Botany Pansy Speak

29 October 2010

Day of Divine Diversity

Last week I joined the Prime Minister on a three stop tour of some churches and temples frequented by the residents of our patch. I thought the visits were a fantastic demonstration of the diversity we are fortunate enough to enjoy here in Botany.

First we visited Reverend Andrew Brown and his congregation at the Pakuranga Baptist Church. The worshipers were obviously excited to have the Prime Minister there and gave us a very warm welcome. The church already had a Christmas feel about it as there was a giant pile of presents stacked in the foyer ready to be shipped overseas for those less fortunate.

Our next stop was just across the car park at the Baptist Chinese Church where the Reverend Albert Tang was just about to start the morning's service. Again we were given an enthusiastic welcome by the close-knit congregation. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance by the well rehearsed choir who very much looked the part of a church choir in their uniformed robes.

The third stop on our tour was just down the motorway at the Manuwera Sikh Temple. Upon our arrival we were given a tour of the Nanaksar Education Phulwari - the Childcare Centre adjacent to the Temple. While there we had an opportunity to meet with the excited children and enjoy some traditional Indian food. We were also welcomed to speak to the congregation in the temple itself. It was an impressive sight from the podium looking out over the many hundreds of attendees - the men on the right and the women on the left creating a brightly coloured sea of traditional clothing.

Below is a photo of the Prime Minister and I at story time in the Childcare Centre.

The whole day highlighted for me why New Zealand has twice been named the most peaceful nation in the world. A large part of this accomplishment can be attributed to the leaders of the various faiths in New Zealand as well as the community's respectful and inclusive nature towards a multi-faith and multi-ethnic society.

The Pride Roars to Life in East Tamaki

The Prime Minister made another appearance in our patch this month when he opened the brand new Lion Brewery in East Tamaki. The impressive facility named ‘The Pride' was officially opened in front of a large group of business and community leaders.

It is exciting to have another major commercial enterprise set up its manufacturing base in our patch. The complex is a $250 million investment replacing the old Brewery in Newmarket which will be closed down after 150 years of operation.

In his address the Prime Minister spoke of the need for New Zealand to increase our manufacturing capacity to sell more goods to the world but also mentioned the need for us to address the destructive culture of excessive drinking in New Zealand.

Upon leaving I noticed a statue of Captain Cook taking pride of place in the courtyard - unsure of the connection between the British Explorer and a state-of-the-art Brewery I enquired further. As it turns out he is regarded as the first Brewer in New Zealand after mixing together molasses and tree bark way back in 1773. I am pleased to see brewing has moved on a little in the intervening 237 years, but perhaps we could bring some of his old recipe book back to life as an effective deterrent to binge drinking.

A long healthy and inspirational life

I recently had the honour as Associate Minister of ACC to present the ‘You Deserve a Medal' Awards at Osteoporosis New Zealand's annual ceremony. There were three award winners, each who had inspirational tales of staying fit, healthy and active but I would like to highlight one in particular.

Lida McIvor was the recipient of the ACC Injury Prevention Medal and has overcome a number of challenges in her life to be an inspiration to those around her. As a child Mrs McIvor spent nine years in a German Labour camp before coming to New Zealand as a WWII refugee. Embracing New Zealand as her home by helping those around her Mrs McIvor has lived a healthy active lifestyle and encouraged others to do the same.

At the age of 40 Mrs McIvor was diagnosed with severe asthma, an affliction which nearly claimed her life three times. She decided to tackle the challenge head on and joined a gym - rarely missing a day in the 31 years since. She is an avid bridge player, regularly walks with her husband and is a passionate gardener. Such are her skills in the garden that she provides organic produce to her local supermarket for free as well as giving more away to neighbours and family.

Good health and activity is important as we all get older. It builds bone health and muscle mass and helps to prevent falls. Regular exercise also slows bone loss and reduces the risk of osteoporosis - a disease that affects approximately one in two New Zealand women and one in three New Zealand men over the age of 60. It is also important to keep in mind that it is never too early to start; bone loss in women can begin as early as age 25.

Physical activity not only makes one healthier but also mentally sharper and can increase quality of life. The results can be obvious and fortunately a healthy lifestyle can be contagious - Mrs McIvor's daughter, inspired by her mother, has also started going to the gym.

Visit my website at www.pansywong.co.nz for snappy shots of our beautiful Botany electorate.

Hon Pansy Wong
MP for Botany

Botany, ours to work and grow together

© Scoop Media