Viewpoint – Reflections and looking ahead

It's been another busy year, and I think we will all be pleased that spring has arrived. With El Niño arriving, there is a lot of planning being done by the agency NEMA to best prepare us as a country and how best to deal with possible drought conditions. It also means we will probably experience a long hot summer on the coast. This term of government has been a busy one for me, and I have been acutely aware that I have been away from home a lot and not in my community as much as I would like to have been, and I thank you for your understanding. I have still been running constituent clinics, visiting schools, our volunteer groups, our local first responders and dealing with important local issues. When I get a chance to walk our dogs Arthur and Molly on Ōrewa beach with Sarah it reminds we that we live in paradise and one of the best parts of our country. I am very proud of the work our police officers do every day to keep our communities safe. After six years of rising violent crime, our police have turned this around and we have seen a reduction of 46,000 victims of serious violent crime over the last three years. There is more work to do but they are doing an outstanding job. Keeping communities safe isn't only about responding to crime, though – it's also about how well prepared we are when disaster strikes, which is where my Emergency Management and Recovery portfolio comes in. I have attended over 41 local States of Emergency this term, delivered new emergency management legislation that will save lives, funded Common Operating Picture technology to be rolled out nationally, and delivered a modern National Emergency Management centre. This year has again reminded us how important resilience is for our country. Over the past two years, a big focus of mine has been replacing old emergency management law with a new stronger one. Passing this legislation last week was a major milestone: we now have a modern, fit-for-purpose legal framework to manage the increasingly frequent and complex emergencies New Zealand is facing. I've seen firsthand the difficult situations local authorities can be confronted with. This new law updates emergency powers and procedures so they can do their jobs more effectively when it matters most. It also gives communities a stronger voice through representation on Coordinating Emergency Groups, and greater involvement in developing local and national plans. And for the many of us who are pet owners, it improves how animal welfare is managed during and after emergencies too. Holding six ministerial portfolios means from time to time I'm approached about local matters that I'm unable to deal with directly as it could create a conflict of interest. But I ensure that whoever is delegated to deal with the issues is focused and responsive. I thought it worth taking a moment to explain why – because unless you spend your days immersed in the Cabinet Manual, it's not always obvious why this distinction matters, or what it means for how your concerns get handled. MPs who are also ministers wear two hats: as the local MP helping constituents, and as a minister making decisions in their own portfolio. When a constituent's issue falls inside a minister's own portfolio – say, a police matter landing on my desk as the local MP – I can't act as decision-maker on it myself. Instead, I designate another Minister who can act on your behalf. This keeps a clear line between advocating for the community and making impartial decisions, so no one's issue gets special treatment either way. In short, I can still champion your issue, even if it touches on my own portfolio but I just hand the decision to a colleague, rather than being judge and advocate at once. My Ōrewa electorate office remains open, and as always, if there's something on your mind or an issue you need help with, please don't hesitate to get in touch.