The Budget 2013 boost of $4.3 million to raise awareness of prostate cancer and assist men to have better access to quality information has been welcomed by the Chair of Parliament’s Health Select Committee Dr Paul Hutchison.

“Prostate cancer is a serious illness for New Zealand men, about 3,000 are diagnosed each year and more than 600 die from the disease. Yesterday’s announcement will help promote better awareness and better care, which is great news for New Zealand men,” Dr Hutchison said.

Paul talks about progress in the economy and the recent passing of Parakura Horomia MP.

With Paul, from left: Roxy Leppan, Martin Bennett, Emily Jupp, Sarah Foster, Jay Pressnall, Elizabeth Crosby

On ANZAC Day  the Pukekohe town hall was full for the inaugural screening of Eternal Vigilance - a fascinating documentary on the 2nd World War effort in Franklin. The screening was an ingenious production with beautiful performance of a piece composed and sung by Caitlin Turner, a Pukekohe high school student.

The film makers Jay and Martin are to be strongly congratulated  - clearly up and coming directors.

Jay and Martin, teachers at Pukekohe High School, were commissioned by the Auckland Arts Council to make the documentary, using original sound tracks and footage of when the dehydration factories were producing vegetables, the hosting of huge numbers of American soldiers and the visit of General Montgomery.

Watch out Sir Peter Jackson, move over Wellywood, we've now got Pukewood!

Thank you Mr Speaker

It is a great privilege to have the responsibility to exercise a conscience vote on this landmark Marriage Amendment Bill.

I want to once again acknowledge all those who have submitted and written on this bill from both sides of the debate and thank them for their passion, energy, efforts, and sincerity. Thank you Louisa Wall for your fortitude; and those I have heard from, young and old, from all walks of life, and most religions in Hunua and around New Zealand.

At one of my electorate meetings a highly intelligent, crusty, salt of the earth farmer urged me to vote against the bill – but he later joked how over the last few generations, the sequence of events has gone like this; in the first instance parents such as himself used to tell their daughters not to come home with someone from a different religion;  then, not to come home with someone from a different race; definitely not to come home single and pregnant, and today not to come home with someone from the same sex – let alone marry them.

Follow the link below to download the newsletter for April

Parliamentary Prescriptions - Newsletter from Dr Paul Hutchison - April 2013