Search

Two amendments to the Geographic Board (Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Act 2008 will provide better clarity and consistency around official place names, Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson says.

The amendments were included in the Statutes Amendment Bill (No3), which was passed in Parliament today.

“The first amendment fixes an anomaly where the Act could have been interpreted as requiring all alternative place names to be used in official documentation and publications,” Mr Williamson says.

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson says the two accolades Land Information New Zealand won at the Asia Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards for its innovative LINZ Data Service is a great achievement.

The awards were presented in Canberra last night.

“Being named winner of the ‘Spatial Enablement’ category and the JK Barrie Award for Overall Excellence is recognition of the work Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has done to develop and implement the LINZ Data Service (LDS),” Mr Williamson says.

Land Information New Zealand is to lead a programme of work to accelerate recovery and rebuild efforts in Canterbury, the Government announced today.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the programme will address barriers to data sharing, provides solutions to harnessing web technology and facilitates 3D visualisation.

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson today announced the Government has approved an Order in Council allowing the Waimakariri District Council to extend its deadline for general property revaluations until 1 December 2014.

"Under the Order, the council will have an additional two years to revalue properties in its catchment area for rating purposes," Mr Williamson says.

The revaluation was originally scheduled to be completed by 1 July 2011, but was extended until December this year due to the Canterbury earthquakes. 

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson today announced the Government did not support the inclusion of three clauses (34A, 34B and 34C) in the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal Bill 2008 and would seek to remove them.

"These clauses relate to an area of esplanade reserve at Opua. They would allow the local authority to grant easements, which would effectively allow certain commercial related activities to be conducted on the reserve".

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson today announced the appointment of Garrick Murfitt to the New Zealand Geographic Board, Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa – New Zealand’s place-naming authority.

“Mr Murfitt brings extensive community and organisational experience to the position, having played a leading role in rural organisations and local government for many years,” Mr Williamson says.

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson today sought to make the following personal explanation in Parliament about former Crafar-owned farms purchased by a consortium led by May Wang and Jack Chen without either Ministerial or Overseas Investment Office approval.

“Yesterday, in relation to the Hong Kong court case against May Wang and others, I said that the case had finished.

“I have today been advised that the court case has not yet finished and the Hong Kong restraint orders are still in force.

Land Information New Zealand has received $800,000 in new operating funding for 2012/13 so vital re-surveying of the Canterbury region can continue, Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson says.

The funding, which comes from the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Fund, will go towards restoring the survey control network that was badly damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes.

The survey control network provides surveyors with accurate information about the topography of the land.

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson has welcomed Parliament’s passing of the Crown Pastoral Land (Rent for Pastoral Leases) Amendment Act yesterday.

“This Act is a significant reform of the way rents are charged on pastoral leases in the South Island high country and will go a long way towards eliminating the years of tension that has existed between the Crown and lessees over rent issues.

“Under the Act, lessees of pastoral leases will be charged rents based on the earning capacity of the property.”

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson and Associate Finance Minister Jonathan Coleman have approved the new recommendation of the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) to grant consent to Milk New Zealand Holding Limited to acquire the 16 Crafar farms.

“New Zealand has a transparent set of laws and regulations around overseas investment,” Mr Williamson says.

Claims the Government is failing to monitor foreign buyers of New Zealand land are dangerous and misleading, Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson says.

The sale of land to foreign investors is monitored by the Overseas Investment Office (OIO).

There is a clear difference between the OIO’s monitoring of land sales to foreign buyers and the investigating of cases.
  
Monitoring includes checking that conditions of consent are complied with.

• Good morning to you all and thank you for inviting me back to open this year’s symposium.

• Spatial information has almost unlimited power and potential to transform and inform our lives, our business models, and the way we interact with and view the world.

• And as we now know all too well, spatial information has also proved itself a powerful tool in the response to a crisis situation.

• As we’ve discovered over the past 18 months in New Zealand, the landscape is not constant.

• Good morning, and welcome to you all. It’s great to be here today to open the first Shallow Survey conference to be held in New Zealand.

• A special welcome to those of you who have travelled to be here today. I understand that in addition to the New Zealand delegates from around the country we also have a diverse international audience here with us.

• I hope you enjoy your time here, and that you get the opportunity to explore some of what our wonderful capital city has to offer.

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson and Associate Finance Minister Jonathan Coleman said today’s High Court judgment on the judicial review of Shanghai Pengxin’s bid to acquire the 16 Crafar farms provides a new judicial interpretation of complex legislation.

The High Court considered the case on two grounds. These were:

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson and Associate Minister of Finance Dr Jonathan Coleman have accepted the recommendation of the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) to grant consent to Milk New Zealand Holding Limited (Milk New Zealand), a subsidiary of Shanghai Pengxin Group Co. Limited, to acquire the 16 Crafar farms.

"It is clear that all criteria under sections 16 and 18 of the Overseas Investment Act 2005 have been met, therefore we accept the recommendation of the OIO to grant consent," Mr Williamson said.