Indian association Manukau (IAMNZ) organised an event to discuss about the End of life choice and cannabis legalisation & control referendum. The programme focussed on creating community awareness and education around the referendums through different presentations and mediums to put across the information for the upcoming general elections.

I attended a great event on Saturday night when the Fijian community celebrated their 50th anniversary of Independence Day in the Sugarloaf in Waiwera. Lorayne Ferguson, Labour candidate for Whangaparaoa also attended with some of her team.

This week is your chance to elect the management team to take us out of this economic hole. Using your Party Vote for ACT, gives you a far bigger voice in Parliament with more ACT MPs demanding more accountability. ACT is the party that will hold all of the others accountable. That’s why we need your party vote.

On Tuesday, the Green Party’s conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage went kayaking on Akaroa Harbour to highlight the greater protection achieved for Hector’s and Maui dolphins this term and the Greens’ election commitment to supporting sustainable tourism.

The Government is changing its approach to teacher recruitment as COVID-19 travel restrictions continue, by boosting a range of initiatives to get more Kiwis into teaching.

The Green Party is calling for an independent review of Pharmac to ensure that there is proper equity around funding for medication for sick New Zealanders.

We’ve released our fiscal plan for next term, and it shows how we’ll continue to manage the Government books responsibly if re-elected on October 17th.

The former Chief Executive Officer of Air New Zealand, who also held a number of senior roles with Unilever, was visiting Universal Granite (UC), New Zealand’s leading supplier of stones, accompanied by Alastair Bell, National Party’s Board Member based in Northern Region

National says if it were in government it would create 10,000 jobs a month and get unemployment heading down to 4 percent by 2025.

What we need from the current government and the opposition is to unite so that they can spend resources on visualising and implementing substantial forward-moving policies for our economy.

National's small business policy, details by kiwi-Indian National’s List MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi.

The most common disagreements in marriages are about money and how to discipline the kids. It gets worse when the family income falls. Some borrow and hope, while others choose to manage their finances proactively. Eventually the financial pressure prompts a conversation. The kids usually know that something is not right outside their fairy tales. Something significant – life changing.

We are now at alert level 2 as a nation – but for those of us in Auckland the rules are slightly different.

The creation of new political parties like New Zealand Public Party (NZPP) and the New Conservative Party with Leighton Baker as their leader is proof of this statement. While Baker has highlighted the importance of multiculturalism being the melting pot of values that New Zealanders stand for, Billy has been advocating the concerns not just around the current global Covid-19 pandemic but also what the future holds for the New Zealanders and the coming generations.

In Mt Roskill, we have had a number of gun incidents within the past three years Labour has been in government. More recently, with two gun shooting incidents within the space of three days earlier this year in Mt Roskill, people were so scared that they didn’t want to speak up against such acts out of fear they were gang related. Such incidents have been quite unsettling for families and businesses.

An English Nursery Rhyme teaches kids about the folly of a single-minded pursuit of one goal. A single-minded pursuit that is ultimately damaging. The nursery rhyme tells of an old lady who accidently swallows a fly, but instead of taking a balanced approach to the problem, she swallows a spider to catch the fly, then a bird to catch the spider, a cat, a dog etc. She ultimately dies.

As Parliament wraps up ahead of this year’s election, our focus remains firmly on COVID-19. While I’m excited to be returning home to campaign in Kaipara ki Mahurangi, I know we cannot afford to be complacent.

The opposition National Party has announced its 2020 Party List early this month, with sitting Kiwi-Indian MPs and aspiring Kiwi-Indian candidates finding the following placings.

In an announcement early this month, the Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters party, New Zealand First, has selected Fiji-Indian Anne Degia-Pala as its candidate from the West Auckland electorate of Kelston once again.

Most Kiwis stake their lives on the operational safety of airlines. They squeeze us into metal tubes where our very lives are dependant upon the care and attention to detail of the maintenance engineers, pilots and many ground staff. We expect thorough operational processes to ensure that “the mistake” that causes a lot of damage is minimised.

In the past few days we have seen an extraordinary increase in testing for Covid-19. Over 100,000 people have been tested since the new outbreak began. As we work to control the current outbreak, this level of testing gives us some assurance that collectively, we will again track and contain the virus. As unlucky as we are to be experiencing this outbreak, locking down hard and early is again our best chance of emerging safely.

“Operating the election at Alert Level 2 in Auckland raises concerns about the effect on turnout. The psychology of Auckland voters, as well as the wider voting community, is highly likely to lead to a reduced turnout given legitimately held health fears; by how much is the real concern. Voters need to be able to hear from all political parties about their Covid response and other policies. That is fair. But until Auckland’s alert level comes down the playing field is hopelessly compromised,” said Peters.

In a panel discussion organised by the Khadija Leadership Network (KLN) and Pearl of the Islands Foundation in Auckland on Tuesday, three women MPs - Golriz Ghahraman of the Green Party, Parmjeet Parmar of the opposition National Party, and Priyanca Radhakrishnan of the ruling Labour Party, participated.

National Party leader Judith Collins has called on the Prime Minister to delay the election, saying it is not possible to have a free and fair vote in the circumstances.

ACT empowers families with choices so they can Change their Future. New Zealand needs to be wealthy to operate safely on a pandemic planet. ACT will cut taxes and red tape to jump start our economic recovery. What about our kids? The first generation in generations that may be poorer than their parents. This week, the things we can do, to overcome our fears, and fight for our children’s future.

We all recognise the damage crime can do in our communities. It is not just the victim that suffers but their entire neighbourhoods are shaken by burglaries or assaults, let alone more serious crimes.

With the June 2020 quarter showing underemployment increasing, the Green Party is calling for a Guaranteed Minimum Income and an increase to the abatement threshold to ensure everyone has a dignified income.

The National Party has pledged a $4 billion infrastructure package for Wellington and the Hutt Valley if it is voted into government. Leader Judith Collins made the policy announcement in Petone today, as part of its $31b transport infrastructure policy announced last month.

ACT empowers families with choices they can use to Change their Future. ACT will cut taxes and red tape to jump start our economic recovery. This article is about operating safely on a pandemic planet, with next week focussed on how we do our best today for our children’s tomorrow.

I’m often asked about Labour’s plan to handle the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on our economy. Part of our plan is to continue to be vigilant and work to keep the virus out of our communities so that we don’t need to go back into higher alert levels as other countries are sadly having to do. Our border regime, including quarantine and health checks, is one of the strongest in the world.