Watts Happening July 2022

Parliament is sitting again after a three-week recess, and I'm returning to Wellington, holding the government to account for their failure to deliver. It's been a busy few weeks out and about on the North Shore, working on the key issues our community is grappling with, especially the huge increase in crime and cost of living crisis. 

 

The more people I talk to, the clearer it is to me that we're going backwards under Labour. We need a return to fiscal discipline and a government that takes the lead on important issues. Only National can do that, and I'll be working hard here on the Shore and down in the halls of Parliament to change the government next year; we just can't afford another three years of Labour.

Email: [email protected]

Ph: 09 486 0005

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Inflation at a 30-year high


The latest numbers on the New Zealand economy make for grim reading; inflation has hit 7.3%, the worst since 1990. Treasury explicitly told Grant Robertson, "a large portion of New Zealand’s inflation at present is being driven by strong domestic demand" and that his high spending levels are making the situation worse. Instead of listening to this advice, he ignored it. Kiwi's are paying the price.

National is calling for a public inquiry to examine how a tidal wave of cash poured on the New Zealand economy caused the current cost of living crisis. It’s important that New Zealander's have confidence in the country’s economic and fiscal settings and that lessons are taken from recent extraordinary actions.

Families on the North Shore are struggling, and the government is refusing to take accountability and rein in the spending, contributing to this cost of living crisis. 

Lurching from crisis to press conference with knee-jerk responses isn't good enough. Kiwi's deserve a government that can present a plan for the economy that enables everyone to get ahead instead of relying on band-aids. They should adopt National’s five-point plan to fight inflation and strengthen our economy.
  • Return the Reserve Bank to a single focus on price stability.
  • Reduce costs on business.
  • Remove bottlenecks in the economy.
  • Restore discipline to government spending.
  • Prioritise tax relief for workers.

Tacking increasing crime on the Shore 

One of the biggest issues facing the North Shore is increased criminal activity. Our business owners are subjected to ram-raids and daylight robberies, while other criminal activity, particularly gang-related crimes, are increasing. 

The only real solutions can come from the top, and Labour's approach to police and justice isn't putting victims first and staying tough on those who peddle misery in our communities. When they should be taking more action, the only thing the government is doing on crime is repealing the Three Strikes Legislation, which put the worst offenders away for longer. This is completely backwards.

Here are some actions I've taken concerning increasing crime here on the North Shore.
  1. Met with all the business owners impacted and offered my electorate office's assistance and support.
  2. Written and requested the urgent rollout of bollards by AT for our shops.
  3. Met with our Area Police Commanders and requested more police visibility and activity in our communities.
  4. Discussed these incidents with our Shadow Police Spokesperson. National will continue to demand the Labour government take this seriously and provide resources to fight increasing crime and gangs.
  5. Advocated for the Shore that crime is increasing and our community is not feeling safe. We need leadership from the top of government and police.
I'll keep working with those affected and pushing for systemic change to make our communities safer. 

A health system in crisis

Having worked in the health system, in the board room and on the front line, our health system, particularly the well-being of our health workforce, is critical to me. This month we've seen patients wait to be seen in leaky tents at North Shore hospital while our doctors and nurses are burnt out due to understaffing. 

Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Andrew Little, continues to deny there's any crisis at all, and rather than taking urgent action, he's engaging in a full-scale reform of the health system that will cost billions and won't deliver a single new nurse or ICU bed. 

The most important thing we can do now is boost our health workforce. Currently, our immigration settings mean it's far easier to become a resident in places like Australia as a nurse from overseas than in New Zealand. We must make New Zealand the best place to choose to work as a nurse. 

I'm working closely with our Health Spokesperson, Dr Shane Reti and Immigration Spokesperson Erica Stanford on our critical workforce issues. We can be ready for challenges if we unblock bottlenecks and take a long-term approach to workforce shortages in health and across all sectors. That requires hard work and leadership. Sadly I see neither from this government.

