This is a major step forward for Otago and Southland.
There has been a lot of talk and various promises about this since 2017, when National first mooted the plan before that year’s election, so it was great to be in Dunedin for a major concrete step towards actually getting it built.
The $1.88 billion investment in the new Dunedin hospital programme is New Zealand’s largest health infrastructure project.
At the peak of construction, this project will create over 900 full-time equivalent jobs and contribute about $100 million annually to the Otago economy.
Closer to home, Health NZ has commenced clinical services planning for Central Otago and Queenstown-Lakes.
This is significant because to green-light new health infrastructure and services, the first step is always a clinical services plan which provides the foundation for future decisions.
In a great move for our young people’s futures, the government has announced financial education will be embedded as a core element of the refreshed social sciences curriculum for year 1-10 students next year.
Younger students will cover identifying needs versus wants, having a bank account, earning, spending and saving.
Older students will learn more complex concepts, including budgeting, investment, interest, taxes, and insurance, to help to build lifelong financial skills.
Financial maths is already in the new maths curriculum, being delivered this year.
This marks a significant step forward in New Zealand’s education system, placing a strong emphasis on real-world skills that empower students to take control of their financial futures.
We are also addressing other pressing issues, such as the conversion of productive farmland into carbon forestry.
It is essential to strike a balance between agriculture and forestry, which both play an important role in our regional economy.
However, carbon forestry had upset that balance and our recent Climate Change Response (ETS — Forestry Conversion) Amendment Bill is a crucial step in banning blanket carbon forestry conversions, protecting rural communities and food production.
The Bill passed its final reading in Parliament and I was able to take the final call in Parliament and cast the National party votes as it passed into law with the support of all but two political parties.
It was the culmination of years of work.
I had been a National party spokesman for forestry while in opposition. In that I had a role in shaping this policy, which had been taken in to the election.
It was a reminder of the significant time and energy to it takes to deliver policies and projects that will help the people of our region.
