The Government’s Convergence Work Programme is making excellent progress towards ensuring New Zealand is well-placed to take advantage of an increasingly digital media environment, says Broadcasting and Communications Minister Amy Adams.

“Today’s converged media landscape is changing the way we communicate, conduct business and access entertainment channels. Streaming content on-demand through our mobile devices or obtaining news on the web is now the new norm,” says Ms Adams.

The news that three Local Fibre Companies will be offering a 1 Gigabit product for residential on the Ultra-Fast Broadband network has been welcomed by Communications Minister Amy Adams.

Local Fibre Companies Enable, Northpower Fibre and Ultrafast Fibre advised today the release of the new Residential Only BS2a 1G/500Mbps service from 1 October.

A safety service has helped 2637 victims of family violence and their families since it was introduced in October 2014, says Justice Minister Amy Adams.

“The Strengthening Safety Service provides immediate help in safety planning for victims of family violence who do not have a protection order,” says Ms Adams.

The Government will provide $500,000 over two years for short-term emergency housing to ensure perpetrators of family violence can be safely kept away from victims at a time of crisis.

Budget 2016 funding will provide emergency housing in Christchurch and Waikato, where the new Integrated Safety Response pilot is being trialled. The ISR pilot aims to ensure families experiencing family violence are safe and receive the services they need to prevent further harm.

Faster speeds and higher data caps are ensured for many rural New Zealanders under a new agreement between the Government and Vodafone, says Communications Minister Amy Adams.

“The new agreement means minimum peak broadband connection speeds under the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) increase to at least 30 Megabits per second – six times the current speeds of 5Mbps,” says Ms Adams.

“On-peak data caps on 4G will increase over 150 per cent, which means rural users can take advantage of video streaming and more data intensive apps.

Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams, says justice service co-locations and refurbishments in two Auckland courts will save more than $5.3 million over 10 years and improve support for victims of crime.

The National Transcription Service will be folded into the North Shore District Court, and the Legal Complaints Review Office and the Weather Tight Homes unit will be relocated to the Auckland District Court.

Ministers today confirmed Waikato would be the second site for the Integrated Safety Response pilot.

The pilot, also being run in Christchurch, brings together different agencies involved in family violence to support victims and their families in a daily safety assessment approach.

Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams has applauded an initiative by local judges and staff to create a child friendly space for children giving evidence in the Whangarei courthouse. 

“Going to court can be a scary and stressful time for vulnerable child witnesses. It’s important that the justice system is accessible for everyone, including children who are caught up in cases through no fault of their own,” says Ms Adams.

The Government is seeking input into a new Risk Assessment and Management Framework designed to keep victims safer, Ministers have announced.

The framework proposes a better, more consistent way to assess and manage the risks of family violence so victims can get the help they need, whoever they turn to.

“This Government wants to do what we can to ensure that New Zealanders are protected from family violence. We know that properly and consistently identifying risk and intervening earlier is critical to achieving this,” says Justice Minister Amy Adams.

The captioning of all Parliament TV’s broadcasts will provide better access for deaf and hearing impaired New Zealanders, say Broadcasting Minister Amy Adams and Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner.

“The captioning of Parliament TV is a valuable addition to the captioning landscape in New Zealand,” says Ms Adams.

“The Government, through NZ On Air, funds the charitable trust Able with $2.8 million a year to caption content on free to air TV.

Communications Minister Amy Adams says demand for the Government’s Ultra-Fast Broadband continues to grow as the rollout forges ahead.

“More than one million households, businesses, schools and hospitals are now able to access Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) services. This means 2.4 million New Zealanders are now able to connect to UFB, which is an outstanding achievement this far into the build,” says Ms Adams.

Justice Minister Amy Adams has today confirmed that David Bain’s application for compensation for wrongful conviction and imprisonment has been concluded.

“This case has been one of the most complex, unique and high profile cases New Zealand has ever known,” says Ms Adams.

