Happy New Year. With 2020 now behind us, many will be hoping it is onwards and upwards from here. I hope you all managed some family time over the festive period. I enjoyed getting out and about throughout the electorate over the past few weeks and it has been great to see some of you on my ventures. It’s been an interesting start to 2021 across the Southland electorate, with wild weather battering many, causing flooding and road closures. I hope those of you on farms have not been too adversely affected by the rain, as preparations for winter feed are well underway. I feel for those of you who are orchardists who have seen your crops destroyed or damaged but hope you are managing to recover in some way. Next week, I’ll be attending the annual Waitangi Day celebrations as National’s Spokesperson for Treaty Negotiations and then it’s back to Wellington for the first sitting week of the year. I’m looking forward to a busy year being a strong advocate for Southland.

I attended the Lake Hayes A & P Show at the beginning of the month and it was fantastic to see such a great turn out. The weather played ball and it provided a great day of entertainment for the family.

The following weekend I headed along to the Winton A & P Show which also had the National Lamb Shearing Championships, an event it hosts every year. It was a scorching Southland day and there was plenty of people there supporting the event from all over the south. Thank you to the party volunteers who manned the stall at both shows.

I was privileged to speak at the opening of the Maz Islamic Education Centre in Queenstown which will provide free community services and a place for prayer in the Whakatipu area.

Until next time, take care.