Corrections Minister Louise Upston today acknowledged the nearly 250 nurses, team leaders and health centre managers who deliver primary health services to prisoners behind the wire every day.

Each year International Nurses Day is celebrated on 12 May - the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. It recognises the contribution made by nurses around the world.

New Zealand Corrections nurses carry out more than 100,000 consultations with prisoners every year.

Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Louise Upston has welcomed the passing of the Education (Update) Amendment Bill today.

The Education Act has been updated to streamline the way government careers services and information are provided. As a result of a Government review of the careers system, Careers New Zealand is being disestablished and staff and functions will transfer to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) on 1 July 2017.

Associate Minister of Education Louise Upston has today officially opened Rangiora High School’s new $14.9 million facilities.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the redevelopment of Rangiora High School to support the delivery of innovative teaching and meet the future needs of its community,” Ms Upston says.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston has welcomed 40 new Corrections officers who have completed training.

The recruits graduated at a ceremony in Wellington yesterday and will now return to prison sites across the country.

“As a Corrections officer or offender employment instructor, these men and women can be a positive role model for many prisoners and help motivate them to turn away from a life of crime,” says Ms Upston.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Louise Upston have welcomed the latest apprenticeship figures, which show an increase of 6800, nearly 19 per cent, since 2012.

“We now have over 43,000 New Zealanders engaged in an apprenticeship, with most of those in the construction and engineering sectors,” says Mr Goldsmith.

Corrections has completed a programme to equip all its prisons with secure computer suites that allow prisoners access to online learning tools, Corrections Minister Louise Upston says.

“With new Secure Online Learning (SOL) suites being opened at Mt Eden Corrections Facility, Waikeria and Invercargill Prisons, all Corrections prisons now have access to these secure, controlled and monitored learning environments,” says Ms Upston.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston is hosting an event in Hamilton tomorrow aimed at getting more employers onboard to give jobs to skilled, motivated and work-ready offenders.

The event, the first of a series to be held around the country in coming months, will give some of New Zealand’s biggest employers the chance to hear about the work Corrections is doing to provide offenders with education, training and job skills.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston today congratulated one of the largest cohorts of frontline officers ever welcomed to Corrections.

Another 122 new Corrections officers and offender employment instructors will soon be working at prisons throughout the country after graduating from a 12-week training course.

Today’s graduation brings the total number of new officers employed as part of Corrections’ recruitment campaign to more than 350. The aim is to attract 600 new frontline staff by September this year.

Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston has welcomed new forecasts showing forestry export revenue set to rise further over the next two financial years.

The Ministry for Primary Industries’ first quarterly update of its Situation Outlook for Primary Industries shows forestry export revenue is forecast to rise 5.8 per cent to $5.4 billion for the year ending June 2017, and a further 8.8 per cent to $5.9 billion in the year to June 2018.

Associate Primaries Industries Minister Louise Upston has welcomed new forecasts showing forestry export revenue set to rise further over the next two financial years.

The Ministry for Primary Industries’ first quarterly update of its Situation Outlook for Primary Industries shows forestry export revenue is forecast to rise 5.8 per cent to $5.4 billion for the year ending June 2017, and a further 8.8 per cent to $5.9 billion in the year to June 2018.

Corrections has signed up its 100th employer to offer prisoners jobs in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Waste Management today, says Corrections Minister Louise Upston.

The partnership will see Waste Management work with Corrections and offer prisoners jobs when they are released, including drivers, administration, computer operator, runners, landfill operators, general operators, labourers, diesel mechanics and call centre roles.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston has congratulated 53 new Corrections officers and offender employment instructors on their graduation from training.

“I thank these men and women for stepping up to this very challenging job. We need dedicated and committed people to give offenders the support and encouragement they need to turn their lives around,” Ms Upston says.

The 53 new staff will be based at prisons around the country.

Corrections and the Kiingitanga have signed an accord aimed at working together to improve outcomes for Māori offenders, Corrections Minister Louise Upston has announced.