Ian Callinan QC, a former Justice of Australia’s highest court, was appointed by Ms Adams on 19 March 2015 to provide advice on Mr Bain’s claim. Mr Callinan’s report was received by the Minister on 27 January 2016.

Queenstown’s Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) build is complete, and over 7000 households and businesses are now able to connect to faster and more reliable internet, says Communications Minister Amy Adams.

In Queenstown today to mark the completion of the rollout, Ms Adams says over 1200 connections have already been made to New Zealand’s growing fibre network.

“The UFB build is New Zealand’s biggest infrastructure build that’s being delivered on time and within budget,” says Ms Adams.

Justice Minister Amy Adams has today announced the Government’s response to a Parliamentary Select Committee report on the 2014 General Election.

After each General Election, as a matter of routine, the Justice and Electoral Select Committee conducts an inquiry, and makes recommendations for potential changes to electoral laws and administrative procedures.

Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams has welcomed a new joint initiative to use video-conferencing to enable judges to appear virtually in remote courts.

The initiative, involving Family Court judges in Northland and Southland/Central Otago, aims to reduce the number of judicial and court users travelling to remote locations for short fixtures and reduce adjournments associated with poor weather.

Tougher locks and new alarms are just some of the practical measures helping 754 family violence victims stay safe in their homes in the first year of a new programme, Justice Minister Amy Adams has announced.

“For hundreds of family violence victims, moving on with your life no longer means having to move out of your own home, thanks to the success of the National Home Safety Service,” says Ms Adams.

Communications Minister Amy Adams today released an options paper which seeks feedback on the Government’s new ‘utility-style’ model for regulating fixed line communications services after 2020.

“Every aspect of our lives is being transformed by changes to technology, innovation and digital convergence. The regime governing our telecommunications industry is now 15 years old and our review is critical to building a system that supports growth, investment and innovation,” says Ms Adams.

Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams and Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell have congratulated the Ministry of Justice on winning the IPANZ Excellence Award for Crown-Māori Relationships for the innovative Rangatahi Courts initiative.

"This award is a superb endorsement of the partnership between the Ministry of Justice and the judiciary to deliver a process that better engages Maori young offenders, drawing on the strength of whānau and iwi,” says Ms Adams.

Communications Minister Amy Adams says that a Bill enabling easier connections to Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) has passed its first reading in Parliament last night with unanimous support.

The Telecommunications (Property Access and Other Matters) Amendment Bill creates a new consenting process that telecommunications companies must follow when installing networks such as UFB.

Ministers today welcomed a new pilot in Christchurch which aims to ensure families experiencing family violence are safe and receive the services they need to prevent further harm.

At the heart of the new approach are government agencies and NGOs working together for families and whānau to provide increased support to high-risk victims, better manage perpetrators and improve collaboration between agencies.

Communications Minister Amy Adams has welcomed the latest Akamai report showing the average download speeds in New Zealand have grown 25 per cent in a year.

The Akamai State of the Internet report shows that in the first quarter of 2016, the average speed had increased to 10.5 Megabits per second (Mbps). Better still the number of people accessing speeds above 15 Mbps has increased 123 per cent in just 12 months. 91 per cent are enjoying speeds above 4 Mbps.

Broadcasting Minister Amy Adams has today announced the appointment of Graham Pryor to the Board of RNZ.

Mr Pryor is an Auckland-based media and business consultant, and professional director with a background in accountancy.

For 14 years he led Mai Media, which ran a network of commercial radio stations and provided news and programmes to iwi radio. He currently serves on the Board of Te Kakano Whakatipu and Maitahi Media. 

Communications Minister Amy Adams says new legislation introduced to Parliament today will make it easier for people involved in shared property or apartments to connect to Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB).

Justice Minister Amy Adams says an increase in funding of $16.2 million over the next four years will help restorative justice providers meet the growing demand for their services.

“Restorative justice conferences, in which victims and offenders meet in a safe environment and discuss the crime and harm caused, have proven effective in holding offenders to account for what they have done and making victims stronger,” Ms Adams says.