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RNZ News
14-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
The House: Morning Tea with Matt Doocey
Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey hosts a meeting with senior citizens in Rangiora. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins Like most electorate MPs, National MP for Waimakariri Matt Doocey spends a lot of his weekends back home in his electorate. Saturdays are generally spent in the community and chatting to constituents. Last Saturday, The House attended one of Doocey's Q&A sessions with over-60s. They're something he likes to hold regularly in the electorate's population centres of Kaiapoi, Oxford, and Rangiora. This one was at the Rangiora RSA. The issues discussed at these sessions are many and varied. Last Saturday there were both big-picture concerns about a perceived "brain drain" and international trade, as well as local queries about roading and healthcare infrastructure. "People do want to ask you a specific question about potentially a road in their neighbourhood, or maybe there might be an issue with accessing a local public service," Doocey says. "And then for some people they do think a bit more nationally and they want to have a talk about the economy or what's happening internationally in the current geopolitical environment." His electorate, historically made up of dormitory towns, has seen significant growth since the Canterbury earthquakes. Doocey, who has been the local MP since 2014, has observed the challenges that a growing population presents. "When you have that significant growth, you have what I call 'growing pains of growth'. "Quite rightly, I've got to get in and make sure I bat for this area so it gets the investment it needs into vital infrastructure like the Woodend bypass, a new road of national significance." Doocey and his family live in the Waimakariri electorate, which he says has accepted him over the years as just another member of the community. This Parliamentary term, he has the added responsibility of being a Cabinet Minister. He must balance ministerial duties in Wellington and elsewhere, with addressing the concerns of his constituents in Canterbury. Given he's out-of-town frequently, Doocey's Electorate and Community Office (ECO) staff in Kaiapoi and Rangiora act as first responders for constituents asking for help with things like ACC or Work and Income. "They are really your front line," he says. "Through our office, we can go up to a higher level in a government department, escalate their issue in quite a timely fashion, and get them connected to the person they need to talk to as well. "So in that way, constituents don't need to wait two weeks to see their local MP." Doocey says the regular sessions with the community on the weekends have been a good forum to address some of those more generalised concerns. "I'm here for the weekend, and people do like the idea of coming to a meeting when it's not as pressured [as it would be] during a nine to five, Monday to Friday, and we can spend a bit more time unpacking the issues of the day." Rangiora resident Chris Knight, who came along to Doocey's Q&A, is a regular viewer of Parliament's Question Time. For him, events like these offer a welcome opportunity. Matt Doocey at the meeting last Saturday. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins "You don't often get an opportunity to meet or talk to an acting MP," he says. "To come to something like this and actually meet your local MP is good." Knight describes himself as a social democrat and a lifelong Labour voter both in New Zealand and the UK where he emigrated from, but he acknowledges Doocey's efforts as an electorate MP. "I think Matt does a pretty good job around here. I read some of the stuff that he has in the papers, and he's always around and available, which is good. Whether or not I'll vote for him next time, remains to be seen." ECO offices sport the colours of whichever party the MP is a member of, which may give rise to the misconception that electorate MPs' offices aren't approachable if you don't support their party. "I make it very clear," Doocey says. "I work for everyone in Waimakariri, no matter how they vote. "I'm here to serve all in the Waimakariri irrespective of how they vote. "But I do acknowledge that sometimes people come in and there might be a perceived barrier there about whether they voted for me or not, or whether they voted for my party. "But as a local MP, I'm here to work for everyone. I think over time people have got to understand that, and actually when you're working as a local MP it's not a party affiliation, in fact it's a Waimakariri affiliation, because you just want to help everyone in your community." To listen to the audio version of this story, click the link near the top of the page. * RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
MP backs bid to save Horspath post office near Oxford
A campaign to save a "successful and well-used" post office has been backed by its local from Horspath, just outside Oxford, set up a campaign to save their outreach post office shortly before it closed in Lib Dem Henley and Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo has written to the chairman of the Post Office and the minister for postal affairs urging them to Post Office said the branch had declining customer sessions and that there were still three branches within three miles of Horspath. But locals raised concerns about accessing their nearest post office, which is just over two miles away in Wheatley, due to the lack of public transport links."Many elderly and vulnerable residents rely on this essential service," Mr van Mierlo said."This is a successful and well-used facility." If saved, the branch could come under the stewardship of the Wheatley postmaster.A Post Office spokesperson said, "The Post Office has undertaken a comprehensive review of the network to ensure that it continues to meet evolving customer needs in a very challenging economic climate."At this time we are not looking to replace Horspath Outreach Post Office, where there have been declining customer sessions."There are three branches within three miles for Horspath. These meet our access criteria of 99% of the UK population being within three miles and 90% within one mile of a post office."A bid to save St Aldate's post office in central Oxford has, however, been branch was named in November's announcement of the 115 post offices due to be closed as the organisation carried out a cost-saving it was later announced that retail franchise Universal Office Equipment would take it over. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
