Pansy Speak - Community spirit blossoms
new-zealand-national-party
Wed Sep 02 2009 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Pansy Speak - Community spirit blossoms
Wednesday, 2 September 2009, 9:33 am
Press Release: New Zealand National Party
01 September 2009
Community spirit blossoms in the spring of Botany
Pansy Wong, MP
The tall poppies of Botany were on display at the annual Howick Show CASE Awards, which honoured those who have contributed to our community.
Congratulations to Citizen of the Year, John Russell, Young Person Award recipient Colin Ballantine, Enterprise Award winners, Des Coutts and Larry O'Reilly, Employee of the Year, Shirley Samuels, and Administrator Award winner, Warwick Russell.
Also, congratulations to the finalists, you are all tall poppies in our patch.
I attended the awards ceremony and was impressed by the many people giving, caring and living in Botany.
The evening was also enlivened by the sounds of the Macleans College music ensemble, a great many of them are Asian-Kiwi youngsters.
The crowd burst into laughter when I thought aloud that I might be the only Asian in the room who doesn't play a musical instrument.
Events like the Show CASE Awards are important because they allow us to pay tribute to the many unsung heroes who work tirelessly to improve the quality of life within our community.
I appreciate the daunting task faced by the judging panel for the night, choosing between the many worthy finalists, because I sit on the Appointments and Honours Cabinet Committee in Parliament.
We have to peruse thousands of worthy individuals to decide who to add to the New Year's Honours and Queen's Honours lists.
It is humbling to read about many individuals who have generously given time to their communities.
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Botany students in the Beehive
I enjoyed another visit from a group of students from Botany Downs Secondary students last week and was engaged in a robust discussion on the subject of raising the driving age.
They put forward a strong case for making the driving test more difficult rather than raising the driving age - which I thought was a very sensible suggestion.
This is a subject that the students felt very passionate about and I have invited them to have their say on the matter through the Safer Journeys discussion document - which invites New Zealanders to have their say about road safety issues.
It was great to see a bunch of enthusiastic students coming down to Wellington to learn about the processes of Parliament and to see how their local MP spends her days in the House.
Trade success for students
As I have mentioned before, one of my highlights as the MP for Botany is visiting staff and students at schools in our patch.
I recently visited Sancta Maria College and their understanding principal, who knows my passion for engaging with the students, arranged for me to talk with a group of senior pupils to discuss their views and concerns.
One of the students raised the need for there to be training opportunities for those who prefer learning a practical trade.
I was very pleased to tell him the good news that the National-led Government is introducing four new trade academies to ensure students have the option to pick up a trade skill.
Further safeguards for parents
I have received a great many number of emails about the smacking referendum and have read them all carefully.
The Government has listened to the results of the referendum and understand the concerns of New Zealanders who have said they do not want to see parents being criminalised for lightly smacking their children.
Even though there have been no prosecutions under the current law, we have introduced a number of safeguards to ensure this continues to be the case.
For example, we have asked for a review of Police and Child, Youth and Family policies and procedures to identify any changes that are necessary to ensure good parents are being treated as Parliament intended. This review is expected to be completed by December 1, 2009.
We are also bringing forward the delivery of a Ministry of Social Development report on data, trends and the effect of the law change. Originally expected at the end of this year, the report will now be completed later this month, or early October.
Police have also been invited to continue to report on a six-monthly or annual basis for the next three years on the operation of the law, and to include data on cases where parents or caregivers say the force used on the child was reasonable in the circumstances.
Prime Minister John Key has said very publicly that if future Police data indicates a worrying trend that the law isn't working, it will be changed to ensure that good parents are not criminalised for lightly smacking their children.
ends
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