What’s on Brown attacks Labour’s record as Ardern retires

Chiropractic Health Talk

Citizens Advice Bureau

Pakuranga invites you to a chiropractic health talk on Saturday, April 15 at 10.30am at Highland Park Library. The talk will be facilitated by Shachi Mehta (senior chiro intern). You can receive a free complimentary spine check (all age groups). Registration is compulsory. Text 021 459 520 or email settlement.pakuranga@ cab.org.nz for registration.

Understanding Ncea And Pathways

Want to know more about NCEA? Join us and know more about pathways within secondary education in a workshop for parents and students and to get more information about what the education and training options for school leavers are. Botany Library, Monday, April 17, 12pm. Registration required, email botany.library@aucklandcouncil. govt.nz.

Free English For Migrants In Their Homes

If you know someone who cannot get to an English class, they may be able to have a trained ESOL home tutor. The home tutor would teach them English for settlement for 1-2 hours a week. Phone English Language Partners on 09 278 9099 or email aucklandsouth@english language.org.nz.

Pakuranga Garden Club

Come and join our Garden Club. We meet at Te Tuhi, 13 Reeves Rd, Pakuranga on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. Doors open at 9.30am and our meeting starts

10am till 11.30am. Morning tea

9.30am. We have an interesting guest speaker and an outing each month. Come and join us for friendship and gardening ideas. Men and women welcome. For more information phone Jocelyn on 09 273 9179 or 021 144 1989.

Eastern District Country Music Club

Wednesday, April 19, 7pm. Concert with guest artists, Coopers Run along with other musicians performing. All welcome, Bucklands and Eastern Beaches War Memorial Hall, Wharf Road, Bucklands Beach. Tickets at the door, adults $10, children $5. For more info phone Bev 021 11 56 866.

Yarn Wanted

We are a knitting group who knit baby clothes and cot blankets for families in need in South Auckland. We are getting short of yarn and would appreciate any yarn you may have to spare. We use any colours of yarn suitable for baby knitting (especially 4 ply or 8 ply). If you would like it collected from the Howick or Pakuranga area, please ring Heather 09 535 5514 or Janet 09 535 4039.

Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown has labelled the Labour Government “arrogant, entitled, and tired” during a blistering attack on its record.

Brown was the first speaker for the National Party during the general debate in Parliament on April 5.

The debate was held on the same day former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivered her valedictory speech and retired from politics and the Reserve Bank raised the official cash rate by 50 basis points to 5.25 per cent, which is expected to result in higher interest rates and more families struggling to pay their mortgages.

With six months to go until this year’s general election on October 14, Brown said Prime Minister Chris Hipkins claimed his Government would focus on “bread and butter” issues, but it’s spent the last five weeks talking about itself and the conduct of former ministers such as Stuart Nash, who was sacked from Cabinet for multiple political indiscretions.

Brown said such issues were causing distractions from the “real issues facing New Zealanders”.

“New Zealanders who are now facing another 50 basis points increase in the official cash rate, which will put more pressure on family budgets up and down this country and will put some people, with their mortgages, to the wall.

“This Government has lost control of the issues that matter to New Zealanders and is completely distracted and is talking about themselves rather than trying to fix the issues which are facing New Zealanders.”

Brown said the Government is not focused on bread-and-butter issues and is tired, arrogant, “completely distracted and out of touch” from the important issues.

He talked about National’s policy launches on education, childcare, and local water infrastructure.

“So what’s National been focused on? We’ve been focused on policies which will make a difference for New Zealanders.

“Like putting a policy out, doing local water well. What about Family Boost? A fully-funded policy which is going to help young families pay for their cost of childcare, and guess what?

“Fully funded by cutting some of the wasteful consultants which have ballooned under this Government.

“This Government’s the Government for bureaucrats and consultants, not the Government for families and making sure they can deal with the cost of living.”

Brown said National’s new education policy, ‘Teaching the Basics Brilliantly’, will make sure Kiwi children have one hour a day of reading, writing, and maths.

“How revolutionary would that be? It’s about focusing on our future generations.

“Parents up and down this country and are so grateful the National Party is talking about solutions for the future, which will help their young people have the future skills they need.”

He said the party’s Electrify NZ policy will “help make sure we have the clean, renewable energy we need to electrify our economy”.

Brown laid out what National intends to achieve should it be elected to Government this year.

“We’re going to lower inflation. We’re going to lift incomes for all New Zealanders. National will build the infrastructure New Zealand needs. We will restore law and order, which has gone backwards under this Government.

“We’ll make sure New Zealanders have access to the health and education services they need.

“New Zealanders need change in this election. New Zealanders will get change from a National Government, and we will not only give it, we will deliver it.”