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I’m back in Wellington for a three-week sitting block after two weeks out in the community, listening to what matters most to you.
It’s been a joy celebrating with Auckland’s vibrant Indian community over the past fortnight. At Ram Mandir Hall in West Auckland, I joined the Raksha Bandhan celebration– a beautiful festival honouring the bond between brothers and sisters.
My sincere thanks to the Hindu Organisations, Temples and Associations Forum for bringing everyone together in such a meaningful way.
Soon after, I celebrated Durga Puja with the Christchurch Bengali community and joined the Auckland Indian Association for Navratri. Each of these occasions reminded me how strong, united, and generous New Zealand’s Indian community truly is.
On Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, I had the privilege of attending events in both Wellington and Auckland, alongside Her Excellency Neeta Bhushan, the Indian High Commissioner, and the Consul General of India. Gandhi’s message of truth, self-reliance, and non-violence continues to inspire us to pursue change with integrity and purpose.
At the World Madam Pageant 2025, I was honoured to serve as a judge and crown this year’s winner, Lei Gao. The event brought together women from all walks of life – each striving to uplift her community and make a positive difference.
That’s just a glimpse of what I get up to when Parliament isn’t debating new laws. But even then, our work to make New Zealand a better place continues – and ACT is focused on practical changes that fix what matters.
Take education. The University of Auckland’s Senate has recommended that its compulsory Treaty course be made optional – a decision reflecting strong feedback from students and more than 4,000 signatures on my petition. I’ve urged the University Council to accept that recommendation and consider compensation for students who were forced to pay thousands for a course they neither wanted nor needed.
We’re also fixing one of the most confusing and frustrating laws for small businesses – the Holidays Act. Anyone who’s ever run a payroll knows how complicated it is. My colleague Brooke van Velden has announced we’ll repeal and replace it with a simpler, fairer system.
That means fewer compliance headaches for employers and more take-home pay, especially for casual workers and new parents.
Brooke’s commitment to fixing what matters has also delivered faster citizenship processing times – the quickest in five years – along with other long-overdue improvements at the Department of Internal Affairs.
ACT’s Nicole McKee is tackling court delays so families, victims, and businesses aren’t left waiting months or even years for justice. Every day a case drags on is a day too long.
At select committee, I’ve been working to ensure the government’s polytechnic reforms reflect ACT’s belief in equal rights for all New Zealanders – removing race-based appointment provisions and unnecessary Treaty clauses so everyone has the same opportunity to succeed, regardless of background.
And through ACT’s inquiry into online harm, we’re leading a balanced discussion about how to keep young people safe online while protecting free speech and parental responsibility. It’s a serious issue that deserves thoughtful solutions, not knee-jerk bans.
It’s been a busy few weeks – but that’s what’s needed to hear your concerns and take them back to Parliament. There’s a lot more happening across health, education, law and order, and the cost of living. If you’re dealing with a government-related issue, I encourage you to get in touch.
Whether it’s improving education, cutting red tape for small businesses, or making government fairer and faster, ACT is focused on fixing what matters most.
Paramjeet Parmar
ACT List MP based in Pakuranga