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Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson and Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson today released the second part of the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission’s report (Volume 4), which covers a range of practice and policy issues relating to earthquake-prone buildings, particularly how these buildings are identified and managed.

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson is encouraging New Zealanders to have their say on proposals to improve the earthquake-prone buildings policy system, released in a consultation document today.

“The destructive earthquakes in Canterbury have highlighted the need to review and improve our system for dealing with earthquake-prone buildings in New Zealand,” Mr Williamson says.

State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall today announced two new director appointments to Airways Corporation and three to Solid Energy New Zealand Ltd. As part of the same appointment process, one director was reappointed to the board of Mighty River Power.

Two new directors will join the Board of Airways from 1 January 2013; Dr Chris Moxon is an experienced executive in the information technology industry and Robin Gunston is an engineer.

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.

Health Minister Tony Ryall today announced Dr Jan White has been appointed as a member of the Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) board.

“Dr White is a highly skilled director with wide-ranging health sector management experience,” said Mr Ryall.

“A medical doctor by training, Dr White has held a number of key health sector posts including six years as Chief Executive of the Waikato District Health Board and seven years as Chief Executive of the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).”

Tenders are about to be sought for a new military pilot training capability says Defence Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman.

“The requirement for a modernised pilot training system with suitable aircraft is clear and Cabinet has agreed to the next step in the process with the Ministry of Defence to issue a Request for Tender.

Pilot training is currently conducted using the single engine CT-4E Airtrainers for the primary stage and the twin engine turbo-prop King Air B200s for the advanced stage of the “Wings Course”.

Housing New Zealand has suspended 75 former tenants from applying for a state house since the introduction of its suspensions policy a year ago, Housing Minister Phil Heatley said today.

The policy, introduced on 30 November 2011, allows Housing New Zealand to suspend former tenants from applying for a state house for one year after their tenancy ends, as a result of serious breaches of their tenancy agreement.

The House today passed a bill to modernise and improve the law regarding publication of legislation, Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson announced.

The Legislation Bill is intended to modernise and improve the law regarding the publication, availability, reprinting, revision, and official versions of legislation, and bring it together into one piece of legislation.

Today’s launch of the Economic Recovery Programme is an opportunity to reflect on how far Canterbury has come since the earthquakes, and the many reasons we have to be optimistic about the region’s future.

It’s an incredible testament to the resilience of the business community that based on recent estimates regional GDP for Canterbury has bounced back to pre-earthquake levels.

Economic activity data has shown Canterbury to be the fastest growing region in New Zealand over the past 18 months, and the rebuild proper is only just beginning.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has highlighted 20 key projects in the Economic Recovery Programme for Greater Christchurch, which was launched today.

Developed by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) and Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), the programme lays out a roadmap for economic recovery in the region.

“This has been a thoroughly collaborative process between CERA and MBIE in partnership with local government and the business sector,” Mr Brownlee says.

The North Island Grid Upgrade Project will ensure New Zealand can keep up with growing electricity demand by providing a new power link into Auckland, Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley said today.

A new overhead transmission line between Whakamaru, north of Taupo, and Auckland, was officially switched on by Prime Minister John Key today, signifying the completion of the $824 million upgrade project.

Prime Minister John Key has extended his condolences to the friends and families of the people who died when a tornado struck West Auckland earlier today.

“A thunderstorm and tornado struck West Auckland around 1pm today, tearing down trees, and ripping roofs from houses,” Mr Key says.

“This must have been an extremely frightening situation for many people in the local community.

“I’d like to thank the emergency services staff, who are responding to the situation. It’s critical they are able to focus on the response.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully is challenging the Labour Leader to make Phil Goff apologise or sack him following yesterday’s failed attack on Auckland lawyer Peter Kiely.

“Yesterday Mr Goff made allegations designed to damage the reputation of a respected citizen. His allegations were factually wrong, yet he has refused to apologise,” Mr McCully says.

“Mr Shearer needs to ask himself whether that is a standard he is prepared to accept.

A bill that gives effect to New Zealand’s international obligations to protect cultural property from destruction or theft in times of war has been passed by the House.

The Cultural Property (Protection in Armed Conflict) Bill strengthens the current operational practice and excellent reputation of our armed services personnel overseas with respect to protecting cultural property in war zones Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Chris Finlayson said.

Battery cages for layer hens are to be phased out under a new Code of Welfare released today by Primary Industries Minister David Carter.

From tomorrow (7 December), no new battery cages can be installed by egg producers and a staged phase-out of existing cages will begin.  By 2022, all battery cages will be prohibited.

“Scientific evidence and strong public opinion have made it clear that change is necessary.  We need alternatives to battery cages,” says Mr Carter.

People with degrees earn substantially more than those with no qualifications, the annual report on the performance of the tertiary education system shows.

Profile & Trends 2011, released today by the Education Ministry, shows that in 2011 people with a bachelor’s or higher qualification earned 65 per cent more than those without a qualification – up from 63 per cent in 2010.

The number of people aged 15 years and over with a bachelor’s degree or higher qualification was 17 per cent in 2011 compared to 11 per cent in 2001.

Good morning.

It is a pleasure to be here to open your seminar on clinical governance and help you launch the report of the Clinical Governance Assessment Project.

The Project’s goal is to assess the progress New Zealand is making in improving clinical governance and leadership in our public health service….to see how we are doing in re-engaging frontline clinicians in the running of the public health service.

This is the largest research project of its kind in the history of the New Zealand public health service.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says a Bill which clarifies the definition of certain firearms and places controls on the importation of restricted airguns has passed its third reading in Parliament.

The Arms (Military Style Semi-Automatic Firearms and Import Controls) Amendment Bill clarifies the definition of military style semi-automatic firearms (MSSAs), and places controls on the importation of airguns that look like real pistols, MSSAs or restricted weapons. Importers of such airguns will now be required to have a special Police permit.

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.

Justice Minister Judith Collins has joined with representatives of 48 countries in Brussels at the Ministerial launch of the Global Alliance against child sexual abuse online.

The Global Alliance aims to eliminate legal loopholes exploited by the distributors of child abuse material, strengthen efforts to grow the Interpol international database of child abuse material, and make it easier to initiate joint cross-border police investigations.

“Online sexual abuse of children knows no borders and child pornography circulates easily across countries.

E ngā iwi e tau mai nei i tēnei pō ki te whakanui i ēnei tohu hauora, tēnā rā koutou katoa.

It is with great pleasure that I stand and speak at these awards tonight.

Tonight the recipients of these awards will pick up the mantle of those kaumātua and kuia – some of our most passionate health leaders who have since passed on. And it is into these very big shoes our scholars step today - and in stepping into these shoes our scholars are stepping into health environments and communities that need them as much today as ever before.

Associate Tourism Minister Chris Tremain has welcomed the arrival of Waka Tapu to Rapanui/Easter Island.

Two waka hourua (double–hulled sailing canoes) carrying 12 crew departed Auckland in August on a 10,000 nautical mile voyage to Rapanui and back.

“Today the waka reached Rapanui safely – using only the stars, moon, sun, ocean currents, birds and marine life to guide their way across 5,000 nautical miles of the Pacific Ocean,” says Mr Tremain.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has called allegations made by Phil Goff MP against former Pacific Forum Line director Peter Kiely “reckless, cowardly and wrong”.

“By attacking Mr Kiely without checking the facts Mr Goff has impugned the reputation of a highly professional individual without any justification.

“Central to Mr Goff’s allegation is that Mr Kiely held shares in shipping company Sofrana at the time PFL, of which he was a director, was considering an offer from Sofrana.

Mr President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

I would like to acknowledge the Government and people of Qatar, and thank them for generously hosting our discussions over these two weeks.

Mr President, New Zealand remains resolutely committed to playing a constructive role in tackling climate change.

We accepted a responsibility target under the Kyoto Protocol’s
first commitment period. New Zealand is on track to meet that commitment.