Govt acting on maths, water and road safety: Dana Kirkpatrick

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown, right, with Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly, left, and Local Government Funding Agency chairman Craig Stobo, announcing details of Local Water Done Well - the Government's water infrastructure policy that allows new council-owned water companies to access more cheap borrowing. Photo / NZ Herald

Opinion

Dana Kirkpatrick is MP for East Coast and entered Parliament for the National Party in October 2023.

OPINION

It has been a busy few weeks in our electorate and I have had the great privilege of visiting many different businesses and organisations doing great work.

It is still tough out there and I acknowledge those that are really finding it hard to manage the household budget. There are signs of recovery and there has been tax relief for workers, a cut in interest rates and food prices are falling – all good signs that we are at a turning point. I sense it still will be difficult for many through to the end of this year but hang in there, we are working hard on the much-needed economic uplift.

There were three things that really hit home these past few weeks – our maths achievement, what is happening with water in our communities, and the new focus on road safety – with increased drink- and drug-related driving testing.

So – to the maths announcement first. New data shows that last year, just 22% of Year 8 students were at the expected curriculum level for maths - three in five kids are more than a year behind.

We’re accelerating the shift to a new structured maths curriculum for Year 0-8 students, rolling it out a year earlier than planned. So, from Term 1 next year, your child will be learning maths based on a new world-leading, knowledge-rich curriculum — similar to Singapore and Australia.

Every school will be getting top-quality resources to support teachers with this change, giving parents the confidence that their child will succeed.

We also need to ensure our teachers have the confidence to teach kids maths. That’s why we’re making $20 million available for professional development in structured maths. We’re lifting the standard for new teachers, too, requiring new teachers to have at least NCEA Level 2 maths.

We’re making sure that kids who need help get support. There will be small group interventions for students who have fallen significantly behind, informed by twice-yearly standardised assessments for maths from 2025. This is critical for our students.

To water … Labour said that Local Water Done Well could not be done, but after just nine months we have delivered a huge win for New Zealanders. Our plan restores local control over water assets and new ways of funding investment in water infrastructure.

The Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA) can immediately begin lending to water council-controlled organisations (CCOs) that are financially supported by their parent council or councils. LGFA will support financing for water CCOs of up to 500% of operating revenues - around twice that of existing councils.

This will enable our councils to better manage debt and make essential investments in infrastructure without inflicting drastic rate hikes on our residents. Our model provides councils with the flexibility and tools to meet their unique needs, as we know that one size does not fit all. The legislation to implement the new water service delivery models and other settings is expected to be introduced in December 2024 and passed by mid-2025.

And finally, to the roadside driver testing for alcohol and drugs. Alcohol and drugs are the No 1 contributing factor in fatal road crashes in New Zealand. Following last week’s announcement, drunk drivers and drugged drivers will be heavily targeted to improve safety on our roads.

· An increased target of 3.3 million roadside alcohol breath tests per year.

· A focus on 65% of breath tests being done at high or extreme alcohol risk times.

· Funding to deliver and implement roadside drug testing with a target of 50,000 tests a year.

· Focusing on speed offences on open roads and high-risk locations.

Our Government is focused on improving road safety through road policing and enforcement, investment in new and safe roading infrastructure, and targeting the leading contributors to fatal crashes such as drug and alcohol impairment.

Please drop in and see us - the offices are both up and running at 73 The Strand, Whakatane and 60 Ballance St, Gisborne.

East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick.