Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy and Associate Minister for Primary Industries Louise Upston have welcomed the beginning of construction on a new centre to showcase the best of the primary sector in the hear
Corrections Minister Louise Upston has welcomed nearly 60 new Corrections officers from a range of backgrounds to the frontline today.
Corrections Minister Louise Upston has today launched a new approach to managing women offenders which aims to successfully support them towards a crime-free life.
The next steps in strengthening the careers system have been announced today by Associate Education Minister Louise Upston.
A new Prisoner Welfare Governance Board will help Corrections ensure prisoner safety and wellbeing and provide reassurance to the public that prisons are as safe as possible, Corrections Minister Louise Upston says.
Rimutaka Prison’s Gate to Plate event has been a tremendous success with more than 240 people visiting the prison for dinner, says Corrections Minister Louise Upston.
Trades training and apprenticeships are in the spotlight this week as Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Louise Upston launches Got a Trade? Got it Made! Week in Wellington today.
Eleven million hours of rehabilitation, education, employment and constructive activities have been completed by prisoners in the last financial year, as part of the Working Prisons initiative, says Corrections Minist
A new set of online resources will provide teachers with the information they need to help their students learn about New Zealand’s animal welfare, biosecurity and food systems, says Associate Minister for Primary Industries Louise Upston.
“The curriculum-linked resources are being rolled out so that teachers can help students to learn key knowledge and skills while also discovering how these key systems underpin the primary industries and play an important role in our economy, our environment and our way of life,” Ms Upston says.
Associate Minister for Primary Industries Louise Upston is encouraging graduate vets working in rural areas to apply for funding through the Vet Bonding Scheme.
Since the Scheme was launched in 2009, 227 graduates vets have helped address the ongoing shortages of vets working with production animals in rural areas of New Zealand.
The Māia video series released today brings the employability skills framework to life for rangatahi Māori, says Associate Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Louise Upston.
“By 2030, approximately 30% of our students – and therefore our future workforce – will be Māori and will make up a significant proportion of the country’s working-age population by 2040.
The Māia video series, produced by the Tertiary Education Commission provide real examples and a positive connection between employers, employees, and young Māori.
Corrections Minister Louise Upston has welcomed 45 new Corrections officers to the front line.
The latest cohort, which graduated at a ceremony in Wellington today, includes officers from the United Kingdom, Samoa, South Africa and India. They come from a range of professions including former police officers, nurses and mental health workers.
Associate Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Louise Upston has welcomed the launch of 10 regional skills roadmaps to help the service industry tailor training according to the needs of the regional workforce.
The regional roadmaps were developed jointly by the service sector industry training organisation ServiceIQ and the service industries including tourism, hospitality, retail and aviation.
A new nationwide set of environmental rules for managing New Zealand’s 1.7 million hectares of plantation forestry will better protect the environment and deliver significant savings in compliance costs, Minister for the Environment Dr Nick Smith and Associate Minister for Primary Industries Louise Upston say.
A total of 5183ha of new forest will be planted by 101 applicants who have received support through the 2017 Afforestation Grant Scheme funding round, Associate Minister for Primary Industries Louise Upston says.
The Afforestation Grant Scheme (AGS), administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries, aims to establish new forests by providing grants of $1300 per hectare to successful applicants.
Prisoners taking part in this year’s Visa Wellington on a Plate are learning skills that will help them make positive changes in their lives, says Corrections Minister Louise Upston.
It’s the fifth time Rimutaka Prison has taken part in the event, and demand for tickets to its Gate to Plate this year was so great that a ballot had to be held.
Dinner will be prepared and served by a group of prisoners to around 240 paying guests over three nights starting on 15 August.
A continued focus on the rehabilitation and reintegration needs of prisoners is the best way to turn the tide on the growing prison population, Corrections Minister Louise Upston says.
Corrections has a number of programmes designed to give offenders a chance at turning their lives around. This was recently given a boost in the Budget with an extra $18.6m for industry, training and support programmes in prisons.
The launch of a new package of secondary school resources will help boost students’ understanding of and engagement with the primary industries, says Associate Minister for Primary Industries Louise Upston.
“Our primary industries are a vital part of our economy which account for more than 70 per cent of exports,” says Ms Upston.
Corrections Minister Louise Upston is impressed at the results being achieved by the Department’s Employer Partnerships initiatives and is looking forward to them continuing to make a positive difference to people’s lives.
“Finding steady employment for offenders when they leave prison is a critical step to helping these people turn their lives around. The work Corrections has been doing with offenders and potential employers in this area is very promising,” says Ms Upston.
This week the second phase of the alcohol interlock pilot is being launched nationally, including active involvement with the offenders’ probation officers, says Corrections Minister Louise Upston.
$694,000 has been secured from the Justice Sector Fund for phase two of the Alcohol Interlock pilot. Phase two will see Corrections fund a further 240 alcohol interlock devices for eligible offenders serving community sentences for drink driving offences.
Land consents necessary to allow Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre’s acquisition of Lincoln University’s Telford Campus to proceed have been given today by Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy and Associate Minister Louise Upston.
Wairarapa-based Taratahi has been negotiating with Lincoln on the purchase of the Balclutha campus since 2016. While the commercial decisions regarding the sale were the responsibility of Taratahi and Lincoln, legislation required that Ministers’ approval be given for the transfer of any associated properties or leases.
Corrections Minister Louise Upston has welcomed more than 45 new frontline corrections officers to the team.
The latest cohort graduating at a ceremony in Wellington today includes officers from Samoa, South Africa, the Philippines, India, the United Kingdom and the Cook Islands. They also come from a range of previous career paths and professions.
“I’m delighted to see such a diverse array of individuals choosing to work with Corrections,” Ms Upston says.
Minister Louise Upston will today host her second cross-sector employment breakfast in Northland in as many weeks, as the Government seeks to strengthen the links between educators and employers, and to match up relevant training opportunities for young people with the jobs that need filling.
As part of a $14 million initiative to help offenders and their families cope with mental health challenges, four new services are now being piloted by Corrections, says Corrections Minister Louise Upston.
Under its Mental Health and Reintegration Programme, the pilots aim to better support offenders who have mental health needs in prison and the community.
“Prisoners and community-based offenders face mental health challenges at a far higher rate than the general population,” Ms Upston says.
