Government-commissioned research into why parents and caregivers don't complete pre-school immunisations shows that, in most cases, these people aren't opposed to immunisation.

Health Minister, Tony Ryall was discussing the research and launching a new immunisation booklet at the Newtown Medical Centre today.

"We have already achieved record levels of immunisation for two year olds, with just over 88 per cent completing the schedule.

A new Ministry of Health booklet on the Emergency Department (ED) health target will help inform hospital teams on ideas to achieve shorter waiting times for ED patients.

While visiting Waikato DHB's new ED this afternoon, Health Minister Tony Ryall said, "The booklet provides insights into the different ways that EDs around the country have improved their performance. It's part of "sharing the knowledge" about how to improve services for patients.

State Services Minister Tony Ryall today announced the merger of the Ministry of Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

"Ministers have agreed that the merger of these two organisations will deliver better results for New Zealanders by reducing back-office bureaucracy and lowering the cost of delivering government services.

"The merger is planned for 1 February 2012 to allow adequate time to engage with stakeholders, consult with staff and make the necessary planning and legislative changes.

High profile Cantabrians including several All Blacks are providing messages of support and advice about where to go for help to people affected by the latest Canterbury earthquake.

Health Minister Tony Ryall says, “It's heartening to see some of New Zealand's best known sporting heroes more than willing to lend some words of comfort and support to quake victims in a television, radio and newspaper campaign.

The Government's extra $1.2 billion investment in Health over the past two years is delivering gains in key areas such as faster cancer treatment, more elective surgery, immunisation, and shorter stays in emergency departments.

Releasing the latest health targets performance data for the period October – December 2010, Health Minister Tony Ryall said, "Staff in New Zealand's public health service are delivering a good return on the government's record investment in health.

Health professionals volunteering to help in Christchurch are being are being encouraged to register through their District Health Board or through the National Health Co-ordination Centre (NHCC).

Health Minister Tony Ryall says, "The Ministry of Health is co-ordinating the volunteer responses with a national volunteers database.

“The database is helping the NHCC team to work through the logistical issues that are starting to arise around the number of volunteers in terms of medical specialities and available accommodation.

Health workers are helping to move some of Christchurch's most vulnerable residents to safer accommodation, and Health Minister Tony Ryall says "In some cases that means moving out of the region.

"More than two hundred rest home residents need new accommodation as their existing rest homes are uninhabitable. Many are being taken home by family members, and others are being moved by the Air Force to facilities around the South Island.

Health Minister Tony Ryall says the entire health service, both public and private, is pulling together to support Canterbury following yesterday's earthquake.

"The teams in Christchurch are doing an incredible job. Once again, we are seeing New Zealand's health professionals at their best.

"Christchurch hospital has had more than 200 patients with major traumas. Staff have been performing field amputations to free people from where they have been trapped.

The Government's billion-dollar-plus extra investment in health is delivering returns for New Zealanders, with the country's childhood immunisation rate now at a record level.

Health Minister Tony Ryall says, "The number of Kiwi children fully immunised by their second birthday has risen from 73 per cent in 2007 to just over 88 per cent.

"According to the Ministry of Health, the number of Maori children who are fully immunised at the age of two has jumped nearly 14 per cent to 85 per cent in the past two years.

Health Minister Tony Ryall and Associate Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman today welcomed confirmation the new Northern eating disorder service is up and running and providing much needed treatment to seriously unwell patients in the region.

‘’The Government said it would provide more eating disorder services and we’re delivering on that promise,’’ Mr Ryall says.

Four district health boards (DHBs) are testing new ways of treating kidney disease.

Two centres will use one approach, which is a world-class new electronic decision support tool for general practitioners, to improve detection and management of kidney disease.

The second approach also involves general practitioners, and sees specialists working alongside primary care teams managing high risk kidney patients in the community.

The four centres involved are:

Health Minister Tony Ryall reconfirmed today that the Ministry of Health and District Health Boards (DHBs) are addressing all of the recommendations from an auditor general's report into rest home performance.

The Government response to a Health Select Committee review of a damning Auditor General's report on rest home monitoring was tabled in Parliament today.

Health Minister Tony Ryall has announced that Emergency Ambulance Call Centres, which take 111 calls are to get extra funding to provide an advanced level of support for over-the-phone triage of emergency calls.

The Government is investing another $700,000 into the ambulance call centres to provide additional clinical advice to call takers and dispatch staff to determine which resources are most appropriate to send to an emergency.

Health Minister Tony Ryall has announced several appointments and reappointments to health sector boards.

Mrs Gay Shirley has been appointed to the Waikato District Health Board, replacing Mr Gordon Chesterman, who resigned shortly after the recent elections.

Mr Jamie Simpson of Christchurch has been appointed to the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) and Ms Anne Hobby has been reappointed.

Mr Alastair Scott and Ms Pip Dunphy have been reappointed to the Crown Health Financing Agency (CHFA), and Mr Scott has been appointed chair.

Cabinet last week approved re-opening the drinking water subsidy scheme for small communities of under 5,000 people.

Health Minister Tony Ryall says "The government was concerned that the scheme had been running on a first-come first-served basis - allowing comparatively better off communities to apply for subsidies, and not targeting the communities most in need of the funding."

The criteria for the Drinking-Water Subsidy Scheme have changed:

$10 million is available for allocation each year until 2015