The accord, signed at a ceremony today by Kiingi Tuheitia and Corrections chief executive Ray Smith, commits the Kiingitanga and Corrections to work together to share information and identify and develop initiatives around the cultural, social, physical and economic health and wellbeing of Māori offenders.

A project aimed at growing the capability of women in the primary sector has been granted close to $300,000 in the latest Sustainable Farming Fund round, Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston says.

The Agri-Women’s Development Trust (AWDT) has received $289,000 from the fund to design and deliver two-year pilot programmes around the country beginning in July.

Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston has announced the opening today of the Afforestation Grant Scheme 2017 funding round.

“The goal of the Afforestation Grant Scheme (AGS) is to increase the planting of new forests and the rate of afforestation,” Ms Upston says.

“New Zealand has a significant amount of land at serious risk of erosion, and forest cover is the best form of erosion control. We are on track to meet our goal of planting 15,000ha of new forest by 2020 through the AGS.”

Corrections Minister Louise Upston today acknowledged eight Corrections staff who have helped with and developed corrections services in the Pacific.

Service pins were presented to the eight staff in a ceremony at Parliament to mark their work in Vanuatu and Samoa.

More than 60 New Zealand Corrections staff have served in the Pacific.

“This indicates the level of respect New Zealand Corrections has in the region. Corrections staff have used their expertise and experience to improve corrections operations in the Pacific,” Ms Upston says.

Corrections’ new recruitment service is finding early success, with 140 offenders placed in permanent employment in just three months.

“Stable employment is a major factor to helping offenders lead better, crime-free lives. It is good for the offenders, their families and the communities they live and work in,” Corrections Minister Louise Upston says.

This Way for Work, established last October, is a two-year pilot programme aimed at supporting former prisoners and community offenders into stable employment and reducing the reoffending rate.

Two men who got Kiwis behind a campaign to buy an Abel Tasman beach for the nation are among the 2016 Walking Access Champion award winners announced by Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston tonight.

Duane Major and Adam Gard’ner helped raise more than $2 million through a high-profile Givealittle campaign last year to buy 7ha of private beach at Awaroa Inlet, which was then made part of the Abel Tasman National Park.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston has congratulated 65 new Corrections officers and offender employment instructors who graduated from their 12-week training course today.

“I thank these men and women for choosing a career with Corrections and joining our efforts to protect public safety and reduce reoffending,” says Ms Upston.

“I am delighted to have such a high calibre of recruits joining the department.”

The new staff will be based at prisons throughout the country.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston has officially opened a new Hamilton Community Corrections site that is safer for staff and will help better with the rehabilitation of offenders.

The Hamilton site is the second centre to be completed this year, as part of a five-year nationwide programme to make Community Corrections sites more secure for both staff and offenders. A new Community Corrections site was opened last month in Hawera.

The Corrections Inspectorate is to be strengthened with a package of measures designed to increase transparency and provide assurance on the running of our prisons, Corrections Minister Louise Upston says.

“The Corrections Inspectorate is a critical part of the oversight of the Corrections system. This is a positive move that will improve public understanding and confidence in Corrections.”

The changes have been developed in consultation with the State Services Commission, and Corrections is working to implement them within the next six months.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston has welcomed the release of the Chief Ombudsman’s report into Corrections’ care and management of prisoners at risk of self-harm.

“I have been briefed by the Corrections chief executive on the report into the use of restraints as part of the management of at risk prisoners,” Ms Upston says.

Associate Minister for Primary Industries Louise Upston has announced changes to Gisborne region’s Erosion Control Funding Programme to allow a wider range of measures to manage erosion in the region. 

The changes will support Te Huarahi Hei Whai Oranga – the Tairāwhiti Economic Action Plan, launched today.

Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges, Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston and other Ministers are in Gisborne today for the release of the Tairāwhiti Economic Action Plan, highlighting the Government’s support for the region.

The plan has been developed by Tairāwhiti people for the community and represents a shared investment in the future. The plan’s development was led by the Tairāwhiti Action Plan Governance Group and is supported through the Government’s Regional Growth Programme.