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New Zealand has rejected a push to bring the internet under stronger state control, Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has announced.

New Zealand joined a number of other OECD states in declining to sign the revised International Telecommunications Regulations at the World Conference on International Telecommunications in Dubai.

The Regulations are a treaty-level text established through the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The Regulations set the rules for connecting telecommunications networks across the world.

A Bill that will help deliver a system that answers communities’ planning needs, enables growth and provides strong environmental outcomes has passed its first reading in parliament today.

The Resource Management Reform Bill 2012, introduced by Environment Minister Amy Adams, is part of a resource management reform package that next year will see further reforms, including specific proposals for improving the management of freshwater.

The key features of the Bill are:

Mr Speaker, I move that the Resource Management Reform Bill 2012 be now read a first time.

I nominate the Local Government and Environment Select Committee to consider the Bill.

Resource management reform is a key part of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda. New Zealand needs a resource management system that enables growth, provides good environmental outcomes and is capable of adapting to changing values, pressures and technology.

Building Natural Resources highlights how recommendations from the Green Growth Advisory Group are being integrated into the Government’s wider growth agenda, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Environment Minister Amy Adams say.

“The challenge for New Zealand – and frankly all countries – is how we can make the most of all our opportunities to achieve strong economic growth that delivers jobs alongside policies that improve the environment,” Mr Joyce says.

Environment Minister Amy Adams will today kick-off the next stage of the Government’s plan to reform the Resource Management Act.

This afternoon, the Resource Management Amendment Bill 2012 will have its first reading in Parliament.

The Bill introduces a streamlined process for Auckland’s first unitary plan, a six-month time limit for processing consents for medium-sized projects and easier direct referral to the Environment Court for major regional projects.

A Government-accredited product stewardship scheme has diverted more than 230,000 litres of paint and 90,000kg of steel buckets from landfill in the last year, Environment Minister Amy Adams says.

Resene’s PaintWise recycling and education programme finds beneficial uses for waste products, including donating unused paint to community groups and recycling the steel paint buckets returned as part of the scheme.

The Government has today received the Commerce Commission's draft determination on pricing for the unbundled bitstream access (UBA) and a final determination on the unbundled copper local loop (UCLL), and will now take time to review these decisions.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams says the decisions on both prices, taken together, are potentially significant for the industry and end users.

“I have asked my officials to review the effects of the pricing and report back to me," Ms Adams says.

Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley and Environment Minister Amy Adams have welcomed the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s interim report on her investigation into hydraulic fracturing (fracking).

The interim report finds that the environmental risks associated with fracking can be effectively managed, providing that the best operational practices are implemented and enforced through regulation.

Good afternoon.

It's certainly a pleasure to be invited to speak here at the first NetHui South and I'd like to begin by acknowledging InternetNZ for organising this event, and for their on-going work in ensuring that key issues affecting the development of our digital future continue to be prominently and actively debated. 

It's definitely refreshing to see a gathering of this type in the South and focusing on rural and provincial New Zealand.

Primary Industries Minister David Carter and Environment Minister Amy Adams welcomed the release today of the third and final report of the Land and Water Forum (LAWF).

“This report presented to the Government marks the culmination of three years’ hard work by LAWF and we thank the members for tackling the tough issues of New Zealand’s fresh water management,” say Mr Carter and Ms Adams.

Ultra-Fast Broadband will be rolled out to more than 1500 businesses, health facilities, schools and homes in Whakatane during the next 18 months, Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams says.

Chorus, one of the Government’s UFB partners, today began work to build a high-speed fibre broadband network in Whakatane.

UFB will pass more than 1500 premises by July 2014, and about 7000 premises in total by the end of the build period.

By July next year, eight schools will be covered by the network. They are:

Twelve regional environment centres are to receive more than $1.4 million from the Government to provide practical ways of caring for the environment, including courses on composting and growing vegetables, educating school children and community planting days.

Environment Minister Amy Adams says environment centres play an important role in promoting environmental action in communities.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today launched New Zealand’s first ever Telework Week, which will highlight the social, economic and environmental benefits of working from home.

Launched at Parliament, the event promotes employees using ICT to work away from their traditional place of employment, while monitoring the savings and productivity gains made in doing so.

After the week’s end, businesses should have a better understanding of the technological and workplace practices required to make teleworking a success.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has welcomed the effective start of new regulations that require for the first time significant water takes to be metered, as part of a wider programme to improve fresh water management.

From tomorrow, all significant water takes (more than 20 litres per second) need to be metered. Smaller water takes down to five litres per second will gradually be covered by the regulations so that by 2016, about 98 per cent of consented water will be measured.

More than 100,000 end users in urban areas are now able to connect to the Ultra-Fast Broadband network, only 16 months after the project started.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams today released the latest quarterly report on the government’s Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) and Rural Broadband (RBI) programmes.

The report shows good progress continues to be made on a project that will ultimately transform New Zealand’s connectivity.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today confirmed a deal has been reached for free non-standard residential connections to the ultra-fast broadband network.

The government and Crown Fibre Holdings have reached agreement with UFB partners Chorus, Enable and Northpower that provides for free residential connections for distances of up to 200 metres per house from the road, until at least the end of 2015.

More than 16,000 televisions have been dropped off for recycling in the first month of the Government’s TV Takeback programme, Environment Minister Amy Adams says.

With Hawke's Bay and the West Coast the first regions to make the switch to digital television, they are the first involved in the programme.

More than 15,000 televisions have been dropped off for recycling in Hawke’s Bay and 1200 on the West Coast.

The programme will be rolled out around the rest of New Zealand to coincide with the digital switch over in each region.

Environment Minister Amy Adams today announced the Government will introduce a six-month time limit on the council processing of medium-sized consents to avoid unnecessary costs and long, drawn-out processes for all parties.

“The costs, uncertainty and delays of the current system are affecting New Zealand jobs, infrastructure and productivity,” Ms Adams says.

“I often hear from applicants that the issue is not so much what they can and can’t do, but rather the time and cost to get an answer.

A world-leading recycling facility opened today by Environment Minister Amy Adams will compost millions of disposable nappies each year.

The purpose-built plant in Upper Hutt will break down disposable nappies into a safe, odourless compost, instead of sending them to landfill.

"This is the sort of initiative that this Government wants to back. It is the first of its kind in the world to be composting nappies and is a great example of a New Zealand business taking the lead in waste minimisation," Ms Adams says.

Environment Minister Amy Adams today announced a one-off process to improve the development of Auckland Council’s first Unitary Plan, while ensuring that Aucklanders still have comprehensive input into the plan.

The Unitary Plan will be the largest and most complex planning exercise ever undertaken in New Zealand, and the logistical challenges of dealing with the more than 10,000 expected submitters will be demanding, Ms Adams says.

Environment Minister Amy Adams today acknowledged the one year anniversary of the Rena grounding.

"I want to pay tribute to the hard work and collegiality of the local councils, iwi, businesses and the thousands of volunteers for the way in which they came together over the past 12 months to help minimise the impact of the grounding," Ms Adams says.

MediaWorks' subsidiary RadioWorks has paid in full its deferred payments to the Crown for radio spectrum licences, nearly two years ahead of schedule, Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams says.

The outstanding principal plus interest totalled $32.28 million and payment was completed last night.

The original principal sum owed by RadioWorks was $43.3 million plus GST. Two payments of $11.9 million, including GST, principal and interest, had previously been made.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams leaves today for a cyber policy conference in Budapest.