Today is Conversations that Count Day, and Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne is urging New Zealanders both young and old to talk about the kind of care they would want if they were seriously ill or at the end of their life.

Conversations that Count Day, organised by the National Advance Care Planning Cooperative, urges people to break the ice and talk about future health care wishes with ‘your partner, a mate, with friends over lunch, or around the weekend barbie’.

Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne today announced the reappointment of Judy Kirk as the Presiding Member (Chair) of the Lotteries Commission for two years, the elevation of Tony Mossman to Deputy Presiding Member and the appointment of a new Director Mark Gilbert. 

“Mrs Kirk has been the Chair of the Lotteries Commission since 2009 and her strong leadership has overseen a period of solid performance by the Commission”, says Mr Dunne.

The gambling sector and the public are being consulted on proposed changes to gambling fees, Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne said today. The changes are necessary because it is costing more to regulate gambling than the revenue from current fees charged since 2008.

“Gaming machines in pubs and clubs produce most of the fees’ revenue but pokie numbers have fallen further than forecast and this decline has not corresponded with a decline in the need to regulate the Class 4 gambling sector,” says Mr Dunne.

Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne today announced 13 new members to ten Lottery distribution committees with terms commencing on 2 March 2015.

“Distribution committees fund a range of great projects and programmes and make a major contribution to communities up and down the country.  The new appointees bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and community connections, and will help ensure the committees continue to be well-placed to do their work”, says Mr Dunne.

Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne today announced three appointments to the Archives Council Te Rua Wānanga. 

The Council has a statutory role to provide the Minister with independent advice on archives and recordkeeping issues.

The new members are Dr Angela Wanhalla, Anna Blackman and Thomas Norcliffe. 

“These three appointees bring a range of experience, skills and knowledge that will enable the Council to continue providing high quality advice,” said Mr Dunne.

Their appointments will start in March 2015.

Passage of Bill brings greater clarity to gambling sector The Gambling Amendment Bill (No.2) passed by Parliament today will ensure that the Gambling Act 2003 works as originally intended, Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne said today.

The Gambling Amendment Bill (No.2) was introduced in 2007 and, since then, important clarifications have been included specifying the responsibilities gambling operators have to the community after they are licensed.  Gaming machines in pubs and clubs (i.e. non-casino) represent 'Class 4' gambling.

The Health Quality & Safety Commission’s Let’s PLAN for better care pharmacy week is a great opportunity for New Zealanders to discover how much they can learn about their medicines from their pharmacist, says Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne.

The week, 22 to 28 February, is part of the Commission’s Open for better care national patient safety campaign, which partners with First, Do No Harm in the Northern region and is currently focused on reducing harm from high-risk medicines.

Internal Affairs Minister, Hon Peter Dunne, today launched a new book celebrating the value new New Zealanders add to our national identity. Launching the book, Choice Whiriwhiria: The New Zealand Citizenship Story, Mr Dunne said the book showcases the role of new New Zealanders in shaping the New Zealand of tomorrow.

Attempts by three Labour MPs, Jacinda Ardern, Christopher Hipkins and Grant Robertson, to stop changes to the National Library’s Service to Schools programme, which will see more students and more schools receiving an increased number of books from the National Library, would be comical if they were not so tragic, says Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon Peter Dunne.

Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne has welcomed the release of the Ministry of Health’s Alcohol Use 2012/13 report.

The report presents the key findings from the 2012/13 New Zealand Health Survey about alcohol use, misuse and alcohol-related harm among New Zealanders aged 15 years and over.

Of note are the comparisons between similar data collected in 2007/08, which show encouraging progress around consumption behaviour said Mr Dunne.

Internal Affairs Minister and Presiding Member of the Lottery Grants Board Hon Peter Dunne today announced the opening of the 2014/15 application round of the Lottery Significant Projects Fund.

“From today, New Zealanders with community projects of regional or national significance worth $3 million or more will be able to apply to the fund. This is a great opportunity for New Zealand communities to seek funding for projects that they believe will make a difference in their local area, and I am excited to see the benefits this funding will bring about.

The Minister of Internal Affairs Hon Peter Dunne today announced a review of access to Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) records.

The existing BDM access rules came into force on 25 January 2009 with the requirement they would be reviewed after five years. Births, Deaths and Marriage records are used by many New Zealanders, to help establish their identity, to trace their family history and for many other reasons.

Associate Conservation Minister Hon Peter Dunne today congratulates the Game Animal Council and Te Urewera Board for their hard work to ensure access to the land previously known as Te Urewera National Park.

The Te Urewera Board instigated a review of access to and management of the land earlier this year temporarily preventing access for hunters. The Game Animal Council was the voice for hunters in this review and this positive result shows how important the Council is” said Mr Dunne.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has welcomed a cross-sector report aimed at reducing child deaths in motorcycle, quad bike and other off-road vehicle accidents.

The report from the Child and Youth Mortality Review Committee, which operates under the umbrella of the Health Quality & Safety Commission, found that 33 children aged under 15 were killed in off-road vehicle accidents between 2002 and 2012. Of these,

The report of the Ministerial Forum on Alcohol Advertising and Sponsorship has been released today, with Ministers noting that further work will be required on the feasibility and impact of the proposals.

The Forum was established earlier this year to advise on possible further controls on alcohol advertising and sponsorship. The report makes 14 recommendations to Justice Minister Amy Adams and Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne.

Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne will represent New Zealand at the inaugural meeting of the D5 Digital Leaders’ Summit in London 9-10 December 2014.

The D5 is a grouping of five nations– United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Korea, Estonia and Israel – considered amongst the most advanced in the provision of on-line government services. Its establishment is a British Government initiative and next week will be the first time the five nations have met together.

Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne says more than 300,000 people have now renewed their passports online in the two years since the launch of adult passport renewals in November 2012.

“Online adult passport renewals are a part of a drive by the Government to change the way New Zealanders deal with government departments. The Passports Online Renewal Service is a great example of what we can achieve with successful IT projects,” says Mr Dunne.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne says patients who take part in a new survey about their stay in hospital are performing an important service. Developed by the Health Quality & Safety Commission, the survey has been sent to patients randomly selected across the country that spent at least one night in hospital from 3 to 16 November.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne heads for Washington DC today to attend the Commonwealth Fund’s 17th International Symposium on Health Care Policy.

“A major theme of the 2014 symposium is how different health systems meet the challenge of delivering care for patients with high needs and high costs,” says Mr Dunne.

Along with a number of other health ministers from Europe and North America, Mr Dunne will participate in panels and policy roundtable events.