If you’re a teenager, or are in charge of one, January can be a nervous time with NCEA results being released. Congratulations to all pupils who hit the mark in your studies in 2025.
Good luck to those now embarking on your first year out of school. This is an exciting stage of your lives — make the most of it.
For year 11, 12 and 13 pupils, the first day back at school is quickly approaching. Now is a great time to have conversations with your parents and teachers about what you want to achieve this year and which courses are best suited to getting you there. I hope 2026 is a great year for you.
Parliament is also gearing up for its first sitting day on Tuesday.
While it’s always tough switching from shorts and jandals back into my suit and tie, I’m really looking forward to what 2026 will bring for Waitaki and New Zealand.
We’ve already seen positive announcements from the government this month, firstly with tourism and targeted campaigns to see more Australian visitors heading to regional attractions throughout the South Island after a fresh boost of government funding for the Southern Way campaign (see page 6 today).
This is helping put the region’s unique experiences on the map for Australian visitors looking to travel outside of the peak season.
The campaign includes direct flights from the Gold Coast into both Dunedin and Queenstown during autumn and brings together Great South, Tourism Waitaki, Enterprise Dunedin, Clutha Development, Tourism Central Otago, Destination Queenstown and Lake Wanaka Tourism. By joining forces, these organisations are showcasing the very best of the South and delivering real benefits for local communities.
The Waitaki district is brilliant in the autumn shoulder season and has many treasures for tourists to discover, all within easy driving distance from Queenstown and Dunedin airports. The Whitestone Geopark is a prime example, with stunning attractions from Ōhau all the way down to the coast.
A similar campaign is being run for Canterbury and the West Coast with a goal of supporting local businesses, creating jobs, and sharing the benefits of tourism across the South Island.
Another excellent step this month is that New Zealanders can now build granny flats in their backyards without needing building or resource consents.
For too long it has been overly difficult and expensive to provide the housing solutions New Zealanders need. Red tape has increased the workload for local councils and blocked simple, affordable dwellings that meet families’ housing needs.
These updates remove the need for a building consent and a resource consent for small stand-alone dwellings up to 70sq m in size. This will save New Zealanders up to $5650 in direct costs when building a granny flat and speed up the process by up to 14 weeks.
There’ll be plenty more to come throughout the year.
