Last night was like no election night we can ever remember. The 2014 General Election may just as well have been a First Past the Post election as National stormed to an outright majority; 61 seats in a Parliament of 121 MP's. New Zealand will have the stable, centre-right government it needs.
The sideshows were largely ignored, and people focused on the Big Game. A friend posted a list on Facebook this morning of ten things we have learned from the 2014 election campaign; #10 read thus:
10) that, in the end, you can trust the New Zealand public to get it right.
The New Zealand public sorted out the wheat from the chaff and the sheep from the goats when they started going to the polls on September 3rd. The spectacular failure of the Moment of Truth on Monday was definitely a factor, and National has reported its internal polling surged a couple of percentage points in the last days of the campaign. But the public did indeed "get it right".
And they didn't need our help. We were silent for the last four weeks of the election campaign after being caught in the crossfire of the Hager book. Today, we want to thank Mr Hager for doing us a favour!
"How so?" you may ask. Blogging can become an obsession, and we were in grave danger of that when fate, in the form of Hager, intervened. In the last four weeks we have rediscovered some balance in our life. No longer do we head straight to the computer when we get out of bed in the morning. We can read articles now without mentally trying to find an angle to blog about. We're in a much better head-space.
We said some time ago we might take a sabbatical after the election. It is in fact going to be a permanent sabbatical, and this will be the last post on Keeping Stock; our last hurrah.
We were just going to quietly fade away, but we have had a number of e-mails and comments from long-time readers enquiring as to our welfare and our future plans. We're very grateful for those, and it has reinforced that we have provided an avenue for discourse over the last few years.
We're far from perfect, and we have made mistakes along the way. For that we apologise without reservation. But what's done is done, and if there are consequences, we will own them.
We've often said we, like Oscar Wilde, can resist anything except temptation. But our resolve is strong, and this is definitely Keeping Stock's last hurrah. Any future endeavours, unlikely as they are, will be open, transparent, and with a name attached.
We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has visited, commented and interacted over the last seven years; your support has been very much appreciated. But now it's time for us to move on. The country is in the very best of hands, and our raison d'etre has ceased to have any meaning.
This is our last hurrah; it's been nice knowing you all.
Tony
UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave a comment. There are too many to respond individually, but we will be in touch with those for whom we have e-mail addresses at some point.
We commiserate with our Green friend Dave bsprout Kennedy; at 7pm on Saturday night he may have had dreams of becoming an MP, and good luck to him for trying. But those dreams were quickly dashed. And we almost feel sorry for David Cunliffe this morning; almost!
That's it; retirement awaits us...
The National Party's campaign slogan for 2014 is Working for New Zealand. But on Friday, National showed it is Working for Whanganui as well.
Retiring Health Minister Tony Ryall was in town to help launch Chester Borrows' campaign for a fourth term as MP for Whanganui. Whilst he was here he made a very significant announcement which has delighted a local health provider; check this out:
$2m initiative for healthier Wanganui families
Health Minister Tony Ryall today announced Te Oranganui has been
selected to lead a $2 million anti-obesity initiative in Wanganui which
will help families improve their health.
Mr Ryall shared with news with locals while out and about in Wanganui this morning with Whanganui MP Chester Borrows.
“Healthy Families NZ is a new $40 million initiative which aims to
improve people’s health where they live, learn, work and play in order
to prevent obesity,” says Mr Ryall.
“It is a complete reform of the way we address the underlying causes
of poor health, including obesity, smoking and excessive drinking.
“Te Oranganui, who is also the lead agent of Whānau Ora in the
region, will lead the Healthy Families NZ initiative in Wanganui. They
will recruit a dedicated health promotion workforce who will work with
schools, early childhood education centres, workplaces and sport clubs
to encourage and support people to make healthy lifestyle choices.
“Encouraging individuals and their families to live healthy, active
lives is part of the government’s approach to reducing the prevalence
and consequences of chronic disease in New Zealand,” says Mr Ryall.
From October 2014, Healthy Families NZ will roll out to 10
communities – East Cape, the Far North District, Invercargill, Lower
Hutt, Rotorua, Whanganui, Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura, Spreydon-Heathcote
and Waitakere. It is expected to reach around 900,000 New Zealanders.
Healthy Families NZ is based on one of the very few anti-obesity
programmes that actually work - Healthy Together Victoria programme from
Australia.
Te Oranganui is far more than "just" a Whanau Ora provider. It is a leading , innovative health promotion organisation with a track record of success in improving outcomes.
The Healthy Families NZ initiative is an excellent one. As Mr Ryall notes above, it is about a new approach to chronic diseases such as those arising from obesity, smoking and drinking. Although Te Oranganui is an Iwi Health Authority, it works right across the community. In addition to operating Te Waipuna Health Centres in Wanganui, Waverley and Ohakune, Te Oranganui offers a range of services including disability support, mental health liaison, and services for infants, children, youth, families and the elderly.
This investment in the Whanganui region will be most welcome. Getting to the root of issues such as obesity will lead to significant savings further down the track. We commend the Government for showing in a tangible way that it is Working for Whanganui.
