I had the pleasure of attending the opening night and the talent from local artists and those from further afield was simply outstanding. The awards are a jewel Southland’s crown and the team behind them deserve a lot of credit — well done!
From Gore it was up to Wellington for Budget week, which came with good news for the South.
This Government’s delivering for hardworking Kiwis. Our tax relief will see tax brackets adjusted for the first time in 14 years. It will see a couple on the average income receive up to $102 more per fortnight, and up to an additional $150 for eligible families with young children for childcare.
Relief for our farmers comes in our first RMA Amendment Bill, which has been introduced to Parliament. This legislation slashes the tangle of red and green tape throttling some of New Zealand’s key sectors, including farming, mining and other primary industries while ensuring the environment is protected.
Changes in the Bill exclude the hierarchy of obligations in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management from resource consenting and repeal the contentious low slope map and associated requirements from stock exclusion regulations.
Speaking of backing our farmers — radio personality Jamie Mackay has literally spoken up for our farming sector for decades, so it’s excellent to see Jamie being awarded an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to broadcasting and the rural community in the King’s Birthday Honours.
While we’re on the topic of good things in our region — it’s great Tiwai has agreed to contracts that see it stay open for at least another 20 years and also become New Zealand’s largest battery, when energy is needed urgently for the national grid. This quickly led to Mercury confirming it will proceed with expanding Kaiwera Downs wind farm near Gore.
There is a lot of confidence in the future of our region.
