April 2009

Welcome to the first edition of The Gilmore Gazette which will be out quarterly. It has been an eventful four months since I proudly became the first National MP from the Christchurch East area. As well as getting to grips with life in Parliament, my electorate office is now up and running and we have already had some great outcomes for many local people.

What’s been Buzzing in the Beehive?

For National, it’s been a rollercoaster ride delivering on our pre-election promises and I am proud to say that all 28 goals of our 100 Day Action Plan were achieved, both on time and as promised.

We’ve boosted investment in housing, infrastructure and education, as well as supporting the bank deposit guarantee scheme, which will help safeguard mum and dad investors. We’ve also introduced a ReStart Package for families worst hit by redundancy.

In housing, we have announced the insulation of 10,000 state homes which will make them warmer, drier and healthier to live in. We’re also building more than 500 new state houses, including a significant number in Christchurch.

Investment will be pumped into motorway projects in Christchurch. The northern motorway project from Belfast to Mairehau will give residents better access, including the eventual widening of QEII drive to four lanes. There will also be a new western bypass linking points north and south of Christchurch with the international airport. These will reduce congestion on key local roads like Marshland and Mairehau roads.

These measures, and many more, are part of the National-led Government’s Job and Growth Plan designed to ease the impact of the economic recession, stimulate the economy, and help create and protect jobs for Kiwis.

There will be five new schools across the country and funding for school refurbishments, including our own Shirley Boys High and Windsor School. We’re also setting national standards in literacy and numeracy for all year 1-8 students, so we know how our kids are doing in school.

In health, we introduced a voluntary bonding scheme for graduate doctors, nurses and midwives, encouraging our crucial health workers to take up specialist training and jobs in hard-to-staff areas.

What’s more, we’re making communities safer as we get tough on crime. We’ve introduced legislation to combat criminal gangs and the drug trade, removed the right of the worst repeat offenders to be freed on parole and toughened up bail laws to make it harder for criminals awaiting trial to get bail.

All this on top of tax cuts which kicked in on 1 April for hardworking Kiwis, which means those on an average wage will be about $18 better off after tax.

I am proud to be a part of this National-led Government which is committed to steering New Zealand through this economic crisis.

Introducing My Electorate Office

My electorate office at 18L Bower Avenue, North New Brighton is up and running. I am proud to have on board Julie Carter, who will man the office Monday to Wednesday, and Rachel Brocket-Smith who’s in the office Thursday and Friday. Both Julie and Rachel are known and established in the local community through their good work in various sectors. Feel free to drop in and they will be happy to help with any issues. The office is open 10 am to 4 pm or by appointment.

Out and About

In recent months I have been meeting with lots of local community groups, schools, and businesses as well as working on a number of interesting law changes in Wellington. Below are just some of the things that I have been up to.

Weetbix Triathlon at QEII with my kids meeting Olympic Medalist Nick Willis	University Clubs Day 2009
Visit to Martin Aviation – world leading Jetpack maker	Power Station Visit
Helping Hands Day 2009	City to Surf 2009

Something to Savour

I have also been busy rallying support for my proposal for improving high schools in our area. The proposal is currently being finalised and I will be presenting it to the Minister of Education soon. A big thanks to those 3,500 people who signed my petition. As a parent, this is something that impacts me as well. There’s certainly support out there for a new school and I look forward to updating you in my next newsletter on progress. This is the biggest ever petition on a schooling issue in the last 20 years.

Watch Out For…

In the meantime, look out for my survey which will be in your letterbox soon. It will help me determine what local issues matter to you, so please complete and return to me. It’s Freepost so it won’t cost you a cent. We also have our local Mid Winter Xmas Dinner and Quiz Night coming up.

Until Next Time…

It was a brilliant year for National and I’d like to thank you very much for your support and hard work. We owe our success to the generous help from so many people throughout the country. For me personally though locally we got well over 12,000 party votes – the first time we have ever got over 10,000, the difference was only 39 party votes out of over 2 million – now that is cutting it fine! Our task now is to build on the success of last year and tackle the challenges of 2009. We face some pretty difficult economic conditions, as well as the concerns we identified in the election campaign. But I am confident that with a lot of hard work and your help, we can come through the global recession, deliver on our election promises, and build a brighter future for all New Zealanders.

Drop me a line, it would be great to hear from you.

Aaron Gilmore