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Leader's Message
Parliament is back this week after a two week recess and there's plenty happening - the GCSB legislation, Novopay, Mighty River Power, and of course, Budget 2013/14 is announced next week.
On Tuesday, all political parties had the opportunity to say their final farewells to Labour MP Parekura Horomia. Parekura was a generous, even tempered man who was a faithful servant of his Ikaroa-Rawhiti electorate for many years and one of New Zealand’s quiet achievers. New Zealand First extends our deepest sympathy to his family and his people.
There has been a lot of talk around the controversial GCSB legislation - New Zealand First has made our position very clear - you can read more about it here.
You will have received the latest NZ First newsletter in your mailbox this week - if you haven't received it, or you'd like to sign up to receive future copies, email winston.peters@parliament.govt.nz and we'll get one in the post for you.
Rt Hon Winston Peters
Leader of New Zealand First
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Clear Food Labeling Needed
It is becoming evident that the foods we are eating are contributing to an increasing prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and other related health problems. With the myriad of opinions from nutritionists and other professionals, it is hard to know who to listen to, what to avoid, and what quantities to eat of the food we enjoy.
Increasingly, there has now been a move from fats being the prime culprit in nutrition research, to sugars and simple carbs seen as the root of many problems.
When we eat sweet food, our insulin rises in order to process the sugar. Insulin is also the hormone which is responsible for fat storage in our body. Some experts say sugar is highly addictive because of the insulin response and the high/low blood sugar cycle it causes. It is also thought that in some cases the body cannot recognise it is having excess calories, or efficiently read the “I’m full” signal when we eat or drink sugar rich foods.
New Zealand First believes we need to simplify food labels. They need to be easily read without a magnifying glass, with relevent information so that consumers can make healthy decisions.
Barbara Stewart MP
Spokesperson for Health
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New Zealand Forests Should Remain Under New Zealand Ownership
Forestry and its associated products are worth several billion dollars in export earnings to this country every year, and the industry ranks in the top four along with dairy, meat, and oil as a source of foreign exchange.
The sale of the Super Fund’s forest blocks to the Chinese Government and Harvard University amongst others, is putting the profits and jobs provided by our forests in serious jeopardy. It will perpetuate the raw log trade, which represents the lowest return possible from the annual tree harvest.
One shipload of sawn timber is worth as much as seven shiploads of logs, and the wages earned and taxes paid by mill workers remain here in New Zealand. At present, National’s economic mismanagement is costing this country literally billions in lost employment and squandered wealth.
New Zealand First wants forests, along with all other productive land, retained in New Zealand ownership, and a log pricing regime which will end exports of raw logs and encourage milling and processing of value-added timber products here rather than overseas.
Generations of taxpayers have built New Zealand’s forest assets, and they are too valuable to be virtually gifted to overseas owners. New Zealand First will fight to save our forests.
Richard Prosser MP
Spokesperson for Forestry
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Land Transport Amendment Bill
This Bill seeks to reduce local democracy by removing expert and special interest representatives from Regional Land Transport Committees. These include police, disability, walking and cycling experts. This means the thrust will now be more and bigger roads, while ignoring local input.
The Bill will remove the power of regional councils to establish a regional fuel tax. This would only be an option for regions, so that if a regional council can persuade the people in its area to have such a tax, it would be an easy and inexpensive way to fund local transport needs, which might otherwise not happen.
Equally worrying are the changes to transport objectives. The concept of integrating road transport with rail, coastal shipping, air transport, and especially with public transport, will be gone. The need for a sustainable system is also abandoned, so that our environment will no longer be a concern.
We do need better roads, but at the same time we must prioritise other modes of transport, especially rail and public transport services. We also have to move much further away from oil towards renewable energy sources.
New Zealand First is now engaged in a review of our transport policy which will set out our own priorities and seek a comprehensive strategy.
Denis O'Rourke MP
Spokesperson for Transport
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Kauri Dieback Disease A Huge Concern
Iconic kauri forests in Auckland, Northland, Coromandel and Great Barrier island are under serious threat from Kauri Dieback Disease.
This is a virulent soil-borne pathogen which is an aggressive and rapid killer of all life stages – seedlings, juvenile and mature kauri trees. People and animals can spread the disease by movement of contaminated soil.
A major collaborative effort is underway through councils in the affected regions, Ministry of Primary Industries, and DOC to manage the problem, including research programmes to identify possible solutions.
Protection measures include the roll out of over 200 phytosanitary stations on parkland, track re-routing and new boardwalks in affected areas, and the closing of some tracks in high risk areas.
New Zealand First is concerned that funding is under threat and we are urging the Government to provide for this in the Budget next week. Iconic, historic trees such as Tane Mahuta are under threat and we must do all we can to preserve our magnificent kauri forests. See http://www.kauridieback.co.nz/ for more information.
Andrew Williams MP
Spokesperson for Conservation
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