It's been a busy first few months here on the Shore and down in Wellington. Between our country's cost of living crisis and significant local issues such as crime, I've been working hard to be your voice. 

Our community is facing significant challenges but also has huge opportunities, I believe that together we can not only solve problems but build a brighter future that makes the North Shore and New Zealand an even better place to live and work. 

Please don't hesitate to get in touch with my office if there's anything my team and I can do to help you.

Warm regards

Simon

 

Email: [email protected]

Ph: 09 486 0005

Keep up to date with my work as your MP by following me on Facebook and Instagram

---

The cost of living crisis 

 

Working as National Associate Spokesperson for Finance and Infrastructure, and talking to you all, it's clear that our biggest issue is the skyrocketing cost of living.

One of the key drivers of the increasing cost of living is inflation, which reached a 30 year high of 5.9%, now ANZ predicts inflation could reach 7.4% in the second quarter of this year. What this means for our families and businesses is that every dollar they earn is worth less and less. Our inflation rate far outstrips many other comparable countries like Australia and continues to be exacerbated by high levels of government spending. 

This is hitting hardworking Kiwis, the cost of putting food on the table and petrol in the car is increasing and people are starting to go backwards. Annual food prices alone have risen 6.8 per cent in the last year, the fastest increase in a decade. 

Despite this huge jump and inflation, the government intends to allocate over $6 billion in new spending in this year's budget - the biggest yearly increase ever. What concerns me the most is the quality of that spending, whether it's $1.9 billion in mental health spending that isn't reaching the people who need it, or despite spending an extra $30,000 per prisoner compared to 2018, has there been a steep reduction in the number of prisoners accessing rehabilitation services, stories of wasteful spending by this government are a daily occurrence. 

We need a government that can deliver a budget that will get Kiwis moving forward again, not trap them with more inflation, more debt, and more poorly targetted and ineffective spending. 

 

Read our latest Press Release here.

 

---

Increasing crime in our communities

There is no place in our community for violent and criminal behaviour, and sadly we've been seeing an increase in crime and antisocial activity. People have the right to live their lives free of violence but are regularly subjected to crime by people who peddle misery in our communities. This is something I will never accept, and working with residents and the police on this issue is a top priority for me as your MP. 

I regularly meet with our Area Commander and those in the Waitematā Police district, keeping up to date with their work and seeing what we can all do to help them. Our police officers work tirelessly for our communities, and they're true heroes, but they aren't being supported by this government. 

Most shocking for me was Police Minister Poto Williams standing in Parliament and denying an increase in gang tensions under her watch, and refusing to accept any responsibility for the huge increase in crime. Facts don't lie, police response times in Auckland are up over four times what they were when Labour took office, gang membership has increased by over 50 per cent, violent crime has increased over 20 per cent, and assaults are up over 30 per cent. 

Those shocking statistics will sadly come as no surprise to many of us on the North Shore, we've seen it first hand.

Call 111 in emergencies

Use 105.police.govt.nz or call 105 to report situations that don’t require immediate Police or Emergency Services attendance

 

Read our latest Press Release here.