Search

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse will travel to Paris tomorrow to represent the New Zealand Government at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) high-level policy forum on migration.

The theme of this year’s forum is mobilising migrants’ skills for economic success and Mr Woodhouse will Chair the Forum’s second session on Building public confidence in migration issues, as well as speak to this theme.

The limitless potential of location information, and the innovative people working at its forefront, took centre stage last night at the inaugural New Zealand Spatial Excellence Awards (NZSEA), Land Information Minister Louise Upston said today.

Location – or spatial – information tells us where things are, how they relate to one another, and how they change over time.

“Decisions using this sort of information contribute over $1 billion to the economy each year,” Ms Upston says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced the reinstatement of New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Fiji.

“New Zealand has had an acting High Commissioner since 2007, and this announcement is an important step in re-building our relationship with Fiji,” Mr McCully says.

“The new High Commissioner will be diplomat Mark Ramsden, who has been the Acting High Commissioner in Suva since September 2013.

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith welcomes new rules taking effect from 1 December which will promote the growth of New Zealand’s financial markets and boost investor confidence.

“I am pleased to announce the final stage of implementation of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 which starts to come into force on 1 December,” says Mr Goldsmith.

Justice Minister Amy Adams and Social Development Minister Anne Tolley have acknowledged the Glenn Inquiry Report into family violence released today.

“The report looks at several issues that the Government is focused on and reinforces the importance of taking collective action on family violence,” say the Ministers.

“There are number of initiatives in place across Government to deal with the scourge of family violence in our communities, many of which address the issues raised in this report,” says Ms Adams.

Revenue Minister Todd McClay says Inland Revenue’s proactive strategy to track down those attempting to avoid paying tax is showing big dividends.

“There are many ways people and companies attempt to avoid paying tax and we are continually increasing our resources to track them down,” says Mr McClay.

“Property speculation is a good example.

The Museum of Wellington City and Sea will receive a government grant of $1.3 million for its redevelopment project and earthquake strengthening, Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry announced this evening.

Ms Barry made the announcement at an event to mark the museum’s 15^th birthday celebrations.

“This grant acknowledges the significance of the Museum of City and Sea’s collection to both the wider Wellington region and on a national scale,” says Ms Barry.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has acknowledged the work and commitment of groups across the education system to help lift educational achievement for all students.

Ms Parata has met sector representatives, ranging from early childhood education through to senior secondary schooling, following her reappointment as Education Minister.

“I meet these groups regularly and it was important to share with them my priorities for this term of Government and to hear their views about how we continue to work together to raise educational outcomes for our kids.

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says preferred supplier agreements for whiteware and optical goods and services are proving a huge winner for beneficiaries, low income people and the taxpayer.

As part of the government’s welfare reforms the Ministry of Social Development is contracting with preferred suppliers and delivering brand new quality whiteware and optical goods and services at a much cheaper price for low income people who borrow the money from MSD.

Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew launched the 2013/14 Community Organisations Grants Scheme (COGS) Profile in Christchurch today.

“For 29 years COGS has been an important source of government funding for non-profit community organisations,” Mrs Goodhew says.

“The COGS Profile launch is an opportunity to highlight the outcomes achieved by these exceptional organisations that benefited from the $12.5 million in funding over the past year.

The $300 million Christchurch Justice precinct has reached a key milestone with the final concrete pour and the installation of the first cranes.

Justice Minister Amy Adams today inspected the build site of the new Justice and Emergency Services Precinct alongside Prime Minister John Key.

The state-of-the-art precinct will be home to the Ministry of Justice, New Zealand Police, Department of Corrections, NZ Fire Service, St John, local and regional civil defence and emergency management teams, and the judiciary.

Police Minister Michael Woodhouse and Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss today launched the ‘Reach the beach safely this summer’ campaign, an initiative led by New Zealand Police.

Last year’s Safer Summer campaign had a great impact with a significant decline in the proportion of people speeding on our roads and a reduction in deaths and serious injuries.

“Summer is a busy time on the road and we want to build on last year’s efforts by again enforcing speed limits and lower alcohol limits,” Mr Woodhouse says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully travels to Brussels this weekend to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Foreign Ministers meeting.

