May 2009
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Thu, 28/05/2009 - 2:16pm
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The issue of Auckland's governance has been running hot in the news over recent weeks – particularly the issue of Maori seats and the resulting Hikoi that marched on Auckland Central. The issue has spread far beyond Auckland and it appears that everyone, including the guest writer of today's blog, South Island resident Denise Cameron.
Having a foot in both camps, my Maori side is insulted at what happened in Auckland. Do they think that we do not have people capable of winning seats on the Council in their own right? There are lots of different ethnic groups with representatives in Parliament, on City Councils and as Mayors – who all got there on merit, not as a gift.
Let our people do it the same way. Some individual at the Hikoi said that [having Maori representatives on the new Auckland Council] was our right under the Treaty.
Let our bright boys and girls EARN their seats, I say.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Tue, 26/05/2009 - 2:22pm
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I read with interest today an article in the Press newspaper about how Qantas will be charging new fees of up to $200 to passengers wishing to sit next to emergency exits on long-haul flights. It appears that many passengers enjoy the extra leg room that these seats provide and Qantas has decided to cash in.
Qantas will also allow passengers to pre-purchase seats in the emergency row, with an airline spokesman saying that "a similar service is offered by many other airlines." While the new fees are yet to be finalised, it is likely that Qantas will charge $80 for shorter flights and $160 for longer flights. Passengers can also use 10,000-20,000 frequent flyer points pre-purchase the seats.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Tue, 26/05/2009 - 2:19pm
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In the House this week:
Government Bills:
Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill - First Reading
Act to Support
Building Amendment Bill (No 2) - Second Reading
ACT to Support
Members’ Bills:
Minimum Wage and Remuneration Amendment Bill - Committee Stage Continued
ACT to Oppose
Resource Management (Climate Protection) Amendment Bill - Second Reading Continued
ACT to Oppose
Sale of Liquor (Youth Alcohol Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill - Second Reading
Conscience vote
Thursday 29 May, 2009 - BUDGET DAY
Appropriation (2009/10 Estimates) Bill - First Reading
ACT to Support
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Mon, 25/05/2009 - 12:06pm
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Last Friday I continued with school visits and had the opportunity to visit the Homai campus of the Blind and Low Vision Education Network New Zealand (BLENNZ) - a facility that currently caters for blind and low vision students with moderate or greater needs.
Established in 1963 as a school for the blind, Homai was originally able to cater for 200 resident students but today has 40 beds - mainly for students staying short-term, on immersion courses and attending for short periods of assessment.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Fri, 22/05/2009 - 5:51pm
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I took the opportunity this recess week to visit a number of schools in Christchurch and Auckland. On Tuesday I was invited to Halswell College which is a decile 2 residential special school for boys, located in Christchurch. Year 7 to 10 students attend the College from all over New Zealand. The students have a range of special needs including intellectual difficulties. The College provides a school and hostel environment with the aim of developing the boys strengths and achievements for up to two years before they return to their local communities.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Wed, 20/05/2009 - 10:40pm
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The Terms of Reference for Defence Review 2009 were launched two weeks ago. These set the scope of the review and for those wanting to have their views heard as part of the Public Consultation process the Terms of Reference will be a useful document to read. A PDF of the document can be found on this website - policy page under the National Security tab. The public consultation will begin with the launch of a Discussion document within the next month.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Mon, 18/05/2009 - 9:42am
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Prime Minister John Key incurred the wrath of a large number of women from the provinces at the Rural Women New Zealand's National Conference last Friday.
Mr Key took some flak for having dis-established the position of Minister of Rural Affairs - the reason given that Minister of Agriculture David Carter was a farmer and would ably represent their issues around the Cabinet table.
Some would say that this is true but irrelevant. Rural Women New Zealand National President Margaret Chapman's ire was clearly raised. She retorted that this was akin to saying that, because there are some lawyers in Cabinet, New Zealand doesn't need a Solicitor-General.
Or, she continued, with rugby lovers around the table there is definitely no need for a Minister Responsible for the World Cup! But wait, there's more, she continued ... or the need for an Associate Minister for the World Cup.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Fri, 15/05/2009 - 1:29pm
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Yesterday I joined Education Minister Anne Tolley, Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Satyanand in Parliament's Banquet Hall to celebrate the success of some of New Zealand's most talented young people at the 2008 New Zealand Scholarship Top Scholar Awards.
Last year's top scholarship scorers received awards for their achievements, with some truly exceptional performances noted. Events like this are a highlight of being Associate Minister of Education – too often nowadays the media tends to focus on young people who are troubled or in trouble, providing the country at large with something of a skewed perspective on the state of our future generations.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Fri, 15/05/2009 - 12:56pm
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Damon Newrick is the kiwi physiotherapist based in London that I blogged about a few days ago. He rescued a woman who was being attacked by three thugs. Damon read my blog piece and sent me the following email:-
Dear Heather,
My name is Damon Newrick and I am the London-based physiotherapist who was the subject of your blog on the 11/05/09.
Thank you for the kind words. I will always be proud to be a Kiwi, no matter where I am in the world, and I truly believe we come from a wonderful nation.
I come from a largely typical New Zealand family, with my sister and I being brought up in Upper Hutt and attending the local Catholic schools.
