- By Simeon Brown, Member of Parliament for Pakuranga
In my last column for 2024 I wanted to start by wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, while enjoying a safe and hopefully relaxing summer.
The holiday season is a fantastic time of year and a great opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months with family and friends.
I’ve enjoyed sharing in our community’s Christmas spirit with recent events like the Howick Santa Parade and the Christmas Fair and am always encouraged by the kindness and generosity of people from around east Auckland.
I’m also privileged to have served my seventh year as your local Member of Parliament for Pakuranga, and my first as a Minister in the coalition Government working hard to improve the lives of all New Zealanders.
I am proud of the work I have undertaken this year as the Minister of Transport, Local Government, Energy, and Auckland, and am particularly pleased to be delivering change that benefits our Pakuranga community.
We’ve seen fantastic progress on the Eastern Busway this year with work beginning on the Reeves Road Flyover, relief at the pump by axing the Regional Fuel Tax, and we’ll soon see speed limits restored on key arterial roads like Pakuranga Road and Ti Rakau Drive to their previous 60km/h limits, changes Auckland Transport is required to make by July 1, 2025.
Our Government delivered tax relief for more than three million Kiwis for the first time in 14 years, and our policies are slowly but surely getting our economy back on track, with falling interest rates and wage growth outpacing inflation for four quarters in a row.
We’re also making steady progress in important areas like law and order, with increased police presence and lower levels of violent crime, education, with curriculum reforms to focus on the basics of maths and literacy, and health, with extra funding for new cancer treatments and efforts to reduce wait times across the system.
We know there’s still work to be done, and while I’m looking forward to a short break over the holidays with my family, I am eager to get back to work on your behalf next year.
My Pakuranga office will be closed from Friday, December 20, and will reopen on Monday, January 20.
If you’re in need of urgent assistance during that time, please email PakurangaMP@parliament.govt.nz, which will be monitored intermittently over the break.
Once again, I hope you have an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas, New Year, and summer, and most importantly, please be safe wherever you go and whatever you do.