I'm fed up with the derogatory Nimby label says LEE BOYCE - I believe most of us are in the 'Cwibb' category instead
This week, yet another leaflet came through my letterbox asking for views on a development of 2,000 homes to be slapped up a few minutes away from said letterbox, encroaching on green belt land. Last month, it was a leaflet from a well-known German supermarket giant, asking for opinions on its plans to demolish an aquatics centre near-by and replace it with fish you buy for the dinner table, rather than ones for your tank, again a few minutes away from my front door. I've also been catching up on comments from our local MP, Mark Francois, who was rightly bringing numerous planned developments in the local area to public attention and questioning how infrastructure can cope with the scale of what is being suggested. He says 17,000-plus new homes planned by the local council is 'insane' and 'utterly unacceptable.' He said: 'With our local roads already maxed out, and hospitals full to bursting there is absolutely no way on earth our semi-rural district could possibly accommodate 17,000 new houses, including a new town on the Rochford-Southend border.' Say what you want about Mr Francois, but he speaks with passion about gargantuan local developments, and hopefully your local MP is equally as vocal. Whether concerns raised by MPs have any impact is another matter. The leaflets talk a good game. The housing development harps on about a new school, health facilities, and rather ironically, green space – but crucially, there is no concrete plan to deal with extremely heavy traffic that already exists on the roundabout near-by, the only route to get onto the main road. It's unlikely anything will be done about it – and with another couple of thousand residents added to the fray, it will, in a word, result in even more gridlock. That's because it is too far to walk to the train station that ferries commuters into London, which will mean more people driving to get there via the one single carriageway road that goes through the town, already at breaking point. This goes on top of another development well underway, where more than 1,000 homes are currently going up. I'm not sure how much more the town can cope, unless more services, facilities and roads are built, eating yet more green land. The thing many don't realise about large parts of Essex is the county is rural and semi-rural, the more so as you venture away from the capital. This means plenty of green space to eye up to build on, but the plans often don't take into account the already overwhelmed public services, amenities and transport networks. And this is a scenario replicated across the country. I get it. Homes need to be built. I own a home, so I'm labelled 'lucky' – I wouldn't be complaining if I was attempting to get onto the ladder, I know will be the cry. But no doubt what will go up are houses crammed in next to each other with postage stamp gardens, no real identity and a failure to grasp what people need. In my opinion, we need an increase in smaller one and two-bedroom bungalows in our area, to help people downsize. Will they be built? Nope. It'll be four and five bed monstrosities costing three quarters of a million pounds or more to help maximise the bottom line of the developer. I mentioned this to a friend the other day and he jokingly labelled me a Nimby – Not in My Back Yard. This catch-all, and quite derogatory term, has been forced onto local people just because they care about the community, traffic, overpopulation and essentially, having concerns about huge soulless developments. I wouldn't label myself a Nimby. No, I've invented a new term: Cwibb. It stands for: I Care What is Being Built. Us Cwibbs understand homes need to be built – don't want new ones to be blocked entirely - but with care and consideration to those who already live near-by, alongside the quality required for forking out huge sums to buy said homes. Is there anything wrong with that? Cwibbs know the area inside out – when the traffic is going to be bad to dodge it; how long it takes to get a doctor's appointment; how oversubscribed the best local schools are; how easy it is to get a loaf of bread and pint of milk, and from where, at any time of the day. We know more than the faceless developers, the people in government blindly sticking out building targets – we live and breathe the area, and fundamentally, we care about it. But ultimately, our concerns, our thoughts put down via the little QR code on the leaflet, won't count for anything. What is a developer going to do? Oh look, Mr Boyce has concerns about 2,000 homes going up, let's not do it. Oh, Mr Boyce says the roundabout is already a traffic nightmare, we'll drop a few million quid (and the rest) to build a junction that will manage traffic flow better. Oh, Mr Boyce says yet another supermarket isn't needed as he can already get to a dozen within 10 minutes, so let's not bother. Will I fill in the feedback form? Of course I will, it's my duty as a Cwibb. Will it make a blind bit of difference? I highly doubt it. But us Cwibbs and Nimbys are important, no matter who wants to berate us for caring – and the country would be a worse place without local people trying to help shape what we believe is best for an area we have chosen to reside, to put down roots, to start families, and to live and die in. 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