For our Friends in Japan
Like all New Zealanders I watched the news of the recent Japan earthquake and the following tsunami with a mixture of shock and great sadness. The utter devastation is quite simply heartbreaking and I’m sure all Kiwis will have the plight of the Japanese in their thoughts.
When tragedy hit Canterbury a few short weeks ago the Japanese search and rescue teams were some of the first to arrive. It’s only right that we return the favour. Over the past two days a team of 48 New Zealand search and rescue personnel have headed to Japan to help.
These recent natural disasters, home and abroad, serve as pertinent reminder to all of us how fragile our existence here on this earth can be. When the buildings fall, when our possessions are washed away, it is the people that are left that matter the most. Our hearts go out to all those who have lost loved ones or had their lives turned upside down.
He aha te mea nui? He tangata. He tangata. He tangata.
What is the most important thing? It is people, it is people, it is people.
It’s been very hard to focus on normal day-to-day political issues over the past few weeks when there is so much turmoil around us. Over time I’m sure things will return to normal, but for now, my thoughts are with all of those who are struggling to cope with overwhelming loss.
Chris Hipkins
MP for Rimutaka
Door knocking this Saturday
This coming Saturday we’ll beginning our regular door-to-door canvassing. A team of Young Labour activists will be hitting the streets of Trentham, checking that everyone is on the Electoral Roll and helping us to identify Labour supporters. Over the coming weeks and months we hope to canvass as much of the electorate as we possibly can, but to do that we need more help.
If you’d like to join the door-knocking team, please let Janette Granville know. Don’t worry if you’ve never done it before, we’re happy to pair you up with a more experienced ‘buddy’. After each round of canvassing we’ll meet up for a drink or a BBQ too.
Out and about in the Hutt
For the fifth year running, I took part in the 2011 Karapoti Classic. The weather didn’t present the best day to take part in the gruelling ride – the previous days’ rain had turned the tracks into rivers of mud – but as always the rush of completing the Karapoti makes getting messy worthwhile. Congratulations to all who took part this year!
On 3 March I joined a group of eight young people from ZEAL, an education trust group, in Cuba Mall, cycling the equivalent of a circumnavigation of Cambodia. To help them reach their goal, I cycled with them for a time. The group was raising awareness and money for a very worthy cause - their upcoming trip to Cambodia to distribute preventative medical care.
Last week I also appeared on the “Yes, Minister” segment of the TV3 comedy show “7 Days”. This experience was part ritualistic humiliation and part belly-aching enjoyment. You can catch it at the “On Demand” section of TV3’s website.
Moana Mackey visits Pomare
Labour’s Housing spokesperson, Moana Mackey and I attended a public meeting at the Pomare Health Centre to talk about the government’s housing policies.
Following this, Moana and I took a walk around Pomare during which I was able to show her first-hand the state of the housing there. It’s good to know that there is real interest and drive within Labour to solve the problems facing the community there.
Are you in to win?
Congratulations to Chris Kelly, who has won the Rimutaka Lucky Lotto 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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