It’s hard to imagine that we are still being directly impacted by Covid-19 more than two years after it hit our shores on February 28, 2020.
For so many New Zealanders the pandemic has seen their livelihoods affected in ways we never could have imagined. From the damage the closure of shops and businesses has done to countless families’ economic futures to the on-and-off nature of learning in our education sector and the ability to travel, New Zealand has struggled valiantly and yet there seems to be no end in sight.
Kiwis are facing a cost of living crisis across Auckland and that’s heart-breaking. Police response times are now at a shockingly high rate with our own Auckland City District going up 321 per cent and, in some cases, Police are taking almost two hours to respond to emergencies. That is appalling and not good enough for the citizens of our largest city where people want to sleep safely at night and want to feel safe running their diaries, hairdressers and cafes. For me in particular, I was deeply concerned at stories many shop keepers have been telling me during my rounds visiting as a Member of Parliament.
The lack of support many local businesses are facing after ram-raids and local robberies threaten not only their finances but their lives and mental wellbeing. It is damning that local grocers, dairy owners and restauranteurs, some who have been in our community for decades, are now thinking of closing up shop not because of a lack of customers but because of a lack in confidence in community safety and commercial opportunity. Retail NZ recently released data showing that retailers, especially our local storefronts in Grey Lynn, Ponsonby and Westmere, expect prices to rise 7.5 per cent in the next three months should be a wake-up call.
On almost every point New Zealanders, Covid-19 or not, are doing it tough and it’s time for this to stop. We are now in autumn and inching closer to a winter of discontent across New Zealand with inflation soaring as crime, mortgage rates and government wasteful spending grow alongside it. Bluntly, New Zealanders need better leadership than the team in charge right now as it is quickly becoming clear two years on from Covid-19 and five years on since Labour took office they have no idea about the future of New Zealand and how to ensure we can all succeed and thrive in our amazing country.
On 19 May 2022 the Finance Minister will deliver the Budget. We can only hope there will be some relief for the people of our city who are struggling under this Government, after all they are spending $6billion! It will be a lolly scramble, and yet we should be looking at how the Government manages our taxpayer dollars when all of us have to tighten our belts and budget to stretch our household incomes.
Like most of my colleagues, I’m meeting with communities across New Zealand and engaging with industry leaders to ensure the issues affecting New Zealand are heard in our Parliament as we scrutinise the 2022 Budget. The National Team will be delivering a strong message of our plan for the future of New Zealand as an innovative, passionate and forwarding looking nation and I look forward to sharing this vision further with you over the coming months.
Best wishes for the month ahead! (MELISSA LEE MP)
E: mplee@parliament.govt.nz
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