Latest news with #CameronLuxton
NZ Herald
7 hours ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Act fumes at Hastings council's Māori ward videos, mayor says ‘we make no apology' for them
The Hastings District Council says videos of councillors espousing the benefits of Māori wards are a way to prevent the spread of misinformation about them, not a campaign to keep them. Act's local government spokesman, Cameron Luxton, disagrees and says the council needs to stop the rollout of the videos
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Tauranga Rally Urges City Council To Cut Rates Amid Proposed 12% Hike
About 250 people attended a rally at Tauranga's Memorial Park urging the city council to reduce rates. Act list MP Cameron Luxton spoke to the crowd before they marched to The Strand in the city centre on Sunday. Rally organiser Jan Gyenge wanted Tauranga City Council to find $40 million in savings because she said the proposed 12% rates increase was 'unsustainable'. If the council could save $40m it could deliver a 0% residential rate increase, she told Local Democracy Reporting before the event. Gyenge said the rally went well and there was great engagement from the attendees. The crowd stopped outside the new council offices on Devonport Rd and sported signs asking council to 'stop the spend' and 'respect ratepayers'. The rally was not the end but a platform for people to share their concerns, Gyenge said. Last week the council heard from submitters on its Annual Plan for 2025/26. The plan received 968 written submissions and 96 people asked to speak to the council directly. The council would deliberate on its Annual Plan on May 26. Mayor Mahé Drysdale previously said the plan tried to strike a balance between investing in the city and affordability for ratepayers. The council had already found $29m in savings to get to 12%, and was working to find more to get the final number down to 10% or lower. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NZ Herald
21-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Hawke's Bay apprentice Fletcher Brown selected for Youth Parliament
A budding Hawke's Bay tradie will swap his overalls for a suit when he heads to Youth Parliament after being selected as the Youth MP of an Act MP. Cameron Luxton, Parliament's only licensed building practitioner, has selected Fletcher Brown, a 17-year-old heavy automotive engineering apprentice from Hawke's Bay, as his Youth MP. Luxton describes Brown as the kind of young Kiwi who gets up early, gets his hands dirty, and adds real value to his community. 'That kind of contribution deserves a voice in Parliament,' he said. Fletcher is currently training through MITO, an industry training organisation supporting on-the-job learning in various sectors, where he is training with a focus on agricultural and horticultural equipment, work Luxton said keeps the region's farms and orchards running smoothly.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
ACT Backs Legal Certainty For Fiordland's Successful Hunter-led Conservation
ACT Conservation spokesperson Cameron Luxton is welcoming the Hunting and Fishing Minister's moves toward designating wapiti as a Herd of Special Interest in Fiordland National Park, calling it a win for conservation, regional tourism, and common sense. 'The Fiordland Wapiti Foundation has spent years doing what government departments struggle to do. They manage the herd, trap pests, maintain huts, and protect native species like the blue duck/whio. And they do it all without asking taxpayers for a cent,' says Luxton. Forest and Bird has opposed the move, comparing it to creating a 'sanctuary for stoats.' 'That sort of rhetoric says more about Forest and Bird's eco-fundamentalist ideology than the facts. We're never going back to a pre-human ecology. Allowing hunter-led management of the wapiti population frees up DoC resources to deal with greater threats to native wildlife, such as stoats and rats. "Forest and Bird needs to wake up and realise that hunters are conservationists too." Luxton says ACT backs the Government's move to ensure Herds of Special Interest can be recognised in national parks, as originally intended. 'When passionate hunters are already getting the job done, the role of government should be to get out of the way. Or at the very least, provide legal certainty so they can keep going." Note: Cameron Luxton is the sponsor of the Conservation (Membership of New Zealand Conservation Authority) Amendment Bill, which would ensure hunters and fishers are represented on the Conservation Authority, just as Forest and Bird is already. The Bill is currently in Parliament's member's bill ballot. Using Scoop for work? Scoop is free for personal use, but you'll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features. Join Pro Individual Find out more
Scoop
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Dunne's Weekly: It's An Election, Not A Coronation
'In Tauranga's Mori ward by-election this week, less than 12% of eligible voters turned out. It means we have a new councillor elected with just 464 first-preference votes, Tauranga-based ACT MP Cameron Luxton says. Read more »
