Corrections Minister Louise Upston says an initiative between Corrections and Horticulture New Zealand is proving beneficial to the department’s goal of turning offenders’ lives around.

Following the successful first year of a pilot programme in Hawke’s Bay that was established to help ex-prisoners and community-based offenders find sustainable employment in the horticulture industry, Corrections and Horticulture New Zealand are now looking to expand the initiative into the Bay of Plenty.

The Government has joined the West Coast region to launch the Tai Poutini West Coast Economic Development Action Plan in Hokitika today.

The Action Plan identifies five priorities for lifting economic growth - better economic development support, growing the West Coast visitor economy, making it easier to invest and do business, supporting economic diversification, and improving connectivity and infrastructure.

Associate Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Louise Upston has congratulated BCITO (Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation) on its 11,000th apprenticeship at an event in Whanganui today.

Ms Upston met with trainers and apprentices today to celebrate the milestone marking not only 11,000 apprentices through the BCITO but 43,000 New Zealanders engaged in an apprenticeship, with many of those in the construction and engineering sectors.

Education Minister Nikki Kaye and Associate Education Minister Louise Upston today announced the official opening of the $14 million redevelopment of Northland College in Kaikohe.

Ms Upston was at the college this morning for the official opening ceremony.

Ms Kaye says today is a big day for the college and the communities it serves.

“This was a major project that was effectively a school rebuild. When I visited the college in August 2015, I acknowledged that they’d been working in less than ideal conditions for some time,” says Ms Kaye.

From today, Careers New Zealand staff and functions will become part of the Tertiary Education Commission, providing clearer pathways for students at school and beyond, Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Louise Upston says.

With the passing of the Education (Update) Amendment Act, which took effect on July 1, the functions of Careers New Zealand (CNZ) has become the responsibility of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). 

Frontline Corrections officers will soon be able to carry pepper spray on their bodies to increase staff and prisoner safety, says Minister of Corrections Louise Upston.

The Corrections Amendment Regulations 2017, which come into effect next month, allow trained and authorised staff to carry pepper spray on them, giving them an additional tool to respond to potentially dangerous situations. These include incidents that may occur in escort vehicles outside of prison.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston has welcomed nearly 60 new frontline Corrections officers from all over the world who graduated today.

The latest cohort includes officers from Sri Lanka, China, India, Tonga, South Africa, the Cook Islands, the Czech Republic and the UK.

“New Zealand is a culturally diverse nation and we are keen to have officers who also represent that diversity,” Ms Upston says.

The Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Paul Goldsmith and the Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Louise Upston today announced a further increase in funding over the next four years to support work-based training.

“With the real need for more skilled workers, approximately 38,000 through to 2020, I am pleased to announce a further $7 million investment in apprentices and industry training over the next four years,” says Mr Goldsmith.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston is thanking the more than 2000 volunteers who give their time to help prisoners and offenders turn their lives around.

Today marks the beginning of National Volunteer Week, when the work of more than one million volunteers in New Zealand is recognised and celebrated.

“Volunteers are an essential part of Corrections’ work to support people to change their lives,” Ms Upston says.

Businesses from around the lower North Island will be urged to consider offenders as employees at a breakfast function hosted by Corrections Minister Louise Upston and the Corrections Department next week.

The event on Tuesday is part of a series being held around the country aimed at getting employers onboard with hiring people who have spent time in prison.

Two similar events, in Hamilton and Christchurch, proved successful with a number of businesses stepping up.

Strong demand from key markets is driving up export growth in forestry products, Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston says.

The latest Ministry for Primary Industries’ Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries (SOPI) shows strong growth in the forestry sector.

“Forestry exports are expected to grow 6.4 per cent to $5.5 billion in 2017, before increasing further to $6.3 billion by 2021 as increased volumes of wood become available for harvest,” Ms Upston says.

More than 500 students will be offered advice on careers in the primary industries as they pass through the Careers and Education Hub at Fieldays this week.

Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Louise Upston says that with strong growth in the primary sector anticipated over the next few years, the Government was encouraging more young people to consider careers in primary industries.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Associate Minister Louise Upston have tonight celebrated the 1000^th Sustainable Farming Fund project, and awarded two Emerging Leaders scholarships at an event kicking off National Fieldays.

