The last month has been a busy one in Parliament, and an exciting one at home in Pakuranga as Rebecca and I were blessed to welcome our third child - a healthy boy - Thomas Joseph Ivan Brown, who was born last weekend at Middlemore Hospital.

Being a parent has been the greatest joy of our lives, and we feel incredibly lucky to raise our family here in our wonderful community. A huge thank you to the team of medical professionals at Middlemore and the team at the Botany Birthing Unit for their incredible care!

As we head into winter, I wanted to provide you with an update on some key issues:

• Michael Wood being stood down as Minister of Transport
• National's infrastructure policy announcement
• My upcoming fundraising dinner with National's Deputy Leader Nicola Willis

If you have any questions or concerns about these issues or others please get in touch. You can do this by calling my office on 09 572 0000 or emailing me at [email protected].

Michael Wood stood down as Minister of Transport

This last week Labour’s Michael Wood was stood down as Minister of Transport over revelations that he held undeclared shares in Auckland International Airport. Not only was this a conflict of interest, but it has since been revealed that he was warned 12 times over the last three years to divest his shareholding, and despite repeatedly saying he would, failed to do so.

The issue for Labour here is that once again instead of the Government focusing on the issues that matter to New Zealand, like the cost of living, law and order, or our healthcare system, they are talking about themselves.

The fact that Michael Wood thought he could get away with this shows the growing arrogance of this Government and the Ministers that are meant to be working for us.

Unfortunately, it appears the Prime Minister is happy for Michael Wood to return to his ministerial roles. While many in the media might say Michael Wood is apparently a competent Minister, never forget that it was this same Minister who wasted over $50m on a bike bridge across the Auckland Harbour which was subsequently cancelled. We all as taxpayers unfortunately share in the pain of that bad decision.

National's Infrastructure Policy

This week, National announced our Infrastructure for the Future plan, with the commitment to get on top of our large historical infrastructure deficit if elected into government in October. We have a track record of delivery when it comes to infrastructure, with the last National government delivering the ultra-fast fibre network, high-quality expressways, the electrification of the Auckland rail network, and long-term planning like the Roads of Significance, meant to provide certainty for local communities.

Our plan has five key planks:

1. A National Infrastructure Agency to coordinate government funding, connect domestic and offshore investors with New Zealand infrastructure, and improve funding, procurement and delivery.
2. Innovative funding and financing tools to boost investment in infrastructure, and create investment opportunities for ACC, the NZ Super Fund and KiwiSaver funds.
3. National, City and Regional deals to partner with local Government to create long-term pipelines of regional projects.
4. A fast-track consents process to make it easier to build the infrastructureNew Zealand needs for the future.
5. A 30-year infrastructure pipeline to deliver long-term certainty, enable more effective planning, and reduce project costs.

Under Labour, New Zealand's core infrastructure has suffered, and we face major challenges as a country to get things under control before it becomes too much. A National government would put in place long-term solutions to these problems and deliver infrastructure for the future.

You can read the full details of our plan by clicking here.

Campaign Fundraising Dinner on 7 July

with Nicola Willis, Deputy Leader of the National Party

I wish to remind you of (and invite you to!) the upcoming Pakuranga National Party fundraising dinner with our Deputy Leader Nicola Willis on Friday 7 July. This dinner is an opportunity to help raise funds for our campaign here in Pakuranga to change the Government and get New Zealand back on track!

As each month goes by it becomes even more clear that a change of government is needed in October to get New Zealand moving forward again. I hope you will consider coming along to our fundraising dinner to help support our local efforts in Pakuranga, and hear from Nicola Willis as to what a National government can do for you.

The details for the dinner are as follows, and you can purchase a ticket by clicking the button below:

• When: Friday 7 July at 6:30pm
• Where: Dufty Bell Lounge, Howick Pakuranga Community Sports Centre, 73 Bells Road, Pakuranga, Auckland
• Cost: $200 per person incl. GST for a buffet dinner

I hope to see you there!

As always, thank you for your ongoing support and please feel free to reach out to me if you need any assistance.

Kind regards,

Simeon Brown

Member of Parliament for Pakuranga