HMNZS Rotoiti

A very sharp looking ship, The HMNZS Rotoiti was officially welcomed into it's "home" port of Napier this morning.

Logging with PanPac

This morning I joined a logging truck driver who contracts to PanPac to experience the challenges logging truck drivers face as they travel our roads. We traveled to Raupunga, about half way between Napier and Wairoa. Coming home we weighed about 45tonnes! Awesome day.

Hawke's Bay Business Hall of Fame

Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame. Inductee Mr Graeme Lowe QSM CNZM.
Photo courtesy of HB Today.

World Environment Day

Planting alongside the Karamu stream, Havelock North on World Environment Day.

Digging the dirt...

Actually this picture is from the Wiaimarama School working Bee. We moved 16 cubic metres of lime to form paths through the new garden / orchard.

Tremains Corporate Triathlon

We came 51st out of 150 teams. Not too bad!

HBDHB : An apology at last.

The DomPost reports that the Whistle Blower has received an apology from the CEO of the HBDHB. I am grateful to Mr Clarke for bringing some completion to this unfortunate saga.

A quote from the DOMPost article: Mr Clarke, who resigned this month, wrote his letter after Ms Houston laid a complaint with the privacy commissioner. "On behalf of Hawke's Bay District Health Board I apologise to you for the interference of your privacy ... HBDHB accepts that this action breached principle 4 of the Privacy Act," Mr Clarke wrote.

Justice does indeed take time.

Pulling our weight

Recently Chris Tremain and I visited the Hawke's Bay Rowing Club. We had a go with the novice eights. It was hard, hard work. I "caught a crab" at one stage and almost took my head off as my oar thrashed around. Having said that we didn't get wet!

The rowers, coachers and staff are very committed with a 6:00am first training and 6:00pm second training.

Foss fine wines from Italy

Fantastic, I will have to order some " Foss Marai". More proof that the only decent Reds are found in bottles.

I especially like this bit:

This wine-producing company is located in Guia di Valdobbiadene, a villagesurrounded by steep hills covered with Prosecco vineyards. Here valleys are called fossi, and Marai is the deepest valley in Guia. Luigi Biasiotto, grandfather of Carlo - the present company proprietor - began selling wine in the early 20th century. The sparkling wine in his casks was so good that his business expanded outside the local area. A hundred years later, Foss Marai, owing to the successful management of Carlo Biasiotto and his family, is well-known for its top quality sparkling wine and exquisite bottles. Foss Marai improves and renews its products continually, to produce still and sparkling wines that meet modern taste, but do not necessarily pursue trends.

HBDHB : Elected members to return

The elected members of the sacked HBDHB are back.

Resolution in Hawke's Bay - elected members return to Board

The new Health Minister Tony Ryall has confirmed that the Crown will consent to the applicants’ request to withdraw its application for a judicial review of the previous Health Minister’s sacking of the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board.

“In my personal view, the events leading up to this litigation were most unfortunate and I can understand why the people of Hawke’s Bay were angry with what happened. I am determined to do what I can to put things right,” Mr Ryall says.

The judicial review proceedings were brought by five Hawke’s Bay local bodies following the sacking, and the installation of a Commissioner, Sir John Anderson.

Mr Ryall says, “Sir John has invited the former elected Board members to join a Governance Board for the DHB, which he will chair, from February 2009. The Governance Board can remain in existence until DHB elections are next held and a new Board is formed.”

The National Party committed pre-election to restoring the elected members to a governance role in the affairs of the Hawke's Bay District Health Board.

The Minister is pleased this has been achieved within a month of the election.

Nov 8 2008, A night to remember

HB Today story on the HB electorate results.

Tripled my margin from 2005 from 2,402 to 7,288 on election night count.

Needless to say, things were a bit rough around the edges on Sunday!

Thanks Hawke's Bay

You Beauty

Moped Marketing

My opponent in Tuiktuki has been running local attack ads against me. Pretty shallow stuff, and is turning and confirming voters from him and Labour. We have had calls in from local traditional Labour voters saying the negative ads are the last straw and they will now be voting for myself and National. Excellent.

For the remainder of the week, the moped and trailer (could not get a blue one!), will be racing around Hastings, Havelock North and Flaxmere. The young guy who owns the business was recently threatened with a ticket from the council for illegal commercial advertising when he parked up for a coffee. Yet my opponents campaign bus just up the road, which has been parked in the same spot for nearly two years was apparently not a advertising mechanism!

The ad reads "Craig Foss, Backing our Families, Backing our Airport, Backing our HBDHB, Backing The Bay"

Billboard BBQ Breakfast

On Friday morning in a paddock between Havelock North and Hastings we had a BBQ breakfast and Billboard frenzy.

Candidates Body Language

Grey Power held a meet the candidates meeting last Thursday. HB Today reported on it here.

The Tukituki candidates, from left, Rick Barker-Labour, Craig Foss-National, Duncan Lennox- Act, Quentin Duthie-Greens and Thomas O'Neill-Alliance.

The article mentions the body language of the candidates, the picture speaks for itself!

HBDHB : A return to democracy

We released the following PR earlier today :

Napier and Tukituki MPs Chris Tremain and Craig Foss are delighted that National Party Leader John Key has made three commitments about the future of the Hawke's Bay District Health Board during a visit to the Bay today.

"Many people in Hawke's Bay still feel a sense of injustice about what unfolded at the district health board. It's important we work towards restoring Hawke's Bay input to the Hawke's Bay DHB as quickly as we can," Mr Key says.

A National-led Government will:

• Invite the former seven elected HBDHB members to participate in the governance of the HBDHB, through a governance committee to assist the commissioners.
• Release as much information as practicably possible regarding the sacking, including material withheld by the Minister for unexplained reasons.
• Ensure fair and transparent analysis of the performance of the HBDHB, at the time of the sacking, compared with other DHB's.

"The sacking of our democratically elected DHB after just 80 days was a total disgrace and an abuse of natural justice. Documentation released under the Official Information Act points to a pre-determination by the Minister to sack our DHB," says Mr Foss.

"Most of the evidence used by the Minister to sack our DHB has been discredited. The people of Hawke's Bay have not forgotten how they were treated by the Labour Government and its Ministers," says Mr Tremain.

HB A & P Show

The Blue Room!

Chris and I are having a "Party Vote Putt" inside our "Blue Room" at this years A & P Show. Outside the show, and on the main road, we have about 10 more billboards across a wall of apple bins.

Labour are not even at the show this year. Perhaps they saw what we had built and did a runner!

HBDHB : Whistle Blower Vindicated

Justice is at last being done.

The "Whistle Blower" has released a statement regarding her complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

A key quote from the statement:
"Some weeks back now I received telephone advice from the Office of the Privacy Commission that the HBDHB had in writing accepted it had acted incorrectly in relation to the secret taping and it would meet my request. My understanding is that the Office of the Privacy Commission and the HBDHB are working through how the HBDHB will implement what it has agreed to. The issue of an apology from Mr Lind is problematic as he is no longer an employee of the HBDHB.

The Whistle Blowers full statement is here.

So Minister, will you also now apologise?

HBDHB : Sacked board had lower deficit

Marty Sharpe at the DomPost covers the story that shows yet another of the reasons Labour sacked the board has been proven to be unjustified. At the time of the sacking the deficit was projected to be around $3m, yet after 8 months without an elected board the deficit is estimated to be $8m!

A quote from the piece: Health Minister David Cunliffe sacked the board in February for its "rapidly deteriorating financial performance" and dysfunctional relationships.

So what now Sheriff?