“The Sustainable Farming Fund supports the primary sector’s own forward thinking and kiwi ingenuity - which in turn helps keeps New Zealand ahead of the game,” says Mr Guy. 

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Associate Minister Louise Upston have tonight celebrated the 1000th Sustainable Farming Fund project, and awarded two Emerging Leaders scholarships at an event kicking off National Fieldays.

“The Sustainable Farming Fund supports the primary sector’s own forward thinking and kiwi ingenuity - which in turn helps keeps New Zealand ahead of the game,” says Mr Guy. 

Associate Minister of Education Louise Upston today opened a new learning space at Waimate High School.

The school prioritised funding to upgrade one of its buildings to create three collaborative teaching spaces and modernise its infrastructure and information and communication technology (ICT).

“It’s fantastic to see Waimate High School’s staff and board of trustees rising to the challenge of modern learning by improving its physical and ICT environment for its students and the wider community,” Ms Upston says.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston has welcomed more than 80 new frontline officers from all walks of life to Corrections following their graduation today.

The recruits, 54 men and 30 women, completed a 12-week training course to graduate at a ceremony in Wellington.

“I am grateful these men and women from all backgrounds, ethnicities and walks of life, have chosen to work with Corrections,” Ms Upston says.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Associate Minister Louise Upston have announced $3.3 million in new funding for eight climate change research projects in the agriculture, horticulture and forestry sectors.

The research projects were approved by the Ministry for Primary Industries under its Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change (SLMACC) research programme.

“This funding plays an important part in helping our primary industries prepare for the future challenges of climate change,” says Mr Guy.

Budget 2017 invests $81.8 million of new operating funding over four years to help manage offenders serving sentences in the community and to improve prisoner rehabilitation, Corrections Minister Louise Upston says.

$51.6 million in funding will enable Community Corrections to increase its resources to manage the growing number and complexity of community-based offenders, and support the Parole Board and the judiciary to make informed risk-based sentences and decisions.

Budget 2017 invests $1.24 billion of new operating funding over four years and $785.6 million of capital funding in law and order initiatives to help make our communities safer, Police Minister Paula Bennett, Justice and Courts Minister Amy Adams, and Corrections Minister Louise Upston say.

“The extra investment in Budget 2017 includes the $503.8 million Safer Communities Package which was announced earlier this year and will deliver an additional 1,125 police staff,” Mrs Bennett says.

New laws will allow Police and Corrections to better ensure offenders in the community or defendants on bail are adhering to conditions not to consume alcohol or drugs, say Police Minister Paula Bennett and Corrections Minister Louise Upston.

“Harmful alcohol and drug use is a serious health issue and a major driver of crime. About half of crime is committed by people under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” Mrs Bennett says.

Associate Minister for Primary Industries Louise Upston has welcomed the opening of the next round of funding for erosion control in the Gisborne region.

The Ministry of Primary Industries’ Erosion Control Funding Programme (ECFP) helps eligible land owners in the region contain erosion and improve susceptible land.

Improvements were recently made to the programme, including providing upfront funding to reduce the financial burden for land owners and extending the land categories eligible for treatment.

Support service roles are helping to increase employment opportunities in primary sector industries, a new report shows.

Overall, employment in primary sector industries increased by 5400 between 2012 and 2014, according to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) report Human Capabilities in the Primary Industries.

“The majority of these new jobs were support service roles, which includes scientists, accountants, engineers and agricultural technicians,” Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston says.

Learners and employers are demanding more flexible learning and a combination of technical and life skills knowledge, according to feedback to the Tertiary Education Commission.

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has been travelling the country holding workshops to gain feedback from stakeholders on the future of career information ahead of the transition of Careers New Zealand to the TEC in July.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston will tomorrow host the second in a series of employer breakfasts in Canterbury to outline how they can help change the lives of offenders, their families and their communities.

Ms Upston and Corrections will showcase the work being done by the department to provide better outcomes for offenders, including helping them into regular paid employment. The first breakfast held in Hamilton last month attracted many employers keen to hire motivated and skilled workers.