Improved services for businesses will be a key focus of the first stage of the ACC transformation programme announced today, says ACC Minister Nikki Kaye.
“ACC has come a long way since 2008/09 when it posted a yearly deficit of $4.8 billion. Since then, the scheme’s assets have grown from $10 billion to $33 billion, thanks to its world class investment team, which has consistently exceeded market benchmarks,” says Ms Kaye.
ACC Minister Nikki Kaye has welcomed ACC’s announcement today that work is underway rolling out customer services initiatives, following approval of an updated business case on ACC’s $450 million transformation programme.
“ACC’s Board presented its final business case for the programme last year and I took a paper on this through Cabinet,” says Ms Kaye.
“With a programme of this scale and complexity, it was important for Cabinet to have oversight of it.
Red Hill Primary School in Papakura, Auckland, will have virtually all its buildings replaced as part of a $10 million redevelopment, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.
“The school has experienced problems with leaky buildings, and most of the existing buildings have reached the end of their economic life, says Ms Kaye.
“This redevelopment will see 10 new learning spaces built, along with a new administration block, library and resource room. Play areas and the carpark will also be upgraded.
Seven young entrepreneurs who will receive a total of around $121,000 through Opportunities for Young People funding were announced today by Youth Minister Nikki Kaye.
Ms Kaye made the announcement while attending the Young Enterprise Trust’s E-Day at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, where school teams came to share ideas for products and businesses and get tips and feedback from local business experts.
“This funding is to support young people with smart, achievable projects that will make a social or environmental difference,” says Ms Kaye.
A $1.3 million redevelopment of Mulberry Grove School on Great Barrier Island was officially opened by Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye today.
“This redevelopment was needed because the existing school buildings, situated next to the sea, contained significant asbestos and were impacted by age and the coastal environment,” says Ms Kaye.
“The old buildings had reached the end of their economic life and have been demolished and replaced, providing both the school and the local community with fantastic new facilities.
Youth Minister Nikki Kaye has announced $25,000 of funding towards more initiatives to support LGBTI young people.
“This latest funding will help InsideOUT New Zealand deliver workshops at the 2016 Shift Hui in Wellington, and help Q-Topia deliver the RainbowYOUTH education programme in Christchurch schools,” says Ms Kaye.
One of the capital’s oldest schools, Thorndon School in central Wellington, will undergo a $9 million redevelopment, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.
Thorndon School spans three centuries, having been first established in 1852.
“The redevelopment will see new teaching and administration blocks and a new library built at the school, which has experienced weathertightness issues with its current buildings,” says Ms Kaye.
Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye today announced that all state and state-integrated schools have received upgrades to core on-site IT infrastructure, such as cabling and wiring, to enable them to access high-quality, high-speed internet for learning.
“This is great news for schools and students as the 2016 school year gets underway,” says Ms Kaye.
“The School Network Upgrade Project (SNUP) spanned 11 years and represents a $280 million investment in around 2,400 schools.
Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye will today attend the 85th anniversary afternoon tea for survivors of the 1931 Napier earthquake, to pay tribute to the heroism, kindness and generosity shown by many during this and more recent emergencies.
“From both the Napier and more recent Canterbury quakes, there are many stories of neighbours, friends, families and strangers helping one another and placing others before themselves,” says Ms Kaye.
The Government will invest $6 million in a new nine-classroom block at Khandallah School in Wellington, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.
“This redevelopment will address structural and weathertightness issues in the school’s current main teaching block,” says Ms Kaye.
“The old eight-classroom block will be replaced by the new block, which will meet full innovative learning environment (ILE) standards and also accommodate projected roll growth.
Around 100 young people who have overcome significant challenges have been selected for the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) and are participating in the programme this week.
Youth Minister Nikki Kaye says the programme, personally spear headed by the Prime Minister, held annually since 2010, is a great opportunity for the young people, aged 14-17, from Auckland, to be recognised for their personal achievements and community contributions.
Duty Minister Nikki Kaye has welcomed the next stage in the historic nuclear deal between Iran, the Five Permanent (P5) members of the United Nations Security Council, and Germany.
“The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has now verified Iranian compliance with the deal and this will clear the way for the lifting of UN sanctions against Iran,” Ms Kaye says.
