Ian McKelvie: Making a difference to Kiwis

Ian McKelvie

EVERY once in a while the time comes to take stock of what we do in life.

One of those moments came for me last week as the full impact of the Government's 2017 Budget hit home.

The reason I and many others came to Parliament was to make things better for New Zealanders. In my case, it was more specifically to help those who need it to lead a better life, and to give those living in rural and provincial New Zealand the opportunity to live, work and thrive in their communities.

The most difficult part of my role as an MP is meeting and trying to help people with mental health challenges; dealing with families who struggle to pay the bills on a daily basis; and working with communities whose infrastructure is challenged by a lack of ratepayers to pay for it -- especially as the burgeoning tourism industry is putting further pressure on that infrastructure.

Another common issue we're asked about is immigration. In particular employers of migrants who are concerned about labour shortages, particularly in the hospitality, horticulture, dairy and construction sectors in the Rangitikei.

Nine years after the global financial crisis hit New Zealand, followed closely by the Christchurch earthquake, this Government has been able to start helping those who really need a hand up.

Through the careful stewardship and leadership of, firstly, Prime Minister John Key and Finance Minister Bill English and now Prime Minister English and Finance Minister Steven Joyce, we've been able to introduce policies that will make a considerable difference to those on lower and middle incomes in our rural towns.

The initiatives in Budget 2017 specifically address issues I mention above.

For example, there's $116 million of new funds to test different approaches regarding how we engage with those who have mild to moderate and severe mental health needs.

There's a $2 billion package to help lower-income families with young children meet living costs, and to assist those with high housing costs. The initiatives will help those on lower incomes in different ways, depending on their circumstances.

Of course, the Government's long-term goal is to create an economy where people are paid well enough so they don't need government support.

The third matter I mentioned relates to increasing demands on local government infrastructure in tourism destinations. The new $102 million fund announced to help with this -- coupled with $86 million to assist the Conservation Department with tourism infrastructure -- is a great start.

The hard work of the National team over the past eight years, the tolerance of the New Zealand people and their faith in this Government's ability to manage and strengthen the New Zealand economy have come to fruition.

For me, this sums up why I came to Parliament nearly six years ago to represent the people of the Rangitikei.