The values that were instilled in me and my friends by parents, teachers and the community as we grew up are still carried with us around the world today.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Wed, 13/05/2009 - 9:33pm
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This morning, with my Consumer Affairs hat on, I took the opportunity to visit the Measurement and Product Safety Service (MAPSS) office in Petone. I have been keen to visit for sometime and certainly wasn’t disappointed with what I saw.
On the product safety side of things, the staff provided practical demonstrations of products where labelling was ineffective, inaccurate or just down right impossible to comprehend. One such product was an incorrectly labelled cross-bow that left the user unaware of whether the safety catch was on or off – under testing this weapon propelled the “bolt” clean through the wall of a wooden shed. With another – a babies teething ring – the gel inside had tested positive for over 100 different bacteria!
Another demonstration focussed on noisy toys. Armed with a specialist piece of kit I was shown how to measure the decibel level of the noises given off by various harmless looking children’s playthings. The results are frequently surprising.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Wed, 13/05/2009 - 8:22pm
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Independent Schools are one of my responsibilities as Associate Minister of Education and today I spent part of my morning at Wellesley School in Days Bay, Wellington. Wellesley is an independent boys school catering for students from Year 1 to Year 8 (that’s new entrants to Form two in old money).
With approximately 10 acres of land the school is located around a classic colonial style building that dates back around 100 years and was originally a hotel. Today the view across the harbour was spectacular and certainly a magnificent backdrop to the school.
After morning tea with the staff, Principal Warren Owen proudly showed me around the school. He explained that the school had gone through a period of deferred maintenance in the 1990s but since then there has enjoyed ongoing property improvement. Certainly the school looks in great shape today – I was very impressed with the classroom settings and the technology available to the students.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Wed, 13/05/2009 - 12:53pm
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There should be some lively debate when ACT MP David Garrett joins Catherine Delahunty from the Green Party, Labour's Charles Chauvel and National MP Louise Upston on TVNZ 7's 'Back Benches' programme tonight.
Issues up for discussion this evening are:
Will it be a Super City or a Super Disaster for Auckland? Where do the Parties stand on the issue? What's best for Auckland?
There's a lot of guns out there - should police be armed? Or is this merely a knee-jerk reaction to the recent incident in Napier?
May is New Zealand Music Month - which New Zealand pop song should be our National Anthem?
'Back Benches'; the Backbencher, Molesworth Street, Wellington (across from Parliament); 7:30pm, Wednesday May 13 2009.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Tue, 12/05/2009 - 12:32pm
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New Zealand Battle of Britain hero Sir Keith Park will finally be honoured in London after the Westminster City Council approved a proposal for a statue of the Kiwi flying ace to be erected in Trafalgar Square alongside statues of King George IV, General Sir Charles James Napier, and Major-General Sir Henry Havelock.
Born in the Coromandel in 1892, Sir Keith Park began his military career with the New Zealand Army before transferring to the British Army. He served at Gallipoli and the Somme and, after being wounded, transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. During WWII he organised air cover for the evacuation of Dunkirk, and gained fame for his role during the Battle of Britain.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Tue, 12/05/2009 - 12:12pm
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In the House this week - May 12-14.
Government Bills:
Parliamentary Service (Continuation of Interim Meaning of Funding for Parliamentary Purposes) Bill - First Reading
ACT to Support
Regulatory Improvement Bill - First Reading
ACT to Support
Securities Disclosure and Financial Advisors Amendment Bill - Second Reading
ACT to Support
Gambling Amendment Bill- Second Reading
ACT to Support
Inquiries Bill - First Reading
ACT to Support
Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill
Suggested Action: ACT To Support
Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill
Suggested Action: ACT To Support
A more detailed rundown of Parliament this week can be viewed by clicking on 'In The House' or at http://www.roy.org.nz/inthehouse.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Mon, 11/05/2009 - 11:01am
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Today I read an article about a man who courageously rescued a woman from three brutal attackers in London and, I must admit, I was not surprised to learn that the hero of the day is a New Zealander - a physiotherapist working in London.
According to the article in today's 'Dominion Post', Damon Newrick heard screams from his flat and raced downstairs to save a woman from three robbers who had already torn her earrings out. While other tenants simply stood by, the former Wellingtonian put himself in danger to rescue the woman. He has since received a bravery commendation from police in London.
When questioned by media, Mr Newrick simply put his actions down to his upbringing and said he had been raised to help where he could.
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 1:15pm
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In the House this week.
Government Bills:
Student Loan Scheme (Repayment Bonus) Amendment Bill - First Reading continued
ACT to Support
Maori Trustee Amendment Bill - Committee Stage continued
ACT to Support
Patents Bill - First Reading
ACT to Support
Gambling Amendment Bill - Second Reading
ACT to support
Inquiries Bill - First Reading
ACT to Support
Regulatory Improvement Bill - First Reading
To be Announced
Private and Local Bills:
Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Bill - Third Reading
To be Announced
Eden Park Trust Amendment Bill- First Reading
ACT to Support
Methodist Church of New Zealand Trusts Bill - First Reading
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Submitted by Heather Roy on Tue, 05/05/2009 - 12:22pm
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Last Friday I enjoyed a pleasant morning visiting South Auckland schools to gain an insight into how they provide for special education needs in a mainstream setting.
My first stop was Papatoetoe South School, which has maintained a Special Education unit for around 25 years - a tradition that principal Mark Barratt is keen to continue, along with the imressive track record of results the school has achieved to date with the total inclusion of special needs children in mainstream classroom settings.
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