As Economic Development Minister, I’m relentlessly focused on rebuilding our economy, and key to that is boosting our international trade.
It was a real privilege to be part of the Prime Minister’s trade mission to Malaysia and South Korea in September, taking a senior business delegation with us to explore opportunities in these key markets. Over a busy four-day programme, the delegation grew valuable connections and learnt all about accessing and operating in, and increasing trade with, this region.
This Government has set an ambitious target of doubling the value of our exports within 10 years, and trade missions play a key role in moving us towards that goal. South Korea and Malaysia are New Zealand’s sixth and ninth largest trading partners respectively. Attracting investment from these and other countries is how we get the capital to invest in critical services at home, like healthcare and infrastructure.
Speaking of services, the Government recently released its first quarterly report on progress against its nine public service targets. This showed promising results in some areas – a 34% reduction in the number of households in emergency housing, for example – while laying out the scale of the challenge in others.
One of the targets is around reducing violent crime – the increase in violent crime over the past two years shows exactly why this Government’s tough-on-crime approach to law and order is needed. The recent shooting in Grey Lynn, part of a spate of homicides in Auckland this year, was yet another stark reminder. That’s why this Government is continuing to take real action to restore law and order with sentencing reforms recently introduced to Parliament to ensure that criminals face real consequences for crime and that victims are prioritised.
There are promising signs that we’re going in the right direction. I was pleased to see figures last month showing a 22% reduction in serious assaults in the Auckland CBD. Businesses and residents in the CBD have long been suffering, and while the job isn’t done yet, this Government’s actions to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour are gaining traction.
We’ve been seeing tangible results in other areas too, such as in education. It was fantastic to read Mt Albert Grammar School Headmaster Patrick Drum’s comments on Newstalk ZB about the “significant culture shift” at his school following its cellphone ban. That has meant more students interacting at break times and more movement and sports games, to the extent that the school has had to install more handball courts to meet demand. A great local example of a simple change leading to big results!
It’s been a busy month on the ethnic celebrations front, and you would have seen plenty of colour on the streets of Auckland in recent weeks thanks to Mid-Autumn Festival and Onam, two massive celebrations for their respective communities. Mid-Autumn Festival (known as Chuseok in Korea) in particular has deep personal significance to me – it brings back memories of big family gatherings filled with food and staying up past midnight to make songpyeon, a Korean rice cake. And, of course, we have Diwali coming up. I’m incredibly excited to host Parliament’s Diwali celebration as Ethnic Communities Minister and I hope to see you at some of the Diwali events I plan on attending around Auckland.
Lastly, by the time this issue of Ponsonby News goes to print, I would have just hosted another Seniors Morning Tea, this time with special guest Rima Nakhle, MP for Takanini. If you came along, thank you – I hope you enjoyed chatting with me and Rima – and if you missed this one, I hope to see you at my next community event.
Until next time,
(Hon Melissa Lee) National List MP based in Mt Albert
Authorised by Melissa Lee, Parliament Buildings, Wellington
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