Kiwis' working lives

News came out on Thursday of record low unemployment -- 3.5 per cent. The new Social Development and Employment Minister, Ruth Dyson, says the latest Household Labour Force Survey throws into focus the employment policies and responsible economic management of the Labour-led government.

• Participation: A key goal of the Labour-led government's agenda to transform the economy is to get more New Zealanders participating in the work force; we are clearly on track, with participation up from 65.4 per cent in December 1999 when Labour took office, to 68.3 per cent today.
• Unemployment Rate: For more than three years, NZ's unemployment rate has been under four percent. We have the fifth lowest unemployment rate in the OECD and we are the only country in the OECD to achieve such a low unemployment rate over such an extended period. The number of people unemployed has dropped from 81,000 in the June quarter to 79,000 this quarter.
• Pacific people: The HLFS figures confirm the huge gains made by Pacific people under the Labour-led government, with Pacific unemployment at 5.5%, the third lowest on record and down from 14.9% for the September 1999 quarter.

For a full copy of the Household Labour Force Survey, go to: www.stats.govt.nz

On the back of the HLFS figures, the government released reports detailing the thriving state of New Zealand’s regional labour markets, with some regions experiencing unprecedented growth.

• Taranaki has shown the strongest labour force participation growth rate and the largest rise in employment rates, with strengthening oil and gas industry having a positive impact on the labour market.
• Bay of Plenty and Waikato also enjoyed strong employment growth.
• The lowest annual average unemployment rate was 2.6 per cent in Southland. The annual average rate of unemployment declined in eight of the 12 regions between September 2006 and September 2007. All South Island regions recorded unemployment rates at or below 3.5 per cent.
• The largest falls in unemployment rates in the year to September were in Bay of Plenty, Northland, and Wellington.

The regional reports are available at: http://www.dol.govt.nz/publications/lmr/regional/joint/index.asp.

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Education: New Zealand Curriculum launch

The new New Zealand Curriculum for schools aims to help students develop values and competencies, and gain knowledge 21st century needs to achieve their full potential. The curriculum was launched this week by Prime Minister Helen Clark and new Education Minister Chris Carter, with strong support from school principals and teachers.

The curriculum builds on New Zealand's world class education system, setting a clear direction for teaching and learning to help creating a knowledge-based society which provides a unique quality of life for all New Zealanders.

The new curriculum:

• Concentrates on the practical application of knowledge outside the classroom
• Shifts away from the old focus on recalling facts and figures
• Replaces seven documents with one simplified document
• Contains eight areas of knowledge: English, mathematics, languages, technology, science, the arts, social sciences, health and physical education.
• Includes key competencies young people need to acquire; such as thinking, using language, symbols and texts; managing oneself; relating to others; and participating and contributing
• Emphasises more strongly statistics as part of mathematics, and the need to learn a second language
• Clarifies the place of history, geography, and economics within the social sciences at senior school
• Embraces Te Reo Maori and New Zealand Sign Language as official languages
• Teaches students about climate change and the environment
• Gives all students the opportunity to acquire knowledge Tikanga Maori, and to learn about the Treaty of Waitangi

More info:

• Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia says he hopes the new emphasis on second language learning in the new curriculum will inspire more students to learn Te reo Maori.
• Youth Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta welcomes new Curriculum
• Teacher-only day for training to implement new curriculum
• The New Zealand Curriculum online: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz.
• Sign up to receive a monthly email update on site news and information, and schools sharing their experiences and ideas

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All NZ kindergartens now offer 20 hours free ECE

Every kindergarten in the country is now offering the Labour-led government’s 20 hours free early childhood education, saving families up to $4500 a year per child.

Figures released this week by Education Minister Chris Carter show:

• Over 83 per cent of eligible three and four year olds enrolled at teacher-led early education providers are now benefiting from this visionary policy just four months after it was launched
• More than 2000 early childhood services are now offering 20 hours free, lowering the cost and boosting access to early childhood education for the families of 76,924 children.
• 72 per cent of eligible teacher-led services are now offering 20 hours free, an increase of 10 per cent since the policy was launched on 1 July.
• Forty-four Kohanga Reo have also decided to opt in, and more are getting ready to come on board.

The government recognises the importance of funding public education from the age of three. Only the Labour-led government is committed to delivering 20 hours free early childhood education a week to three and four year olds.

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Kiwis with both eyes on the future

KiwiSaver has reached another major milestone much faster than predicted with enrolment figures now exceeding 260,000.

Finance Minister Michael Cullen says four months into the scheme, enrolment numbers are growing three times as fast as had been predicted. As of 29 October, the total number of KiwiSaver enrolments processed by Inland Revenue had reached 261,011. This is a 22 per cent increase in enrolments since figures were last reported on 5 October.

New Zealanders are also embracing the Labour-led government’s work to improve the skills of young people in the labour market. The number of young people actively participating in Modern Apprenticeships has reached 13,838, looking set to achieve its 14,000 target for 2008 before the end of this year.

Michael Cullen says the Labour-led government is delivering on its promises to New Zealanders.

"At the last election, we fought to deliver KiwiSaver against an opposition who had promised to scrap the scheme to pay for reckless tax cuts.

"Budget 2007 included major enhancements to the scheme to make it easier for all families to save for their future. The National Party voted against the enhancements and is still refusing to commit to KiwiSaver and they’re now talking about cutting superannuation rates.

"It is a similar story with Modern Apprenticeships. The Labour-led government has worked hard to restore the place of trades training in our economy after the last National government scrapped apprenticeships programmes. At the last election we said we wanted to see 14,000 young people gaining skills through active participation in Modern Apprenticeships during 2008. We now look set to achieve that before the end of this year.

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Total overhaul of real estate industry

The government is to reform real estate law, ending the industry's self-regulation, introducing better consumer protection.

 

The measures will:

• Bring accountability and transparency to the real estate sector,
• Establish an independent complaints system that protects consumers and supports honest real estate professionals.

Associate Justice Minister Clayton Cosgrove says since New Zealanders' greatest asset is often their home, they need access to an independent, transparent and effective disciplinary process if they feel ripped off. Good honest agents also need an independent body that will review complaints efficiently, fairly and objectively.

The Government is:

• Removing the industry's privilege of self-regulation.
• Creating an independent Real Estate Agents Authority, to oversee licensing, complaints, discipline and enforcement. It will have wide investigative powers.
• Creating a tribunal to deal with serious cases, able to cancel licences and award compensation
• Establishing a register of real estate agents and salespeople that records breaches of industry standards
• Require ongoing professional development training for licences

The new structure will be funded by the industry, not taxpayers, and it will cost consumers nothing to lodge a complaint. A Real Estate Agents Bill is expected to be introduced to Parliament this year and passed in 2008.