Search

Thirteen senior executives and business owners have been given the opportunity to attend the world’s most prestigious business schools after receiving Prime Minister’s Business Scholarships.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce was particularly pleased with the calibre of this year’s applicants and the range of businesses which applied.

“The successful applicants will gain invaluable knowledge from their studies which will benefit the companies they return to and help make them more competitive internationally,” Mr Joyce says.

The Government is sponsoring a big push for more enrolments in Level 6 and 7 engineering courses in the country’s institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs), Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Steven Joyce says.

Mr Joyce today launched a new Engineering - Education to Employment (E2E) initiative to promote engineering as a career to students, with bridging courses, work placements, and scholarships.

A single unique number for every business and a range of new services that reduce the need for businesses to provide the same information twice are just some of the ways that government is working to make it easier for businesses to interact with them," Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce says.

“In 2012, the Government set 10 ambitious targets to be achieved by 2017, one of which was to significantly improve businesses interaction with government (Result 9).

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Education Minister Hekia Parata today welcomed the release of the 2014 mid-year Better Public Service results, which show great progress towards the Result Areas 5 and 6 education targets.

Result 5 targets increasing the proportion of 18-year-olds with NCEA level 2 or equivalent qualification to 85 per cent by 2017, while Result 6 targets 55 per cent of the population aged 25 to 34 years having a Level 4 or higher qualification by 2017.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced that the Government has approved in principle to provide up to $107.5 million in capital funding toward the rebuilding of Lincoln University’s science facilities destroyed in the Canterbury earthquakes.

The goal of a single business number for all kiwi businesses to use in their dealings with Government agencies has moved a big step closer with a decision that all key government agencies that work regularly with businesses will be required to recognise and use the new New Zealand Business Number by the end of 2017.

The Government will introduce legislation early in the next term that will confirm the deadline and extend the ability to allocate the New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) beyond registered companies to all New Zealand business entities.

Small Business Minister Steven Joyce today announced business.govt.nz’s ANZ Flying Start Business Plan Competition is back for its fourth year.

“The competition is seeking innovative and viable business ideas that are geared for growth and sustainable revenue, with more than $65,000 in incentives available to successful applicants,” Mr Joyce says.

“We want the business ideas that can make a positive contribution to the local, national or global economy to help grow jobs in New Zealand.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Education Minister Hekia Parata today welcomed the report back on the Education Amendment Bill (No 2).

“The report back, by majority, was completed by the Education and Science Committee, which carefully considered the many submissions received from individuals and organisations,” Ms Parata says. 

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today announced the Government is investing just over $1 million to help entrepreneur-driven ICT start-up companies become investment ready.

The investment is part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE) Accelerator Programme pilot, which supports the rapid formation of early stage ICT and digital technology start-ups.

The programmes are typically run over three months, and prepare start-up companies to be investment ready.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today launched the Government’s new Māori and Pasifika Trades Training initiative for Rotorua.

The SkillMe consortium led by Waiariki Institute of Technology in partnership with Te Taumata o Ngāti Whakaue Iho Ake Trust, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiarangi and Taumarunui Community Kokiri Trust, has been set up to get more young Maori and Pasifika into apprenticeships and employment.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Education Minister Hekia Parata today announced that 5,250 student places will be available across New Zealand’s 22 Trades Academies in 2015. This is an increase of 750 places from the current allocation of 4,500 places.

A new online tool to help educators lift the literacy and numeracy skills of young New Zealanders was launched in Wellington today at the National Symposium for Literacy and Numeracy for Adults by Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, and Employment Steven Joyce.

The “Youth Option” for the Literacy and Numeracy for Adults Assessment Tool is tailored for young learners between the ages of 15 and 25. The Assessment Tool is the key diagnostic tool of literacy and numeracy competency for adults in New Zealand.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy today announced a new growth study to help increase investment opportunities, employment and incomes in the Manawatū-Whanganui region.

The Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Growth Study will bring together knowledge held by central and local government, local business people, Māori, and other stakeholders, as well as official economic data and independent economic analysis.

New Zealand’s nationwide network of business incubators is being expanded, with the introduction of a new type of technology-focused incubator designed to get more high-growth start-ups off the ground, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

The list of incubators approved by the Callaghan Innovation Board includes three of the new technology-focused incubators and five founder-focused incubators, previously known as Business Incubators. The technology-focused incubators will have access to the pilot repayable grant programme announced in Budget 2013.

Indian students with a passion for sporting excellence are being encouraged to apply for new scholarships to study top level programmes at New Zealand tertiary institutions. 

“With New Zealand co-hosting the Cricket World Cup next year, this scholarship will help raise awareness of New Zealand education generally and our expertise in sport,” Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Steven Joyce says.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce today launched a set of 14 Regional Investment Profiles at the New Zealand and Australia Economic Development Forum 2014 to promote investment opportunities in each region of New Zealand.

The profiles provide information about sector strengths and how these are supported by each region’s workforce, raw materials, services and infrastructure. They also include case studies and comments from businesses that have invested in each region.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye today invited seven organisations to participate in a Request for Proposals (RfP) to host the Food Safety Science and Research Centre.

“The Centre is being established to promote, co-ordinate, and deliver food safety science and research, in response to a key recommendation from the Government Inquiry into the Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC) Contamination incident,” Ms Kaye says. 

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce today welcomed the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an all-of-government banking services solution.

“Core banking services for government haven’t been tendered for over 20 years and banking trends and technology have evolved considerably during this time,” Mr Joyce says.

“This RFP, released via GETS today, is an opportunity for payments and banking suppliers to work with government to put in place a modern banking solution that is flexible enough to accommodate future innovation.”

New Zealand students completed a record number of undergraduate degree qualifications in 2013, according to new data released today by the Ministry of Education.

In 2013, 25,800 domestic students completed bachelors degrees, an increase of around 400 on the 25,400 who completed degrees in 2012, and 24 per cent higher than the 20,800 who graduated in 2008.

Government-owned company Research and Educational Advanced Network New Zealand Ltd (REANNZ) has entered into a $65 million anchor tenancy contract with Hawaiki Cable Ltd for its proposed new international telecommunications cable, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams announced today.

The Government’s whole of contract contribution secures a 25-year anchor tenancy on the cable for REANNZ, which operates New Zealand’s high-performance research and education broadband network.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today announced a number of appointments to the boards of New Zealand’s Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) and Research & Education Advanced Network New Zealand Ltd (REANNZ).

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Education Minister Hekia Parata today announced the release of the Creative Industries Vocational Pathway at the Te Ara Whakamana: Pathways, Transitions and Bridges to Tertiary Education Forum 2014 in Wellington.

The Creative Industries Pathway is the sixth in a series of pathways designed to help students select subjects at both senior secondary school and in foundation-level tertiary education in vocational areas that interest them.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce today announced the reappointment of Anne Blackburn as Deputy Chair of New Zealand Venture Investment Fund Ltd (NZVIF).

Anne Blackburn was first appointed as a director of NZVIF in 2008 and became the Deputy Chair in 2011. 

“Anne has brought to the NZVIF Board strong business and finance skills, knowledge of banking and investment, together with extensive governance experience in both Crown-owned and private companies,” Mr Joyce says. 

Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Steven Joyce today announced the appointment of Dr Helen Anderson QSO to the Massey University Council.