First, GO THE ‘CANES!! How good was that game?! I’ve just got back in from the Ōtaki Surf Life Saving Club mid-winter swim and thought I’d send my monthly update as I warm up!
In short, this covers some recent announcements for our region like new classrooms, new ideas we’re taking to the election like compulsory KiwiSaver (but with extra support for children, parents and elderly), my two Member’s Bills, and it gives you some upcoming events to put in the diary with the PM, Nicola Willis, Erica Stanford, and Paulo Garcia.
This year’s budget is improving our region
Last Thursday Erica Stanford and I announced six new classrooms for Paraparaumu College. This is just one more commitment from this year’s budget.
The budget also includes extra property funding and new Learning Support Coordinators for local primary schools, funding to setup a new Cancer Infusion Clinic in Kapiti, local environmental protection in Ōtaki, and more investment in our new electric trains and expressway to Levin (both under construction now).
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This is not a spending-spree trying to buy support at the election as some want, but instead it’s about making meaningful investment where it makes a tangible difference in areas like health, education, police and defence, and at the same time getting our very serious debt problems under control.
We can see the results of our careful economic management are showing already. Remember when fuel prices raced up and some people wanted us to throw money around. Some, remembering the inflation when Labour did ‘cost of living payments’ said we should do nothing. Our balanced approach has provided targeted temporary support for those who really need it, but inflation hasn’t risen and fuel prices are coming down. This is the kind of balance we need.
I’m helping locally too…
Here is just one story of how I’ve had the privilege of making a difference locally. Listen to what Sarah had to say about helping her son Nathan and her family in Te Horo.
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Securing your future in retirement
This weekend, the PM announced another election commitment for National, it’s all part of our plan to fix the basics and build the future. This idea is all about providing security in retirement for all Kiwis. We know that Superannuation is becoming increasingly expensive, but we need to ensure everyone is setup to enjoy their years of retirement.
The next National Government will:
- Make KiwiSaver compulsory, so everyone has more financial security when they need it later in life
- Give new babies a $1500 kickstart in their KiwiSaver, because the early you start, the faster it grows
- Pay the employer contribution for parents on maternity leave, so looking after your newborn doesn’t disadvantage you
- Allow over-65s to get employer contributions if they choose to work.
Remember this number
$9b – that’s how much we spend every year paying just the interest on the debt Labour left us with. That is more than we spend on Police and Customs and Defence and Corrections and Courts all combined. If we weren’t servicing Labour’s debt we could build four or five extra hospitals every single year! That’s why our approach to the economy really matters.
The local health story
Firstly, if you want to hear the story from someone who works with cancer daily, watch this video to see the difference that the new Breast Screen clinic is making in Waikanae.
 Tim and Catherine Wedd MP visit the Waikanae Clinic |
Secondly, I mentioned the importance of our health targets above. Let me show you the numbers:
Emergency Departments.
- Target: 95% of patients admitted, discharged or transferred from ED within 6 hours.
- 2017: 89.2%
- 2023: 67.5%
- Dec 2025: 74.2
Cancer Treatment.
- Target: 90% of patients receive their first treatment within 31 days of a health professional’s decision to treat.
- 2017: 88.6%
- 2023: 84.9%
- Dec 2025: 87.0
Health targets work. Labour want to cancel them again and patients will pay the price.
 Don’t forget the new cancer clinic is coming! |
My chance to make progress for our region
I’m lucky that I’ve now had two Member’s Bill drawn out of the ballot.
The first is the Better Regional Boundaries Bill, which makes it easier to get help if you live in the corners of regions like Kapiti. In Ōtaki you get social housing from Kainga Ora in Porirua, but first you need to get on the waitlist at MSD … in Levin! You can’t go to the Porirua or Paraparaumu MSD offices. You get Police from Levin, but Civil Defence from Paraparaumu. Ambulances and hospitals work to different boundaries, so do Courts and Corrections.
Please support this and make a submission, even if it just says “this is a great idea.” They close at 11.59pm on Wednesday at this link.
 Tim and his two Member’s Bills |
My second bill institutes a Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Medal to recognise the efforts of first responders, including military, Government and humanitarian organisations, during disasters, emergencies and other significant events. Firefighters who helped in Australia in 2020 got the Australian equivalent of this medal, but those who deployed to Canada last year got nothing. Personnel helping after the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami were recognised but those in Samoa 2009 were not. Neither were many who served at White Island or the Christchurch Earthquake. My bill removes the inconsistency and demonstrates the value that I place, as does the National Party, on service. Those who serve our community deserve our recognition and this is a small but visible way of doing exactly that. It will have its first reading in Parliament either very late on Wednesday night, or otherwise in late July. Submissions will open after that.
Watch what former Chief of Defence Sir Bruce Ferguson has to say about my idea.
Supporting Firefighters
I don’t just want to give Firefighters a medal, I want to make sure they have the tools to do the job. That starts with the Appliances (Fire Trucks) they need. I called for, and have been leading, an inquiry into FENZ for the last couple of months. We’ve heard public submissions from every person who asked to speak to the committee, and we will be holding another significant hearing with the FENZ leadership on Monday July 20th. After that we can write our final report and talk publicly about our findings.
