Things can change, so plan

Maureen Pugh - West Coast-Tasman MP

My family and I have been well supported over the last few months with the passing of our much-loved husband and father, John. We have been buoyed up by wonderful messages from near and far which have been really appreciated through these tough times. Please accept my personal thanks for those heartfelt messages.

Like anyone running a business, post funeral, when all the people have gone, the reality doesn’t take long to set in. Through the raw grief, our farm needed us to keep operating. But, despite several decades on this land, I realised that there was so much I didn’t know.

While we have good long-standing relationships with essential contacts issues suddenly cropped up, things that I had never given any thought to simply because John always handled them. And he did that in his own way, which didn’t include writing much down.

Suddenly the IRD number was to be discontinued and a change to the business structure would be required. I was left to contact our stock agent who was someone I said ‘hello’ to and worked in the yards with, but I couldn’t say that I knew him well. I do now!

Then there were operational farming details that I wasn’t quite sure of: where was the main tap to turn off water to fix a leak; who could fix a washout at short notice; what were the contact details of the balage contractor and shearer? But the big one for me was how on earth was the electric fence system set up, which I had to work out after lightning took out the unit.

What this all meant is that it made a difficult time more difficult, and it didn’t need to be that way. If we had spent a little time in writing down those details on a map, things could have been a lot simpler. This mapping is well under way now! The biggest help has been the detailed diaries John kept. Dates and volumes of fertiliser that went out and on which paddocks was a big help, when the dogs had taken their tablets and which ones, and when the bulls and rams had gone out. I’ve had a lot to do recently and will be forever grateful to our sons for stepping up, and to our amazing neighbours and friends.

I am looking forward to getting back into my MP role after the summer break and immersing myself in the processes of democracy in my role as Assistant Speaker of the House – there is nothing closer to democracy I can assure you.

Also, a heads up to young people aged between 16 and 18. During February I will be inviting applications for the role of 2025 West Coast-Tasman Youth MP. This is an exciting opportunity for a young person with an interest in politics to attend the Youth Parliament in Wellington on Tuesday 01 and Wednesday 02 July. Keep an eye on my Facebook page for the invitation to apply. I look forward to meeting up with as many people as possible as I move around the electorate this year and I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2025.