It’s been a fascinating few weeks in Parliament. If it wasn’t all likely to cause real trauma, it could be amusing. Unfortunately, the Coalition Government’s decisions are going to have very real consequences for New Zealanders.
They have rushed through a repeal of New Zealand’s world-leading smoke free legislation, prioritising the interests of the tobacco lobby. At a time where the Government should be working to combat the harms of both smoking and vaping, this is a major step backwards.
I asked whether the Minister had considered the unintended consequences of pushing our children back to cigarettes given the lack of regulation and received no answer. This is one of the consequences of the Government’s irresponsible use of urgency. Laws are going through a rushed process and people aren’t offered the chance to have a say.
The Government has chosen to prioritise reinstating full interest deductions for residential property at a cost of $2.9 billion over four years, $800 million more than National had calculated during the election campaign.
The Treasury stated that these tax cuts for landlords are unlikely to be passed onto renters. This is insulting and shows the Government is in no way committed to supporting most New Zealanders with the cost of living.
Another example of where the coalition's interests lie, is their reduced pay offer to Police. Police have been on the frontlines keeping our communities safe throughout the Covid pandemic and the likes of the Parliament Protest and are now the key to any government's efforts to reduce crime.
National campaigned on law and order yet won't front up with a reasonable offer.
I was sad to see, yet again, big business interests continue to dominate the agenda of the Coalition Government.
The repeal of the law that would have helped ensure that small businesses and contractors receive payment promptly from large companies worth upwards of $53 million (Business Payment Practices Act 2023, now repealed). This will enable businesses to continue using small businesses as banks and not paying them for three months.
In the same week this law was repealed, analysis from the UK said these practises come at a cost of billions to their economy. The Minister says he will work on a voluntary code of practice, though I am not convinced that big business will do anything that is against their financial interests.
The message of the Government needs to be that they support small businesses when they are in a weaker bargaining position.
Outside of Wellington, it has been a busy and emotional few weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Pasifika Festival and the Sandringham Floral Carpet Festival recently.
On 10 March, I hosted a clean up of Pt Chev beach. I was incredibly grateful to the dozens of volunteers that showed up to look after our local environment, including a lovely group of students from Mount Albert Grammar School.
Finally, the passing of my good friend and colleague Efeso Collins has shaken many in Parliament and in our wider communities. It is a terrible loss and my heart goes out to his family. (HELEN WHITE)
As always, please get in touch if there is anything I can do to support you, your community or your business.
helen.white@parliament.govt.nz
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Published: March 2024