While 1100 families languish on state house waiting lists in the Wellington region alone, homes are being abandoned and left to rot by the Government, Labour Housing spokesperson Moana Mackey and Rimutaka MP Chris Hipkins said today. Read the rest of this entry »

The Labour Party acknowledges the significant contribution of outgoing Chief Censor Bill Hastings and congratulates him on his new role as a District Court Judge and Chair of the Immigration and Protection Tribunal, Labour’s Internal Affairs spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.

“Bill Hastings’ 12 years of service have made a significant contribution to censorship in New Zealand. This is a controversial area and often presents significant challenges. Bill has handled these complex situations with intellect, judgment and decorum,” Chris Hipkins said.

“Leading the Office of Film and Literature Classification can be demanding and controversial. Bill has encouraged debate and always been willing to front on the tricky issues. He has generally been able to guide decisions that have been reflective of general public opinion.

“Chairing a brand new agency like the Immigration and Protection Tribunal will present its own challenges. I’m sure his experience will place him in good stead for this and his dual role as a district court judge.

“I congratulate Mr Hastings on his appointments and wish him all the very best,” Chris Hipkins says.

Recent action taken against highly dubious practices among some poker machine funded charitable trusts is welcome, but more must be done, Labour’s Internal Affairs spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.

“Under the Gambling Act it is very clear that profits generated from pokie machines need to be used for charitable purposes. I’m sure the New Zealand public will be appalled to learn about some of the very complicated arrangements some organisations have been using to get around this basic principle,” Chris Hipkins said.

“At a time when so many community groups are struggling to raise enough money to survive, it’s shocking to think that money that should have been used for charitable purposes has been channelled through a complex web of companies and trusts, ending up being used to promote more gambling rather than support charities.

“I’m pleased the Department of Internal Affairs are taking decisive action.

“However the fact remains that there are still some very questionable practices in parts of the pokie trust sector and the Government needs to deal with them. The public should be able to have confidence that money earmarked for charitable purposes is actually ending up being used for that purpose.

“Both the current Minister of Internal Affairs Nathan Guy and his predecessor Richard Worth expressed concerns about ‘dubious practices’ in parts of the gaming machine industry. They need to do more than just express concerns, they actually need to do something about it.

“I’m more than happy to discuss these matters with the Minister at any time to ensure he can gain sufficient support for any legislative changes that may be required. It’s time for some action,” Chris Hipkins said.

Rimutaka MP Chris Hipkins took some time out this weekend to help volunteers with the Wellington City Mission Food Drive, collecting food in the foyer of Countdown, Upper Hutt.

“Saturday’s collection was a real success. I’m proud to represent a community with so much generosity and compassion. The food and goods collected will provide a crucial safety net for individuals and families in their hour of need,” Chris Hipkins said.

The Rimutaka MP is also keen to draw attention to the fact that this week is Volunteer Awareness Week. This year’s theme is ‘Volunteering Across The Generations’.

Driven by Volunteering New Zealand, Volunteer Awareness Week aims to acknowledge the excellent work done by our many volunteers with a key objective of encouraging more people to volunteer.

“Volunteer Awareness Week is a great time to acknowledge our volunteers and recognise the hard work they put in to making our community a better place.

“We’re really lucky that we have such a strong culture of volunteering here in the Hutt Valley. As I move around the electorate and meet various community groups I’m always impressed by the number of people I see getting involved in their local community at a grassroots level,” Chris Hipkins said.

Hipkins congratulated current volunteers in the community and encouraged others to seek out opportunities to get involved in volunteering.

“Volunteers really do make the world go around, and there are countless charitable Rimutaka residents who devote a lot of their free time to helping other people and promoting worthwhile causes. There are plenty of ways to get involved and I encourage all budding volunteers to give it a go.

Alongside the Wellington City Mission, the Upper Hutt Food Bank always welcomes food donations and several local supermarkets have a collection bin for this.

For more information about some of the volunteering opportunities available visit www.volunteernow.org.nz or call 0800 VOL CNTR.

Rimutaka MP Chris Hipkins is appalled that the National Government’s funding cuts to health could force the Piki te Ora Ki te Awakairangi Primary Health Organisation to double its fees. Read the rest of this entry »

Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee remains unable to present a strong business case for the multi-million dollar asset swaps he is forcing on SOEs Meridian and Genesis, Labour’s Energy spokespeople Nanaia Mahuta and Chris Hipkins said today. Read the rest of this entry »

Rimutaka MP Chris Hipkins visited Golders Cottage last week to promote local history as a part of June 2010 Heritage Month. Mr Hipkins is encouraging locals to get behind Heritage Month, highlighting the importance of preserving and valuing our community heritage sites.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Golder’s Cottage. Experiencing how much of a day-to-day struggle it was for early settlers in the Hutt Valley really makes you appreciate all of the comforts and conveniences that we take for granted today,” says Chris Hipkins.

“Golder’s Cottage is an excellent asset to the community and I encourage everyone to visit the fantastic heritage sites that our community has to offer.

Driven by the Wellington Region Heritage Promotion Council, Heritage Month aims to promote and encourage the preservation of the region’s heritage. Golder’s Cottage is celebrating Heritage Month by showcasing Main Street to the River, a set of displays on the historical urban development between the Golder Homestead and the Hutt River.

“Appreciating our history keeps the knowledge of our community’s heritage alive for future generations to learn from. While it’s easy to focus on current and future issues, it’s equally as important to remember the past, and where we came from. I applaud the Golder’s Cottage committee for the hard work they put into preserving this vital part of our local heritage,” Hipkins said.

Chris Hipkins encourages all those who want more information on Heritage Month events throughout the region to visit the Wellington Region Heritage Promotion Council website at www.wellingtonheritagepromotions.org.nz.

The National Government has cut $58m from the rates rebate scheme that was significantly overhauled by the last Labour government to help low-income home owners who have trouble paying their rates, says Rimutaka MP Chris Hipkins. Read the rest of this entry »

A recently publicised report from the Health and Disability Commissioner highlights the need for more rigorous regulations governing the care of older people in rest homes, Rimutaka MP Chris Hipkins says. Read the rest of this entry »

On Budget day I’m sure many of our local residents will have been keenly calculating the value of the tax cuts dished out by the National-led government. No doubt their initial excitement would have worn off by the time they worked out that any benefit they were getting from a few extra dollars in the pocket each week wouldn’t even come close to compensating them for the increase in the cost of living they are going to face.

This year’s Budget is one of broken promises and missed opportunities. The biggest broken promise is John Key’s about-face on increasing GST. Before the last election he said that National wouldn’t increase GST because if they did a “halfway decent job’ of managing the economy it wouldn’t be necessary. It seems a year and a half is a long time in politics – they just hiked GST up to 15 percent. Read the rest of this entry »