Search

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).

Flights between New Zealand and China are set to double under amended air services arrangements, says Transport Minister Simon Bridges.

“Airlines from both New Zealand and China will be able to offer 42 services per week, per country. This is up from the previous limit of 21 per week.

“The doubling of air services capacity represents another step in expanding tourism, trade and personal ties between our two countries,” Mr Bridges says.

Education Minister Hekia Parata says $8.6 million has been provided to help schools transition through decile funding changes.

Ms Parata says the Government knows that schools that have moved to a higher decile rating will need time to adjust, and an 18-month transition period and additional funding will assist them.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has outlined his goal for the primary sector to double the value of exports by 2025 today in a speech to industry leaders in Wellington today.

“The export double goal is an ambitious but achievable target, which will require export growth of around 5% a year,” says Mr Guy.

“This target is based on 2012 export figures of $32 billion for the primary sector, with the aim of raising this to $64 billion by 2025.

Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee and US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel held bilateral talks in Washington today.

Mr Brownlee is in Washington as part of his first official visit to North America as the Minister of Defence, where he also visited the United Nations in New York, and attended the Halifax International Security Forum in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

It’s great to be here at the Roxy Cinema in Miramar, in the heart of New Zealand’s film industry. It’s a hugely successful industry with lessons the primary sector can learn from. 

It’s also great to be able to speak in front of so many primary sector leaders. The Primary Sector Bootcamp for me is about sharing ideas, global awareness, and building connectivity between industry and the government.

Prime Minister John Key has today released the findings of the Government Inquiry into allegations regarding Judith Collins and a former Director of the Serious Fraud Office, Adam Feeley.

“I would like to thank former High Court Judge, Hon Lester Chisholm, for his work on this inquiry,” says Mr Key.

“I received the report yesterday and wanted to get it out at the earliest opportunity.

Prime Minister John Key today welcomed the report of Cheryl Gwyn, Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, into issues around the release of information by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS).

“This is the first inquiry by the Inspector-General under the new oversight regime that my Government passed into law last year,” Mr Key says.

“I said at the time oversight was being significantly strengthened and today’s thorough report is a clear demonstration of that.

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today acknowledged the release of the Department of Corrections’ Chief Custodial Officer’s Review of the Failure to Return from Temporary Release of Phillip John Smith.

“This review shows there were a number of failings within Corrections regarding the management of the prisoner in the lead-up to his absconding,” says Mr Lotu-Iiga.

“The main issue was that the plan to manage the prisoner was misinformed.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the latest National Health Target results show that over the busy winter months people were treated more quickly in emergency departments across the country than in previous years.

“Today’s quarter one result for 2014 is the best result in emergency department wait times over winter since targets began in 2009, which is significant as this is when services are traditionally at their most stretched,” says Dr Coleman.

Justice Minister Amy Adams has asked the Law Commission to resume work on proposals for better supporting victims of sexual violence through the criminal process.

The Law Commission will revisit its previous work on alternative pre-trial and trial processes to identify options for improving complainants’ experience in court.

State Services Minister Paula Bennett has today released the draft Terms of Reference for the Government Inquiry into matters concerning the escape of Phillip John Smith / Traynor.

The draft Terms of Reference focus on:

Good morning, it’s great to be here this morning with you, the people who are the powerhouse behind New Zealand racing.

I’d like to acknowledge your Chair, Glenda Hughes, and your acting Chief Executive, Stewart McRobie. Thank you Glenda for inviting me to address your annual general meeting today.

I’d also like to acknowledge the chairs of your constituent code bodies and their chief executives:

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has welcomed the rollout of a new national IT system aimed at improving the quality of maternity care for women and their babies.

“The new Maternity Clinical Information System (MCIS) is a secure online system which brings together all the information collected on different systems in hospitals and in the community,” says Dr Coleman.



Prime Minister John Key today released the final draft of legislation which addresses the rising threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters.



The final draft of the Countering Terrorist Fighters Legislation Bill contains proposals previously announced by Mr Key in a major national security speech earlier this month.



“Following a narrow and tightly focused review of our settings in relation to foreign terrorist fighters, Cabinet has signed off on proposals that will strengthen our ability to deal with the evolving threat we are seeing,” Mr Key says.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says there has been a high level of interest from New Zealand health professionals wanting to join international efforts to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. 

“Since expressions of interest opened last Monday, 34 people have registered their interest via the Ministry of Health website,” says Dr Coleman.

The Government is facilitating the deployment of up to 24 volunteers as part of the Australian-flagged mission in Sierra Leone. The Australian mission involves operating a 100-bed Ebola treatment centre. 

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce travels to Perth today for a short series of engagements.

This weekend sees Perth hosting the first of four New Zealand job fairs in Australia targeting some emerging skills shortages in New Zealand, particularly in the fields of construction trades, engineering, and computer software and design.  Mr Joyce will attend the job fair tomorrow.

“We have a growing economy that is set to create more than 50,000 skilled jobs over the next couple of years,” Mr Joyce says.