Earlier this month, I held a fantastic public meeting with Mark Mitchell to highlight issues of crime in Mt Albert.
Whether it was the 739 thefts and related offences in Point Chevalier (east) last year or the total 6064 victimisations across Auckland just between March and April it is clear New Zealanders are sick of the crime across New Zealand.
This is seeing schools closed out of fear in our regional towns and families feeling they cannot walk down city streets. In Parliament a few weeks ago, I led off the debate into these important local issues. I spoke directly to the issues facing Mt Albert and our Auckland suburbs:
“[New Zealanders] feel that there are not enough police to actually come to their aid. The justice system, they feel, is actually hitting the offenders with a wet bus ticket instead of being harsh so that they understand that they are not supposed to do these actions.
The victims are the biggest worry that I have, because when people are victims of home invasion or they're victims of ram raids, it lasts a long, long time for them to actually get over the crime, and I think this Government needs to do more in this space.”
It is time for New Zealand to have law and order back again.
In other news, as many households already felt was coming, New Zealand is now in recession and it’s hurting hard at the start of winter when power bills can soar, and the cost of living can bite as hard as the frosty weather.
The news will be extremely concerning for many business owners that have faced years of economic uncertainty and in the current environment with rising rents and a shrinking economy; it’s going to be a tough July for many across the country.
The data doesn’t lie, New Zealand is in bad shape, worse than Canada, the United States or Australia who have been fighting similar challenges and have managed to continue their economic growth. We are even worse off than the EU which faces the ongoing Russian invasion in Ukraine.
It’s time a strong National-led government, focused on prudent economic management that will lift incomes, economic opportunities and support for all New Zealanders is able to return to government to sort out the mess Labour have left us.
It is only with a strong economy that we can solve the cost-of-living crisis, bring down interest rates, lift incomes and pay for the quality public services New Zealanders deserve.
Here in Auckland, my next public meeting on 3 July at Ferndale House, Mt Albert, will focus on our local small businesses across the Albert-Eden-Roskill community, and I’m pleased to be joined by Andrew Bayly, National’s Revenue & Small Business Spokesperson, and other Auckland-based National colleagues, to outline the way we can get our economy back on track for every business owner. Hope to see you there!
Best wishes for July and remember to rug up warm. (MELISSA LEE)
National Member of Parliament. National Spokesperson for Broadcasting & Media| Digital Economy and Communications | Ethnic Communities
E: mplee@parliament.govt.nz Authorised by Melissa Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
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Published 3 July 2023