 

Opposition to Three Waters is overwhelming


Submissions are now closed on the first piece of Labour's Three Waters Legislation; thank you to everyone who submitted and made your voice heard. We collected over 16,000 submissions via the National Party website. I'm pushing to have the Committee travel the country and hear from the thousands of those submitters who asked to be heard in person. Sadly, over this entire process, Labour has shown they don't care about what anyone has to say about their reforms; they're already recruiting executives for their entities before the Select Committee has considered a single submission. Despite that, it's still important that the public opposition is clear and that Labour take the time to listen to those opposed.

It was a privilege to speak last week at the LGNZ Conference about National's vision for Three Waters reform and the future of Local Government. The word that sums up my vision is partnership, working together to get the basics right. The solution to the problems we face shouldn't be to centralise and remove local voices because solutions can't just be found in Wellington.

The government knows communities are against these reforms, and they're in damage control. Last week they emailed their supporters telling them to submit on Three Waters, and they've announced another $44 million in payouts to Local Councils. These attempts to show support from their members and buy the support of Councils are just the latest in a string of actions that show for Labour - it's their mega-entities or nothing.

The fight is just beginning, and I'll be pushing every step of the way for real solutions, not ideological centralised reforms. 

Building for the future

Infrastructure is vital to New Zealand’s economy and one of the most important pieces is the Ports of Auckland.
Last week, National's Transport Spokesperson Simeon Brown and I met with the CEO, Roger Gray to get a sense of what they’re doing to run safely, efficiently and productively.
The port will continue to play a critical role in the future of Auckland and New Zealand. We have to do all we can to unlock the potential of the ports and other critical infrastructure to sustain the growth of our country; that's just one of the reasons why investment in key projects like a second Waitematā Harbour crossing needs to be a top priority. 
Investment in infrastructure is key to creating more productive and liveable cities, and that growth requires forward planning that looks not only at the next three years but the next 30. In particular, our regions will continue to grow and expand. National is the party of infrastructure, with a proven track record of delivery from critical transport corridors to ultrafast broadband. 

Events


North Shore SuperBlues with Chris Bishop MP.

Milford Bowling Club at 10am - 11:30am on Friday 5 August

Chris is in his third term as a Member of Parliament and is National’s Spokesperson for Housing, Infrastructure, and COVID-19 Response. He is also the Shadow Leader of the House. 

This is a monthly social club for locals aged 60+ to discuss politics and current affairs. Be sure to invite a friend!

If you haven't already, please RSVP no later than Tuesday 2 August by clicking the button below OR by emailing Alison Welson at [email protected] 

NOTE: If you are bringing guests, please email their names to Alison, so that we can arrange name tags. 

RSVP online at https://simonwatts.national.org.nz/superblues

 


North Shore Business Breakfast with Erica Stanford MP. 

The Spencer Hotel at 7-9am on Friday 9 September

Book online at https://www.national.org.nz/north-shore-business-breakfast

The North Shore Business Breakfast series brings together influential members of the National Party Caucus to discuss and engage on issues, opportunities and challenges impacting the Shore and New Zealand.

Erica Stanford is MP for East Coast Bays and the National Party's Spokesperson for Immigration, Education and Associate Spokesperson for Ethnic Communities. If you haven't already, book your ticket(s) now to reserve your spot. 

Cost: $65 per person or $650 per table of 10 (incl. GST), includes breakfast. 

This is a fundraising event with proceeds, after costs, being a donation to the New Zealand National Party. 

 

BlueGreens Forum 2022

Beca Offices, 21 Pitt Street, Auckland at 8.30am-5.00pm on Saturday 20 August

Book online at https://www.national.org.nz/bluegreens_forum_2022

The registration fee is $100.00, this covers the cost of the forum and includes morning & afternoon teas and lunch. Young Nats registration is offered at a reduced rate of $70.00, subject to confirmation of you being a current member of the Young Nats.

A refund is available up to Friday 12 August, 2022 by emailing [email protected]

Unable to attend? You may make a personal substitution for the forum by advising Sharon Nightingale [email protected] in advance

 

We are here to help

You can email me and my North Shore constituency office team, on [email protected]
You can also call Miriam to book an appointment on 09 486 0005. 

My North Shore Electorate Office is located at 1 Earnoch Avenue, Takapuna.