Let's stay focused
Fifteen years ago I joined the Labour Party because I believed that the individualistic policies that successive governments had been pursuing throughout the 1980s and 1990s had divided our country and alienated too many of our fellow New Zealanders. I’m proud of the work that the fifth Labour government did to correct some of those imbalances.
Thousands of Kiwi children were lifted out of poverty, educational opportunities were opened up for hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens, and we restored the balance between individual freedom and collective responsibility, recognising that our own wellbeing is intricately linked to the wellbeing of those around us.
Over the past two years I’ve watched in growing frustration as so many of the gains we made over the last decade have been eroded. From early childhood education through to our universities and polytechnics, we’ve seen big cuts in the education budget. At a time of such economic uncertainty and instability, that’s exactly the area we should be investing more, not less.
Every week I meet with people in my electorate offices who have suffered at the hands of government funding cuts, whether it was the removal of the training incentive allowance that used to help people off benefits and into paid work, or cuts to ACC entitlements that have forced injured people into poverty.
New Zealand can and must do better. This year’s general election will offer voters a real choice. The Labour Party stands for a New Zealand where everyone gets a fair go, where your place of birth, colour, gender, sexuality or religion act as no barrier to you achieving your full potential in life.
Labour recognises the importance of strong public services, of planning for the future, and not selling out future generations by hocking off everything that isn’t bolted down.
In recent weeks we’ve seen a concentrated effort by our opponents to distract us from the real issues. We can’t succumb to that. Labour can, and indeed must, win this year’s election. There is so much at stake; we simply can’t afford to take our eye of the ball.
Thank you for your ongoing support. Let’s get out there and fight hard to retain Rimutaka and deliver a new Labour government on November the 26th.
Chris Hipkins
MP for Rimutaka Annette King visits Rimutaka
Labour’s Deputy Leader Annette King recently visited the Rimutaka electorate. I joined Annette as she visited Holborn Kindergarten in Stokes Valley, Naku Enei Tamariki (NET) in Wingate and Great Start in Taita. NET and Great Start are two initiatives designed to support local families.
NET is a community- based network supporting mothers and their babies. Great Start a Bernardos initiative focussed on building a stronger community.
Annette used the visit to highlight Labour’s commitment to putting children at the heart of the next Labour government’s agenda. Giving kids the best possible start in life will be the top priority for a newly elected Labour government following this year’s general election.
Hearing loss petition accepted
Phil Goff and I recently accepted the National Foundation for the Deaf’s petition on changes to ACC compensation for those suffering from hearing loss. Close to 6,000 signatures were collected for the petition to protest changes made by the National government that have dramatically decreased the number of people who can receive ACC compensation for work-related hearing loss.
The law, introduced by the National Government and opposed by Labour, means that people with an industrial noise induced hearing loss must prove that they are 6% hearing impaired in order to receive ACC cover for rehabilitation. This petition advocates repealing that threshold.
The hearing impaired are the only New Zealanders required by law to prove that they have a percentage of a disability in order to have a successful claim for rehabilitation under ACC and furthermore the average claimant for this particular issue is about 70 years old, so this means the elderly are really at a disadvantage due to this rights abuse.
Recent electorate work
Winter might be creeping in, but the Tumeke Taita Summer Festival was a bright way to celebrate the community. Tumeke Taita brings the community together for a day of free entertainment and fun. This year there was a traditional Indian opening to honour Hamish Gandhi, who owns the Taita 4 Square and has been involved in the Taita community for the last 24 years.
I also recently attended the unveiling of the Memorial at Trentham Memorial Park. In the lead up to Anzac Day it’s a timely reminder of the important role our armed services play. I was invited to take a look at the activities at the Clyma Park community garden. With the cost of living is on the rise it’s great to see initiatives like this underway so I was only too happy to oblige. At the garden I met some of the pupils from Fraser Crescent School who are pretty enthusiastic about it too.
Lucky Lotto - Are you in to win?
Congratulations to Janette Granville and Julie Englebretsen, who are the Rimutaka Lucky Lotto winners so far this month! We have a few numbers spare so the chances are looking good for a win! If you'd like to sign-up, here's the deal: You pay just $10 a month for a number, if your number is drawn as the Lotto bonus number, you win $40 that week. It's that simple!
$10 a month works out at less than $2.50 a week, so it's great value for money and really helps boost our campaign war chest too! If you'd like to sign-up for a number, email [Email] or call after hours on 5635443.
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