Tolley Talk

Hon Anne Tolley, MP for East Coast

Minister English visits the East Coast

It was a pleasure to host the Deputy Prime Minister Bill English in the electorate earlier this month.

Minister English and I visited iwi and business groups in both Whakatane and Gisborne. We chatted with them about the budget, the economy and the social sector and what it means for families and businesses.

The day was extremely insightful and I thoroughly enjoyed hosting Minister English in the electorate.

Motu Trail

This month I was excited to see the Motu Trails Charitable Trust receive $25,134 as one of six new projects the Government is investing in to maintain the quality of the New Zealand Cycle Trail.

Our local cycle trail is a great community asset. Cycle Trails attract tourists, create jobs, and boost economic growth in our region. Reports on Cycle Trails indicate more than 1,200 jobs have been created. This funding boost is just one of the ways National is supporting our regions.

Cycle Trails are also hugely popular. Recent estimates suggest around 125,000 people used the New Zealand Cycle Trail in January. This compares to 97,000 in January 2014.

As such a popular and important asset, I’m really keen to ensure our local cycle trail is maintained to a high standard so both locals and tourists can continue to benefit from it. This funding boost is great news for doing just that.

Better Public Services

I’m often asked how the Government is tackling issues such as welfare dependency, crime, child abuse, and educational achievement. East Coast people want to know that know that Government services in our community effectively target these issues.

Three years ago the Prime Minister set 10 challenging targets for the public service to achieve over the next few years. I’m pleased to see the latest figures suggest we’re tracking well.

Since the targets were introduced:

42,000 fewer children are living in benefit dependent households.
The reoffending rate has dropped 9.6 per cent.
There’s been a 6.8 per cent increase in the proportion of 18-year-olds who achieve a NCEA Level 2 qualification.
The trend has flattened in the number of children and young people experiencing substantiated physical abuse.
Our challenge now is to keep progressing. It’s all part of our plan to build a brighter future and deliver better results for families.

ends

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