Collins Comments

Hon Judith Collins
MP for Papakura

Happy new year everybody. The school holidays over and most of us back at work and planning the year ahead.

I’ve had a busy summer getting up to speed on developments in the Police and Corrections portfolios. It really is great to back in the law and order portfolios. Police and Corrections Officers are the people who make our country a safer and better place.

I recently said to Police that one of the many great things about returning to a portfolio is getting to see the results of what were once new policies or initiatives after they have been in place for a few years. I think we are really reaping the benefits of the 600 extra Police delivered since 2009. The recorded crime rate is down 17% over five years with 172 fewer recorded crimes per 100,000 of population.

The benefits of improving infrastructure
Expanding infrastructure supports our daily lives as it provides the delivery of water, electricity, roads, schools and public services. It creates jobs and offers learning opportunities. The National Government has committed billions of dollars for infrastructure development since being elected and over the next 10 years both central and local government expect to spend $110 billion on continuing land transport development and other projects like Ultra-Fast Broadband and the Rural Broadband Initiative.
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) estimates work and projects on the Roads of National Significance and the regional state highway network in and around Auckland will create more than 2100 jobs in the next five years. Other infrastructure projects like Rail upgrades in Auckland will create another 1500 jobs while construction of the Auckland East prison will provide jobs for 3500 more people over the life of the project.
With the expectation that over 195,000 sustainable, highly paid jobs will be created in New Zealand by 2020, infrastructure is a way of providing a strong platform for growth in the economy leading to more jobs, higher incomes and better public services for all New Zealanders.

Southern Corridor Improvements
Locally, I am pleased by the work that is happening on the Southern Corridor Improvements. There have been several night closures during January to progress work from 9pm until 5am. All detours are clearly marked. These closures allow surveying, geotechnical investigations, bridge inspections and service location to occur. Where possible the work continues during the day but without traffic disruption.
Full details of detours, traffic disruptions and road closures are advertised in the Weekend Herald and information is available at nzta.govt.nz/auckland-southern-corridor.

Sunrise Walk for Hospice
An important event for your diary is the Sunrise Walk for Hospice that is hosted by Totara Hospice South Auckland and supported by community and corporate organisations. The Sunrise Walk raises awareness and important funds for this special health service and it also provides an opportunity for people to participate and to remember someone special. The walk takes place in the beautiful Auckland Regional Botanic Gardens at 8am on Sunday 3 April 2016 and free food and activities are available. I hope to see you there.

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