Search

It is a pleasure to be here today to award the supreme prize for www.business.govt.nz’s ANZ Flying Start Business Plan Competition.

More than 760 people put forward ideas for the ANZ Flying Start competition – the kind of ideas that show off the ingenuity and entrepreneurship that New Zealanders are renowned for. 

Many of these ideas, when partnered with a solid business plan, have the ingredients for success in New Zealand, and across the globe.

Minister for Small Business John Banks today congratulated Invert Robotics - an innovative Canterbury robotics firm - for winning Business.govt.nz’s ANZ Flying Start Business Plan Competition. 

Invert Robotics has created a world leading inspection solution for dairy factories and other users of stainless steel equipment.  Their remotely-operated climbing robots replace the existing abseil method, providing a fast, accurate and safer way of inspecting dairy equipment. 

Two Bills which amend 13 pieces of legislation to reduce the compliance burden on business and repeal 31 Acts that no longer have any effect or are out of date passed their third and final reading today.

Minister for Regulatory Reform John Banks says the passing of the Regulatory Reform Bill will improve the quality of specific regulatory environments, with these improvements flowing on to business and the economy.

I move that the:

Council members, Chief Executive Chin, and distinguished guests – tena koutou.

I am honoured to be here today to recognise the commendable and exceptional work of those who have contributed to standards development in New Zealand.

I would also like to acknowledge my Parliamentary colleague, the Honourable Lianne Dalziel, for the work she has done in this area in her previous role as Commerce Minister.

I understand that there are over 2000 volunteers who freely offer their time and expertise to Standards New Zealand.

Associate Minister of Education John Banks says that the addition of Partnership Schools/Kura Hourua creates another education option for parents to choose from.

"Of course they won't be for everyone but parents should have the opportunity to choose what works for their family,” Mr Banks said.

"This new model allows for a proportion of the staff not to be registered as a teacher.

"This is not the same as not being qualified.

Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister John Banks today announced the framework for the New Zealand Model of Charter School.

The schools will be known as Partnership Schools or Kura Hourua.

“The term ‘partnership’ captures the essence of the concept; they will be a partnership between the Crown and the school’s sponsor, and between the sponsor and the community,’’ says Mr Banks.

A new system assessing the health of New Zealand’s regulatory regimes will help improve economic performance over the longer term, Finance Minister Bill English and Regulatory Reform Minister John Banks say.

The results of preliminary assessments are included in a report, Best Practice Regulation Model: Principles and Assessments, released on the Treasury website today.

Small Business Minister John Banks today congratulated the 51 entrepreneurs who have made it to the next stage of the Business.govt.nz Flying Start Business Plan Competition, sponsored by ANZ.

“More than 750 small and start-up business owners submitted their business plan proposals for a chance to win a share of $82,000 in prizes. Three finalists have been selected from each of the 17 regions,” Mr Banks said. 

Minister for Small Business John Banks today announced that new members are being sought for the Small Business Advisory Group (SBAG).

“Small and medium business are the foundation of the New Zealand economy.  The Government needs to hear what SME owners think so that we can make decisions that help, and not hinder their growth,” Mr Banks said.

Small Business Minister John Banks today launched the Business.govt.nz second annual ANZ Flying Start Business Plan competition, with more than $80,000 worth of prizes up for grabs. 

“The ANZ Flying Start Business Plan competition seeks out the best business plan from new or fledgling New Zealand enterprises, and helps them put their plans into action,” Mr Banks said. 

“Small and medium businesses drive the New Zealand economy, making up 97 per cent of all enterprises and employing over 500,000 Kiwis. 

Minister for Small Business John Banks welcomed the release of the Small Business Advisory Group (SBAG) report ‘Thriving and Surviving in a Seismic Environment’, which contains eight recommendations for the Government to consider. 

“Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) have had a roller-coaster ride in the past few years with the 2008/2009 global recession, the effects of which were compounded for many in Christchurch with the series of devastating earthquakes,” Minister Banks said.

Education Minister, Hekia Parata, and Associate Education Minister, John Banks, are glad to announce the appointments for the New Zealand Model of Charter School Working Group. 

“Our focus is unrelentingly on raising achievement, in particular for those groups of students who have historically been under-served by the system,’’ says Ms Parata. 

Minister for Small Business John Banks today launched ‘Start, Manage And Grow Your Business’, an updated publication to help small business owners get the best value from government services.

“Having been a business owner for many years, I understand how difficult it can be to constantly grapple with government regulation or to know what help is available,” Mr Banks said.

“Keeping up with compliance information distracts business owners from what they do best – running their business and growing our economy.

'Learning from the Past - Adapting for our Future' is the first publication of the New Zealand Law Foundation’s regulatory reform project, a major multi-year study of regulation in this country.

I want to acknowledge the foresight of the Law Foundation in making this project possible.

The Law Foundation fills a unique role in New Zealand in supporting large-scale, long running projects of this type that aren’t driven by short-term priorities, but can make an important and lasting contribution to public policy.