“New Zealand hopes this agreement can form the basis for building trust, opening a new chapter of cooperation in the Middle East.
Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman and ACC Minister Nikki Kaye welcome Water Safety New Zealand’s campaign launch of ‘Stop and think before you go near the water’, which is supported by ACC.
“On average 103 people die in New Zealand waters each year. Water Safety New Zealand’s campaign reminds people to reflect on whether it really is safe to enter the water,” says Dr Coleman.
Classes may have stopped but the Government’s investment means lots of building work will be happening in schools over the holidays, with around 100 significant projects of over $3 million each currently on the go, says Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye.
“Christmas and New Year is an important time to undertake redevelopments because it enables the least disruption to students and teachers,” says Ms Kaye.
An assessment of local government civil defence organisations shows their capabilities continue to improve across New Zealand, says Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye.
“The assessment of New Zealand’s 16 regional Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) groups began last year and was carried out by the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM),” says Ms Kaye.
The Government is working to gain a full understanding of treatment injury to inform a range of initiatives to reduce treatment injury rates, say Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman and Minister for ACC Nikki Kaye.
“ACC’s treatment injury liability account is subject to a rising number of claims. It’s important from a clinical and financial point of view to understand why this is happening,” says Dr Coleman.
The Government will invest $12.3 million to redevelop two more Wellington schools, Newtown School and Ngaio School, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.
This follows last week’s announcement of an $8.5 million redevelopment of Kelburn Normal School in the capital.
“These two latest redevelopments will help address roll growth and a range of building and site issues, including weathertightness and structural strengthening, and will create exciting new innovative learning environments for students,” says Ms Kaye.
The Government intends to build and maintain six new schools around New Zealand using a public private partnership (PPP), Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.
“A public private procurement model is an innovative and proven way to spend taxpayer money efficiently,” says Ms Parata.
“It offers the significant advantage of having professional facilities managers take care of school property, freeing up schools to focus on teaching and learning.
Youth Minister Nikki Kaye today announced $25,000 of funding for the OMG Tech Youth Leadership Training Programme.
“This investment will help foster 20 young leaders from decile 1 and 2 schools to empower other young people in their communities to learn about and become familiar with using future technologies,” says Ms Kaye.
Participants in the programme will have the opportunity to learn about coding (how you instruct a computer to create software, apps and websites) as well as 3D printing and robotics, ie building and programming robots.
The Government will invest $8.5 million redeveloping Kelburn Normal School in Wellington, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.
“This project will help address a range of building and site issues at the school, and create an exciting new learning environment for students,” says Ms Kaye.
“The school’s main teaching block, which is past its use-by date, will be demolished and replaced with a new two-storeyed building. The new block will be repositioned on the school site to free up space for hard courts and fields.
ACC Minister Nikki Kaye today announced the reappointment of James Miller as a member of the Accident Compensation Corporation Board.
“I’m pleased to announce that James Miller has been reappointed for a three-year term,” says Ms Kaye.
James has extensive experience in financial markets, investment management and commercial governance. He sits on ACC’s investment subcommittee and is Chair of the Shaping Our Future subcommittee.
ACC Minister Nikki Kaye today confirmed the Government has agreed to $450 million of ACC levy reductions consulted on and recommended by the ACC Board for the 2016/17 year.
“These levy reductions apply across motor vehicle, work and earners’ levies,” says Ms Kaye.
“There will be a 33 per cent reduction to the average motor vehicle levy, comprising the petrol levy and annual licence levy, from an average of $194.25 currently, to $130.26 per vehicle.
A new agreement with Microsoft will reduce IT complexity for schools and enhance access to the online world for students, enabling them to learn anywhere, any time and on any device, says Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye.
Ms Kaye announced the new agreement between the Ministry of Education and Microsoft during a visit to Lyall Bay School in Wellington this afternoon.
ACC Minister Nikki Kaye today announced the release of a discussion paper on the proposed Accident Compensation Appeal Tribunal.
“After listening to stakeholders’ concerns, the Government agreed in June 2015 to review the decision to establish a stand-alone tribunal. This was to take into account work ACC has been doing to resolve accident compensation disputes early on, to consider different options for dealing with accident compensation appeals, and to allow for targeted consultation with key stakeholders,” says Ms Kaye.