I have visited Fire Stations right across the country, with a few more to go, from Dunedin to north of Auckland and everywhere in between. I’ve heard the stories first-hand, I’ve climbed on the trucks, visited manufacturers, and I continue to do all I can to support our local heroes. When the fire breaks out, when the vehicles crash, or someone needs medical help and the ambulance is a while away, these are the people that run towards the danger, always serving our community.
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Climbing the Skytower
I also spent a weekend in Auckland with firefighters from across the country for the Skytower challenge. This raised $2.5m for Blood Cancer New Zealand, helping to battle Leukaemia which didn’t just take my Dad and an uncle, but impacts so many families in our region and across the country.
It was also incredibly satisfying just to climb to the top, dressed in all their clothing and equipment, experiencing just a little of what they do day in, day out. And I was quietly pretty happy with the time I managed.
The choice this year
The choice at this year’s election is becoming increasingly clear. On November 7th you can vote to continue the path we are on, fixing the basics and building the future, or we can go back to the future with more spending, more debt, and that only leads us in one direction.
Three years ago the basics had been replaced with ideology: health targets had been removed and wait-times blew out; achievement in education was the lowest we’ve had in decades; ram-raids were an every-day thing and consequence for crime had been replaced by a myopic attempt to have less people in prison no matter the rise in crime.
We’ve been fixing the basics: wait-times are improving; phones are gone from school and the basics of reading, writing and maths are back, and the results are showing already; gang patches are gone, consequence is back, and last year in our electorate and every other, there were (on average) 690 less victims in 2025 than there were in 2024, and no ram raids at all, continuing the trend of safer communities.
The choice in November should be simple. Vote for National and we can build the future we all need and deserve.
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Join our MPs in Kapiti at these events
There are a number of chances for you to join me on the campaign over the next few months:
- Over 60? Join MP Paulo Garcia and me in Paraparaumu for morning tea on Friday July 3rd. Details below. $10pp.
- Under 60? Join Hon. Nicola Willis and me in Waikanae for drinks and canapés on Thursday August 6th. This is focussed at those in work. $100pp.
- Everyone is welcome at a special afternoon tea to officially kick off the campaign in Raumati on Sunday August 16th, with special guest Hon Erica Stanford. Raumati Beach Bowling Club, 2pm. Koha at the door welcome.
Meet the PM: Everyone is welcome at a special public meeting with me and our leader Rt Hon Chris Luxon, Paraparaumu, Wednesday August 26th. No cost.
10 reasons why
Here are ten local things I’m proud of (or click for the video):
- The new breast cancer clinic we opened in Waikanae, with expanded free access up to 74 years
- The new cancer clinic coming to Kapiti so local patients can get treatment closer to home
- The new expressway to Levin already under construction
- New electric trains coming for Ōtaki, multiple times each day, including weekends
- A 50% increase for school property funding, and six new classrooms at Paraparaumu College
- Learning support coordinators for every primary school
- Structured learning is improving results for our children
- Funding for Ōtaki River cliff protection
- Extra funding for the Kapiti health shuttle
- Fast-track legislation to support almost 7000 new homes across the region, and a reservoir and wastewater in Pukerua Bay.
Support for Kapiti Airport
We need to keep Kapiti Airport operating for the resilience of our region. It might be an earthquake or it might be a fire in the terminal, but we could lose Wellington Airport at a moment’s notice and then Kapiti is the only option for our region. We need our airport.
I’m gutted to lose Air Chathams, but they were never the primary reason to keep our airport. The same week they announced their departure, we had three LifeFlight air ambulances parked at our airport because Wellington was fogged in. We need our airport.
Our Government is doing what it can. We offered Air Chathams and Sounds Air loads, and I’ve personally worked with the Minister, CAA, Airways
Weekly updates
Have you seen I’m putting out a weekly video update, explaining one current issue each week? They come out every Tuesday at 5pm, they’re only two minutes, and you can find them on TikTok, Instagram or Facebo
Watch the last month here:
Success isn’t just measured in $$$
What’s trending this month?
Here are a few stories that got lots of attention locally. If you missed them, have a look:
The ‘why’ of my boundaries bill
Over-60s morning tea with Paulo Garcia
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Join us on July 3rd, 10am at Coast Community Church auditorium, for morning tea and a chance to speak with, and hear from, special guest Paulo Garcia, MP for New Lynn. These are always popular events, and we’d love you to join us (even if you’re under-60!). RSVP helps with catering numbers: e-mail Lorraine pollockl@outlook.com.
You can also save these dates:
- August 7th, 10am Sam Uffindell, MP for Tauranga Whitby Bowling Club
- September 4th, 12pm — soup and buns lunch! Stuart Smith, MP for Kaikōura Venue tbc
That’s it for this month.
Doesnt mention achievements to ensure WEF agenda is adhered to or how the rural hospitals are still under funded / under staffed . How rural school kids cant to get to schools owing to the removal of school bus services and lack of assistance with conveyance fees to parents having to drive 500 kms per week to get kids to and from school .
No mention of the selling off of farm land to be pit into pines for carbon credits whilst sheep and beef prices sky rocket owing to dropping numbers
No mention of blanket roll out of digital surveillance .
The country is stuffed owing to the current political system of two party politics , labour / Nats doing the baton swap at election tiimes , nothing really happening except the continuation of politics being run by the overseas corporate powers .
Either the local mps are thick or in on the game plan !
Sickening to see and hear the frothed up version making it sound like this fella is doing all the good work all by himself !