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While public ANZAC Day services will not be able to go ahead this year, we can still take time to reflect on the sacrifice made by our ANZACs and show our appreciation to all of our veterans and service personnel. · Defence Minister Ron Mark joined Defence Force personnel in urging all New Zealanders to stand at the end of their driveway, living room, balcony, or their essential places of work, at 0600 hours on the 25th of April to commemorate…

Day 23 Update: Recent business tax changes; New electorate boundaries announced; and congratulations to Sam at Port Waikato for reopening his dairy.

Day 19: Need to keep exercising; distribution of free face masks to the local community and special issue to a retirement home in Tuakau; good news for golf and bowling clubs; and please email me at [email protected] if you would like my assistance

Since January, I have been following international coverage and debate about Covid-19 closely. Looking back over almost three months now, what seems extraordinary is how flat footed the international response has been. An exception to that has been that of the much-maligned World Health Organisation (WHO), which from the outset has endeavoured to provide information and advice as soon as it could. That is not easy in contexts where not all…

Day 14 Update: Delivery of face masks & face shields, online sales from butcheries & fresh produce stores, thanks to Blooming Hill Flowers for gifting flowers to hospitals, and update from IRD Commissioner on what do with changes to child support/family assistance payments and paying PAYE and other taxes.

The Health Ministry must be more transparent with the information it's giving to the public. · Like all journalists in New Zealand right now, I've been covering stories day after day, all of which relate to our current coronavirus crisis. · It's the longest-running, bulletin dominating story I've ever known and is impacting every single Kiwi, young and old. · Given the ongoing significance of this epidemic, we as journalists need swift,…

To all Dutch New Zealanders, · While we work from home, walk in empty streets, wait in lines to do our shopping in supermarkets in compliance with the 2 m social distancing, life in New Zealand and the rest of the world seems to be on hold. No plans are made, many worry about their health, the health of vulnerable relatives here and in The Netherlands, and what the future will bring for their jobs and business. · Health should be priority nr 1…

Day 10 and we are making great progress - together. Supplying face masks for our health workers and horticultural growers across the electorate and our 17 community response teams working really well now. New food arrangements for the vulnerable taking shape now.

Day 7 Update: Good progress with local community response teams contacting the most vulnerable, distributing full face shields to pharmacists, doctors, dentists and trying to use fresh produce grown in Franklin to help feed our most vulnerable.

New Zealand has changed dramatically in a week in response to Covid-19. Fundamental rights and liberties have been curtailed to assist in suppressing the virus. From a legal history perspective, this is similar to what New Zealand experienced in World War I and II and during the 1951 Waterfront Dispute. · It is unclear how long these measures will be necessary. At the present time we just don't have enough data to confirm the severity of this…