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Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today joined the Prime Minister in launching the Building Innovation progress report, the second in a series of six progress reports released under the Government’s Business Growth Agenda. 

New Zealand Businesses will get better access to an estimated US$1.6 trillion worth of overseas government contracts, after New Zealand agreed to join the World Trade Organisation’s Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Trade Minister Tim Groser announced today.

“Joining the GPA creates new opportunities for New Zealand businesses to export more products and services to more destinations,” Mr Joyce says.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Trade Minister Tim Groser today announced Government agencies are working on a broader ‘New Zealand Story’ - an initiative to help New Zealand companies gain an advantage in international markets.

The ‘New Zealand Story’ is one of the initiatives outlined in the “Building Export Markets” progress report launched today as part of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda.

Finance Minister Bill English and Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce have today launched the first Business Growth Agenda progress report on Government actions to boost New Zealand exports.

The Building Export Markets report confirms the Government’s target to increase the contribution of exports to the economy from 30 per cent to 40 per cent of GDP by 2025.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today welcomed the announcement that IBM is teaming up with tertiary education provider Unitec Institute of Technology to establish a delivery centre in New Zealand.

Based at Unitec’s campus in Mount Albert, Auckland, the delivery centre – scheduled to open in February next year– is expected to provide jobs for up to 400 people within the next two years.

The latest Household Labour Force Survey released today underlines the need for New Zealand to take up all our opportunities for productive growth, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

“The results show that it is important we allow businesses the opportunity to grow and create jobs across the economy,” Mr Joyce says.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is to invest $2.1 million for projects in China, the United States and Northern Europe to build the New Zealand wine brand and add value to our exports, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

The programme includes $600,000 of Government support for the Complexity High End Wine Initiative project in the United States through to June 2014.

“The New Zealand wine industry is an important earner for the country, contributing more than $1 billion in export revenue each year,” Mr Joyce says.

The Government is planning changes to the industry training system to boost the number of apprentices in training and increase the support for apprenticeship training, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

“High quality workplace-based training that produces measurably more skilled and qualified workers is a critical part of building a faster-growing more competitive economy," Mr Joyce says.

“These changes will help ensure our industry training system delivers some of the best results in the world.”

Good afternoon, thank you for opportunity to speak at your conference today.

Since I spoke to you last year the New Zealand economy has been steadily rebuilding out of the GFC. Our economy is almost two-and-a-half per cent larger than it was this time last year, and the Christchurch rebuild continues to ramp up.  According to the March quarter Household Labour Force Survey 10,800 more people are employed in construction in Canterbury than this time last year, and the reality is we have just begun.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Trade Minister Tim Groser today announced the appointment of Andrew Ferrier to the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Board.

Mr Ferrier has been appointed as Chair, for a three-year term commencing November 2012. He is the former Chief Executive of Fonterra, and has held a number of director and executive positions for large multi-nationals.

The Government will invest $1 million from the Major Events Development Fund to support Winter Games New Zealand 2013, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

“The Government investment is designed to provide a platform for the event to step-up in 2013 to become one of the world’s top three snow sports events and to deliver the quality expected of a world-leading event,” Mr Joyce says.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today announced that Landcare Research’s Deputy Chair Peter Schuyt has taken over as Chair following the retirement of Jo Brosnahan.

“Mr Schuyt is one of New Zealand’s most experienced directors and I look forward to working with him as the new Chair of Landcare Research,” Mr Joyce says.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced new appointments to the boards of Education New Zealand and the Tertiary Education Commission.

John Spencer has been appointed as the Chair of the Tertiary Education Commission. Mr Spencer replaces Sir Harawira Gardiner who is standing down from his role on the Tertiary Education Commission.

“Mr Spencer is a highly capable individual who brings a wealth of experience in governance, finance and business”, Mr Joyce says.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today announced the appointment of Dr John Hay as the new Chair of the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment Science Board with effect from 1 July.

Dr Hay replaces Professor Sir David Skegg who has resigned from chairing the Science Board following his appointment as President of the Royal Society of New Zealand. He is currently an independent director with Dr John Hay & Associates.

The Government has today announced the structure for a new Advanced Technology Institute that will become a high-tech HQ for innovative New Zealand businesses.

“The main purpose of the Advanced Technology Institute is to help get our best, most innovative ideas out of the lab and into the marketplace more quickly,” says Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce.

Acting Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson and Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce have welcomed today’s operation by Immigration New Zealand to take action with a number of people who are in New Zealand as a result of student visa fraud.

“This fraud was uncovered in a regular audit by Immigration New Zealand. It’s pleasing to see this kind of illegal activity detected and acted on quickly,” Ms Wilkinson says.

Seventy postgraduate students will have the opportunity to work as interns in some of New Zealand's most innovative businesses under funding decisions announced by Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today.

Funding of $2.1 million from Vote Science and Innovation will allow 70 businesses to employ graduate students for a minimum of six months to undertake innovative research and development (R&D) work. Last year, 50 businesses were approved for funding.

New Zealand has been ranked 13th in the world in the 2012 Global Innovation Index – up two places from 2011.

The report, which analyses innovation in 141 countries, also ranks New Zealand third in the Asia and Oceania region after Singapore and Hong Kong.

“The 2012 Global Innovation Index recognises the good progress New Zealand is making as a smart and innovative country to do business,” Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce says.

The Government will invest a further $1 million into Maori trades training in Christchurch, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Steven Joyce announced today.

The new initiative builds on He Toki ki te Rika, a Maori trades initiative delivered by the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, in partnership with Te Puni Kokiri and Te Tapuae o Rehua.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce today announced that the Government’s Major Events Development Fund will invest up to $2.2 million on a one-off basis to support infrastructure upgrades for the Auckland V8 Supercars.

The new Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment commences operations on Monday and will ensure New Zealand has clear, co-ordinated and focused government policy leadership with a commitment to economic growth and innovation, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce says.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce will travel on Sunday to Indonesia and Singapore to highlight New Zealand as a destination for quality international education and science and research.

Mr Joyce’s visit includes attending the first formal meeting of the East Asia Summit Education Ministers in Yogyakarta on 5 July.

Hello everyone, it’s a pleasure to be here at the Symposium again. Welcome to all the literacy and numeracy educators and managers here today. 

Kiwis without literacy and numeracy skills miss out on a whole world of life opportunities and the self-esteem and independence that comes from being literate and numerate.  And, as a nation we miss out on the social and economic benefit of seeing the full potential of those Kiwis.

Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Steven Joyce today announced the Government's next steps in improving the outcomes of foundation level tertiary education.

Speaking at the Adult Literacy and Numeracy forum in Auckland this morning, Mr Joyce said the Government would accelerate the targeting of foundation education to those who need it most.