Meri Kirihimeti!

Merry Christmas Everyone! Happy 25th of December to those that don't celebrate Christmas. I hope that wherever you are, and however you spend your day, that it's a wonderful day for you.

My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones this year and in years previous. Christmas tends to be a time when those who have died become foremost in our minds.

Yesterday marked the 53rd anniversary of the Tangiwai Disaster. 151 people died in New Zealand's worst rail disaster. A lahar (volcanic mudflow) damaged a bridge. All but one carriage plunged into the river below when the bridge collapse.

My thoughts and good wishes are with the members of The New Zealand Defence Force who are serving in many countries around the globe. Thank you for what you are doing.