Botany's budding politicians
I recently had the pleasure of hosting about 25 Botany Downs Secondary School students at my office in the Beehive.
It was great to see the young boys and girls coming to Parliament as part of their Year-9 Social Studies field-trip to Wellington.
Not only did they go on a tour of the Parliament buildings, but they also watched question time in the House and then came up to see me and my team.
I was impressed by the interests of the students, who asked plenty of questions about the Parliamentary process. Who knows, perhaps one of the students could be a future MP, Minister or even Prime Minister.
Later this week, I will play host to another group of students from Botany Downs Secondary School and I am excited about teaching the young boys and girls more about the Parliamentary process.
Later this year, I will also be hosting a large group of Somerville Intermediate School students during their trip to Wellington.
Having young students from Botany visit me down in the Beehive is a refreshing change of faces compared to the officials I usually host in my office and I look forward to giving plenty more students from our patch an insight into what it is like to be an MP.
Students celebrate business success
The Young Enterprise Scheme Greater Auckland Trade Fair proved that there are plenty of young budding inventors and entrepreneurs living in our patch.
It was great to see so many youngsters from throughout Auckland - including Botany - taking pride in their work and showing that they could grow up to be the Donald Trump of New Zealand.
There were a range of products and initiatives on display, including an erasable pen, a tyre change manual and tool set for girls, and a necklace that makes a stand and brings attention to the issue of teenage pregnancy.
Events like the Young Enterprise Scheme Greater Auckland Trade Fair are a chance for students from throughout the region to flex their creative muscles and show off their business acumen and prove that they have what it takes to work hard and become successful business people. I was escorted by a Macleans College student who has just won the enterprising award all the way in Singapore.
Based on the number of purchases I made there, it would seem that we have some exciting products and services to look forward to.
Botany's Big Night In
The Big Night In Telethon 2009 event at the Botany square was slightly subdued, but there is still quite a lot of activities held to raise money for needy kids as part of the national fundraiser.
Some of the fun events such as sumo-wrestling saw people dressing up in "fat suits" and showing off their sumo-wrestling skills.
I found it hilarious when the organisers decided they would use the red and blue corners to have a National Party versus Labour Party wrestle. The keen blue corner wrestler was kept waiting because no one stepped up to jump into the red suit!
