Happy International Women's Day! Check out a few things our Government has done to improve the lives of women in New Zealand. There's still more to do - but today we recognise just how far we've come.

Some of the things we got up to this week:

• Botany Secondary College rebuild announcement
• Wellington Girls' College rebuild announcement
• Mental health facilities funding in Christchurch
• and more!...

This Sunday is Children’s Day – a time to celebrate our tamariki and reflect on how we can make sure every child gets a great start in life.

Some of the highlights from this week include:

• Te Matatini Kapa Haka festival brings thousands to the capital
• Tax Working Group final report released
• Anniversary of 2011 Christchurch earthquake
• Biosecurity NZ swings into action following news of Queensland fruitfly
• Largest police workforce in NZ history

Read more below...

This week, the Tax Working Group (TWG) released their final report. The TWG is an independent entity from the Government. Their report provides a number of recommendations on how to make our tax system fairer. 

Our Coalition Government will take a measured response to this report. We will work together to take into consideration the report's findings, and to find consensus on the best overall package for New Zealanders. We are not bound to accept the recommendations it put forward. It is highly unlikely all recommendations will need to be implemented.

This week included the first meeting of Parliament for the year, beginning with the Prime Minister's statement in the House. We also saw a major shake-up of the future of the vocational education sector, celebrated Chinese New Year, and launched a free counselling for 18 to 25 year olds pilot programme. 

Education Minister Chris Hipkins today released an number of wide-ranging proposals for strengthening our polytechnics and institutes of technology.

These proposals will ensure school leavers get high quality training opportunities and are better equipped for the changing nature of work. They will also ensure employers get the skills they need from their employees. 

Prime Minister's Statement presented to the House of Representatives on 12 February 2019.

Kia ora team and welcome to the first week of February. It's been a busy one - from commemorating Waitangi to responding to a wildfire emergency in the Nelson/Tasman districts.