An excellent recent health announcement is that cervical screening is to be free for all women aged 25 to 69 from March 1, 2027.

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers.

Almost every case is caused by HPV, a common virus, which the screening test detects long before any cancer develops.

When cervical cancer is found early, around 91% of women survive.

Once it has spread, survival falls to around 19%.

From March 1, 2027, an estimated 786,000 additional women will be eligible for free cervical screening.

There has also been a major milestone in health for the lower South Island with the official opening of the New Dunedin Hospital Outpatient Building.

It is great to see this building ready to provide world-class healthcare to the people of Otago and Southland.

The $1.88 billion investment in the new Dunedin Hospital programme is New Zealand’s largest health infrastructure project.

There’s been good news for the economy with the Reserve Bank’s assessment that the economic recovery is resuming and expected to strengthen and broaden.

With a 0.25 basis point lift in the Official Cash Rate to 2.75%, the Reserve Bank is expecting the export sector to remain resilient and household spending to increase.

The bank also expects purchasing power to increase as inflation returns to the mid-point of its target range.

This recovery is being driven by the export sector rather than rising house prices.

That bodes well for the future and is a nod to districts like Clutha which play a huge part in keeping New Zealand ticking.

Sensible economic management is as important for an individual as it is for the government.

A re-elected National government will support New Zealanders to build a bigger financial nest egg by making it compulsory for everyone in work to contribute to their KiwiSaver from 2028.

To give every child the best possible start to building financial security, National will automatically enrol every baby born in New Zealand into KiwiSaver at birth and provide a Baby Boost payment to kick-start their savings with a $1500 government contribution.

National is focused on increasing retirement savings to provide New Zealanders with greater financial security, giving them a better quality of life and more choices in their retirement.

We’ve also just announced our policy to help first home buyers.

Getting a 20% deposit for a first home can be tough for a lot of people.

Our policy will widen access to 5% deposits.

If you, or you and your partner, earn under $300,000, you could be able to buy your first home with just a 5% deposit under National.

I had a good catch-up with southern farmers at a woolshed meeting near Gore this week alongside Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay.

This is a busy time of year, particularly for those with lambing on the go, but it was a good chance for the minister to hear first-hand how the agricultural sector in the south is tracking.