Tena tatou katoa. As I write this my thoughts are heavy with the passing of a most wonderful kuia, Te Aotuhirangi (Vera) Hale from Murupara. She was one of my backbones and has been with me since I first stood as a candidate for the Maori Party. She was recently diagnosed with cancer and, unfortunately, it was aggressive and took her quickly. I was fortunate to have spent some time with her in hospital the day she passed away. She will be truly missed by me, the party and, of course, by her whanau and friends. E te kuia, takoto mai, moe mai ra. E kore o aroha e wareware, to kaha, to manawanui ki te atawhai i to whanau. Haere ra.
Today, I wish to congratulate the four high school students from Rotorua who travelled to Nelson recently to represent our region at the National Manu Korero Competition. In particular, Te Kaiamo Rogers-Smith, who came second overall in the Junior Maori Section, and Tairoa Morrison who came first for his prepared speech in the Senior Maori Category. All four of these students and their respective schools ought to be proud of their achievement as they were up against the top speakers across the country and certainly held their own. Nga mihi nui kia koutou katoa.
Driving through the city lately there seems to be one common theme. Roadworks are everywhere. The Lake Road changes seem to have taken forever and now the Mitre 10 Mega complex has caused more major road works along Amohau Street. One of the changes involves closing off the entry to Eruera Street and, as a result, the access to my electorate office has also been affected.
The turn into this street has always been bit of a hazard - my staff see near-misses on a regular basis as people doing a right turn into the street are dodging cars coming around the blind bend. Perhaps it will be safer now with the installation of lights and the closed entry to Eruera Street. Time will tell. For now, to access my office, one must drive down Eruera Street, along the back of Spotlight, all the way to the end. Then you must drive along the wrong side of the road to enter the driveway. This will take some getting used to but, hopefully, the changes will improve safety along this main stretch of road.
One of the hot topics of discussion at the moment is that of giving money to low decile schools to feed children. While Labour talks up its new policy, my thoughts return to when I was a youngster. My solo mother kept me fed - and prepared all my meals. What sort of food am I talking about? Perhaps I would have a piece of fruit and two sandwiches filled with jam, leftovers or meat and the like. My drink was cordial.
