Simon Bridges National MP simonbridges.co.nz

Welcome to 2014 everyone. I hope you all managed to have some time off relaxing with family and friends.

We had some friends visiting from the UK, so we got to take them around and show off Tauranga. It was great to see our city from their point of view as it makes you appreciate things that we take for granted, like having the beach 10 minutes away or walking around the Mount.

I was also impressed with the array of activities and events on offer over summer to keep both locals and tourists entertained, as anyone who went to Christmas in the Park or the Port of Tauranga triathlon would know.

Last weekend Natalie, Emlyn and I went along to the V8 Jetsprints at Baypark. I was just as interested to see how they had managed to build a track inside the stadium, a world-first I believe, as I was to see the racing. Well done to the organisers for pulling off such a remarkable event.

It was a weekend of high-octane action, with the ‘Classics of the Sky' Tauranga City Air Show on Sunday. This event is definitely always high on my calendar and is a great family day out.

The political season has certainly kicked off with a hiss and a roar, beginning with the Prime Minister announcing a reshuffle of Cabinet last week. Congratulations to Sam Lotu-Iiga on his well-deserved appointment as Minister outside Cabinet, and to Michael Woodhouse for his promotion to Cabinet.

The other big news was the Prime Minister's announcement of an extra $359 million over the next four years to lift the achievement of our school students.

International evidence and New Zealand-based research clearly shows that quality of teaching is the most important factor in a child's education.

The current system often leads teachers to move out of the classroom to advance their careers, meaning our children can lose the opportunity to learn from the best.

We're introducing four new teaching and leadership roles in our schools – Executive Principals, Expert Teachers, Lead Teachers, and Change Principals.

These new teaching and leadership roles are about recognising excellent teachers and principals, keeping good teachers in the classroom, and sharing expertise across schools. People in these new roles will be paid additional allowances on top of their usual salaries in recognition of their new responsibilities.

Ensuring every child gets a good education is one of the most important things National can do to help our kids succeed.