremities and it is important that our families are warm, dry and comfortable. We are committed to make housing affordable and improving social housing for those who need it most. For more information please visit: http://www.national.org.nz/budget2013.aspx

Fight Against Child Sexual Abuse Online

National has introduced a bill to increase maximum penalties for child sexual abuse online, and other objectionable publication offences. The Objectionable Publications and Indecency Legislation Bill shows the Governments commitment to crack down on the production, trade, and possession of material showing child sexual abuse online. We are also creating a new offence for indecent communication with a child (anyone under 16 years old). This reflects the fact that social networking sites, online chat programmes and communication tools such as text messaging have made it easier for adults with abusive intentions to communicate with children.

The Mana electorate is a young one, with 26.2 percent of people aged under 15 years in Porirua Citys population alone. We need to protect our youth, and our laws are changing to accommodate modern interactive media. We are sending a clear message that the exploitation and abuse of children will not be tolerated. For more information go to: http://www.national.org.nz/Article.aspx?articleId=41124

$80m for Irrigation Endeavour

Building a more competitive and productive economy is one of Nationals priorities and thats why were establishing a company to act as a bridging investor for regional water infrastructure development. This funding comes from the Governments Future Investment Fund, using proceeds from the share offer programme. In total, the Government has signalled plans to invest up to $400 million in regional irrigation schemes to encourage third-party capital investment. Increasing irrigation could see a further 420,000 hectares of irrigated land becoming available, creating thousands of new jobs and boosting exports by $4 billion a year. Reliable irrigation represents a major step in unlocking economic potential for New Zealand, having our tradable sectors growing strongly and delivering on the Governments economic growth goals.

New Tools to Manage Hazardous Substances

We have launched a new multimedia toolbox to help businesses understand and manage the risks posed by hazardous substances.

Every year about 500 to 800 New Zealanders die because of industrial illness, many due to exposure to hazardous substances. A recent survey has shown only 25 per cent of businesses comply with best practice procedures around hazardous substances. This is not good enough. The Environmental Protection Authority created the toolbox to raise awareness among businesses about the risks of working with hazardous substances. Exposure is largely preventable with the right combination of education, enforcement, and modernising safety systems. For more information go to: http://www.national.org.nz/Article.aspx?articleId=41136

Samoan Language Week

Samoan is the third most commonly spoken language in New Zealand. Samoan Language Week was a great opportunity to give it a go and celebrate the language and the culture. As a part of these celebrations I hosted a Samoan Language Week event here in Parliament which gathered members of the Samoan community, church ministers, community leaders, and Members of Parliament to celebrate Samoan culture. We had a wonderful celebration with vibrant performances from the Whitireia Performing Arts Group I was very proud of our local artists!

Celebrating Samoan Language week in Parliament

Whats Coming Up Matariki

Matariki, the Mori New Year, is fast approaching this month, 10th of June.

Keep an eye out for my annual Matariki pamphlet which highlights some of our achievements in the Mana electorate. I take your feedback very seriously and offer you the opportunity to let me know what is important to you. I am very active on social media. It does seem to be a great way to connect with folks across our electorate. Please feel free to visit my website www.hekiaparata.co.nz; where you will find my press releases and other key information. It could trigger you to provide comments or ask questions which I encourage you to do. I update my social media pages regularly with photos, press releases, questions and comments. Please follow me or add me as a friend on facebook.com/hekia.parata or Twitter @hekiaparata.

Please feel free to forward my newsletter to others who may be interested.

Ka mutu..

Hon Hekia Parata National List MP based in the Mana Electorate Funded by the Parliamentary Service and authorised by Hekia Parata MP, Level 1, 20 Parumoana Street, Porirua.

Please do not reply directly to this newsletter. If you wish to contact the electorate office please direct your email to hekia.parata.mp@parliament.govt.nz Please click on the following link if you wish to Unsubscribe.