“This year’s NATO Foreign Ministers meeting will bring together Ministers from NATO’s 28 member states and countries that contributed to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan,” Mr McCully says.

“The discussions will focus on how the international community can support Afghanistan as the country takes full control of its own security and development.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says a record 728 students received a Hauora Māori scholarship award this year, the highest number since the scholarship fund began in 2000.

“The Hauora Māori scholarship fund supports and encourages more Māori into a career in the health sector,” says Dr Coleman.

“The number of scholarship applicants has grown significantly in recent years. This year in the medical category alone, 147 Māori students were awarded a scholarship – an increase of 50 percent since 2009.”

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Auckland Mayor Len Brown have today welcomed the release of the first year report of the Auckland Housing Accord.

“It is good progress that 11,060 new sections and dwellings have been achieved in the first year – more than 20 per cent above the target of 9000. We will need to maintain this momentum and growth to meet the targets of 13,000 in year two and 17,000 in year three,” Dr Smith says.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully today thanked outgoing MFAT Chief Executive John Allen for his service.

“Mr Allen was the first non-diplomat to hold the top job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade,” Mr McCully says.

“He was appointed in 2009 and immediately set about helping to create a Ministry that was more modern, effective, and focused on delivering real benefits to New Zealanders.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne says patients who take part in a new survey about their stay in hospital are performing an important service. Developed by the Health Quality & Safety Commission, the survey has been sent to patients randomly selected across the country that spent at least one night in hospital from 3 to 16 November.

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith today announced the appointment of Murray Jack as the new chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA).

“I am very pleased that Mr Jack has agreed to take on this crucial role,” Mr Goldsmith says.

“With extensive experience in both senior management and governance roles in the financial sector, Mr Jack has good credentials to chair the FMA.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says new initiatives under the Cancer Service Improvement Fund are delivering better, faster cancer treatment.

“A range of projects are underway as part of the first round of the Cancer Service Improvement Fund which was established to support DHBs in delivering improved cancer care,” says Dr Coleman.

An annual report on the performance of the tertiary sector confirms that the number of domestic students who completed bachelors degrees in 2013 is the highest ever, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

Profile & Trends 2013, released today by the Ministry of Education, showed that last year 26,200 bachelors degrees were completed by domestic students, up 4,950 since 2010 – an increase of 23 per cent.

New Zealand households have together saved more than they spent over the past five consecutive years – the first time this has happened since 1989-94, Finance Minister Bill English says.

The latest revised annual National Accounts (Income and Expenditure) compiled by Statistics New Zealand show aggregate household savings – which includes the impact of debt repayment - totalled $2.8 billion in the year ended March 2014.

This represents a positive savings rate of 2.1 per cent of household disposable income.

Small Business Minister Craig Foss today welcomed the release of a new online tool to help small and medium-sized businesses understand the cost of employing staff.

The tool, developed by Business.govt.nz at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, estimates the fixed and discretionary costs of hiring new staff.

Fixed costs include salary, ACC levies and KiwiSaver. Discretionary costs include recruitment, training and office equipment.

Six iwi representatives have been appointed to the Whānau Ora Partnership Group Finance Minister Bill English and Minister for Whānau Ora Te Ururoa Flavell say.

“These iwi representatives are well-placed to contribute to the work of the group,” says Mr English.

The representatives, nominated by the Iwi Chairs Forum, are Raniera (Sonny) Tau, Naida Glavish, Rāhui Papa, Sir Mark Solomon, Dr Hope Tūpara, and Richard Steedman.

“We are delighted with the depth, wisdom, and iwi connections that these appointees bring,” says Mr Flavell.

Revenue Minister Todd McClay today released two reports from officials relating to tax avoidance by large multinational companies.

The reports provide an update on policy work being undertaken in line with the OECD Action Plan and also outline the expected timeline for related policy work.

“Tax policy changes in New Zealand are generally only undertaken following public consultation, so the report describes some key public consultation scheduled for 2015 which will address the issue of base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS).