May 2013

Kia ora everyone!

I am sending this month's newsletter to you all from Tolaga Bay where I am attending the tangi of Hon Parekura Horomia. As you will have seen from media reporting he was a well loved and respected parliamentarian, Minister, and friend. I worked with him as a public servant, for him when he was Minister of Maori Affairs, and opposite him in this Government. We shared a warm and genuine friendship, and a passion for raising the educational achievement of young Maori. He was indeed a big man with a big heart and his passing marks a sad day for our Ngati Porou community, but also for those who knew and worked with him across the country. Many, many people are coming to pay their respects and recall delightful stories of their interactions. Yesterday, in pouring rain, hundreds came from Tainui with King Tuheitia, and from Kahungunu in the Hawkes Bay, together with Hon Dr Peter Sharples, leader of the Maori Party, and Minister of Maori Affairs. Today and for the duration of the tangi we expect many more. Haere ra e Parekura, oki oki ra. Rest in peace. Well, the month of April has seen a lot of positive and exciting education results nationwide. But first I would like to thank all those who wrote to me, emailed me, came to meet me and called me to discuss the Marriage Equality Bill. I really appreciated

your feedback and your comments during this process, and I am grateful that as an electorate and a community you took the opportunity to voice your opinion and respectfully engaged with me. This Bill was one of two conscience votes taken since we have been in Government, the other being the purchase age for alcohol. I voted for the Marriage Equality Bill, and for raising the purchase age to 21 years.

Lest We Forget
The timing of this panui is a great opportunity for me to acknowledge ANZAC Day. As a grand-daughter, daughter, sister, and wife of servicemen I am proud that we as New Zealanders commemorate those who made contributions to efforts all around the world to bring peace and democracy. And to those who made the greatest sacrifices with their lives. I know that communities across Mana as well as around the country each made their own commemorations. The Porirua RSA memorial crosses on Te Rauparaha Park was a very touching visual that helps us all remember the fallen in a powerful way.

Its all about results!

Sharing the highlights first, this month I announced an overall 2 per cent increase in the 2012 NCEA achievement rates for 16 year olds. Yay! A significant improvement in one year - but still a way to go. Nevertheless, we must celebrate the successes and build upon them. For Pasifika there was a 3.5 per cent increase to 52.5 per cent up from 49 per cent in 2011. That means 3,054 of the 5,820 Pasifika 16 year old students who started the 2012 school year had achieved Level 2 by the end of the year. The results also show a 2 per cent increase in Mori achievement with 54 per cent of 16 year-old Mori students achieving NCEA Level 2 last year up from 52 per cent in 2011.

That means 5,857 of the 10,841 16 year-old Mori students who started the 2012 school year had achieved NCEA Level 2 by years end. I also announced a rise in our provisional figures for early childhood participation. The provisional data for the first quarter of 2013 shows around 95.5 per cent of children that started school this year had participated in early childhood education. Thats up from 94.7 per cent at the same time last year. The provisional data also shows increases in participation rates for Mori and Pasifika children. Around 91.7 per cent of Mori children and around 88.1 per cent of Pasifika children starting school had participated in early childhood education. Thats an increase of about 1.4 percentage points for Mori and nearly 2 percentage points for Pasifika children compared to the same period last year. These results are a credit not only to the students themselves but to all the parents, principals, teachers and the wider communities that played a role in this increase. Thank you.

Electorate
Porirua Grand Traverse
The Porirua Grand Traverse was a great opportunity for our young team of volunteers to get involved. Hundreds of Mana electorate participants gave it a go. The wet and cold weather did nothing to dampen spirits, and participants from all ages ranging from young primary children to our respected elderly all did spectacularly well. I am grateful to our committed electorate Key Person team for not only participating but helping to marshal the event. If youd like to be more involved with our team please contact my electorate office on 04 237 0746. Congratulations to all!

AGM Guest Speaker - Alfred Ngaro, MP

We had the opportunity to hear from my friend and colleague, Alfred Ngaro, at the Mana Cruising Club on the 6th of April. Alfred is the first MP of Cook Island descent, and shared many experiences of his life growing up in West Auckland, his working life as an electrician, then community worker, and pastor; as a husband and father; and now as a National MP. Alfred was also a key organiser and host of our first ever Pacific Parliamentary and Political Forum which I talk about later in this panui. I also had the opportunity to talk about our current results in my Education and Pacific Island Affairs portfolio, as noted earlier in this panui.

Porirua Chamber of Commerce

I accompanied Prime Minister John Key when he was guest speaker at the Porirua Chamber of Commerce. There was a great turn out of business people, and local government with Mayor Nick Leggett and other councillors present. The Prime Minister talked about New Zealands sustainable economic growth, and reinforced our aim for 5 out of 5 students successfully achieving in education. He commended our businesses in Porirua and congratulated Porirua for having one of the lowest crime rates in New Zealand. For more information on our crime statistics, please go to http://www.police.govt.nz/statistics/2012/calendar

The PM and I at the Porirua Club talking with Porirua Cr Euon Murrell

Rotary Conference 2013

I was a guest speaker at the Rotary conference in Rotorua at the invitation of Plimmerton Rotary who were co-organisers of this enormous event. Almost 600 Rotarians from Auckland and the lower North Island attended, including many from our Mana electorate. It was a great success by all accounts. The theme of the conference was "Pushing the Boundaries" and I spoke both about my own boundaries being pushed, and the contribution that a good education has made to my life opportunities, and about the enormous potential of all our children and the importance of a quality education for each and every one of them. Graeme Blick stepped down from his role as District Governor (together with his wife, Chris) and was thanked by the conference for the tireless work he has put in through that role.

At the Rotary Conference with 3 teachers from England on a sponsored visit by Rotary

Government
Education and Pacific Island Affairs Portfolios
As mentioned earlier in our panui we are seeing some great results in Education for all our kids. We must celebrate these results as a community and a nation. The success rate is not enough yet but with focus and determination and working together it is clear that we can grow achievement year on year. One of the 60 secondary schools that grew achievement in a significant way in 2012 was our own Porirua College. I have written to the Board and Principal to congratulate them and their parent community. Well done! To keep up to date on all the positive things happening in Education, follow me on twitter - @hekiaparata, and friend me on Facebook.

Crime Rates Drop

Under Our Government there has been a 16.7 per cent drop in recorded crime over the past three years. Our communities are becoming safer. Nationally we have the lowest crime rate in more than 30 years, with more than 30,000 fewer crimes recorded nationally last year. These results are great news for our communities here in the Mana electorate and a source of national pride. This is truly a reflection of the tireless work of local police, community initiatives, and our governments commitment to tackling crime. Kapi Mana district crime statistics show recorded crime has dropped 3.2% per cent in the past calendar year. Well done! I am proud to be part of a Government that is delivering on its promise to build a safer New Zealand. As members of our community in Mana it is important that we continue to support this positive growth.

Parliament
Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum

At the Pacific Parliamentary dinner held at Ptaka with Fiji delegation and Tina McNicholas, Wellington Fiji Representative. At the Pacific Parliamentary dinner held at Ptaka with Principal Sose Annandale of Russell School and Gagau Annandale-Stone of MSD.

In Parliament we welcomed around 70 Pacific Members of Parliament and political leaders from across the Pacific region to participate in the first Pacific Parliamentary and Political forum. The objective was to promote stronger governance, cooperation and political cohesion amongst new and emerging political leaders from the Pacific region and to strengthen relations with NZ parliamentarians. I was delighted to see the different Pacific countries represented in our New Zealand Parliament House debating issues dear to the Pacific - and therefore to us. It was invigorating, passionate, neighbourly, and important. I hosted the delegation at a dinner at Premier House where we celebrated the occasion and in true Aotearoa-Pacific fashion, sang songs throughout the evening. This was a great opportunity being together as Pacific colleagues to learn from each other and share our stories in order that we can build a brighter and better future for all Pacific people across the region. At the dinner I hosted at Premier House at the Pacific Parliamentary. See my speech at the Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum http://inthehouse.co.nz/node/18273

At the dinner I hosted at Premier House at the Pacific Parliamentary

Whats Coming Up
Triennial Board of Trustees Elections
I would like to remind everybody about the SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES election and encourage you to get involved and engage with your local school. School boards hold overall responsibility for the governance of a school, setting goals, determining the strategic direction, and raising the achievement of each and every student. Elections will be held around the 30 May 2013. Nominations opened 15 April 2013. For more information visit: http://www.trustee-election.co.nz/

Porirua Expo
The 2013 Porirua Expo is being held 4th May from 10am to 4pm at Te Rauparaha Arena. Please make sure you pop over to our electorate booth to say hello. There will be: Business expo Craft market Prizes and giveaways KapiMana kids market Bouncy castles and rides Performers, dancers, music Outdoor concert And much more. Come down and support the cause. And every weekend there are great markets in our Mana electorate - I will be at the Paraparaumu market on the 3rd of August and 26th of October. See you there!

Ka mutu..
Please feel free to visit my website www.hekiaparata.co.nz; where you find press releases and my latest video blog. Id also appreciate your support on Facebook! I update my page regularly with photos, press releases, questions and comments. Jump online and add me as a friend! www.facebook.com/hekia.parata.

And Twitter has also been a great way to ensure you get information directly from me too @hekiaparata. Please feel free to forward my newsletter to others who may be interested. Lest we forget. Ng mihi

Hon Hekia Parata National List MP based in the Mana Electorate

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