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Customs Minister Nicky Wagner thanks Customs for their hard work this year keeping our borders safe.

“While most of us are enjoying our holidays, our frontline staff at Customs are facing their busiest time of the year. I wish to thank all Customs staff for their tremendous effort this year, particularly those who are protecting our border over the Christmas break,” Ms Wagner says.

“They’re dealing with rising volumes of border transactions, and ever increasing passenger volumes.

Four ambitious conservation projects in Gisborne have received $78,000 in support from the DOC Community Fund, Conservation Ministers Maggie Barry and Nicky Wagner have announced.

The projects range from weed eradication on Gisborne’s Titirangi Maunga to protecting wild kiwi in Maungataniwha and represent the best of community conservation, the Ministers say.

“Each of the groups is helping wage the War on Weeds and protect native species from introduced predators and invasive plants,” Ms Barry says.

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner announced today that over 20 million people have used Customs’ eGates since their introduction in 2009.

“Each week approximately 105,000 passengers self-process when crossing our border and this number is expected to continue to grow with the increasing volume of visitors to New Zealand,” Ms Wagner says.

“Visitor arrivals to New Zealand are expected to grow 5.4 per cent a year, reaching 4.5 million visitors in 2022 from 3.1 million in 2015.

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner has today congratulated Customs’ five new detector dog teams at a graduation ceremony in Trentham.

“Customs received over $500,000 from Budget 2016 to boost the total number of detector dog teams across the country from 15 to 20, adding to its multi-layered enforcement at the border,” Ms Wagner says.  

“The five new teams are a welcome addition, especially as we head into the peak summer season when more people cross our border.”

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner has welcomed the First Reading of the Customs and Excise Bill in Parliament today.

“This is a Bill that is better for businesses. Not only will it be easier to use and understand, it makes businesses’ obligations clearer and provides more flexibility in meeting them,” Ms Wagner says.

“It will replace the out-dated 1996 Customs and Excise Act that is unable to respond to a changing border environment.”

Transnational criminal networks are targeting and recruiting people to act as drug couriers, by either duping or enticing them, and New Zealanders should be aware of the risks, says Customs Minister Nicky Wagner.

“Customs’ intelligence suggests older generations and the young and vulnerable are at risk are of being targeted by drug syndicates,” Ms Wagner says.

“This is not a new trend but we are aware of situations here and abroad that are of concern, and want to prevent New Zealanders from being preyed on.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a chance to celebrate the progress we have made to improve the lives of disabled New Zealanders, says Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner.

“This year’s theme, Achieving 17 Goals for the Future We Want, draws attention to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and how these goals can create a more inclusive and equitable society for disabled people,” Ms Wagner says.

“Our government has been working hard to help us move towards a non-disabling society.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner have congratulated the winners of the Attitude Awards, which recognise the exceptional contributions made by disabled New Zealanders.

“This year the Ministry of Health sponsored the Making a Difference Award, which is given to an individual who has made a significant contribution to improving the lives of disabled people,” says Dr Coleman.

A new Disability Strategy will help disabled New Zealanders to participate and contribute to our communities on an equal basis as others, say Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner.

“The vision of the Strategy is to help make New Zealand ‘a non-disabling society, a place where disabled people have an equal opportunity to achieve their goals and aspiration, and all of New Zealand works together to achieve this’,” Ms Wagner says.

The new Customs and Excise Bill will strengthen border management and make life simpler for businesses, says Customs Minister Nicky Wagner.

“The Bill will take the place of the out-dated Customs and Excise Act 1996, which is difficult to understand and apply, creating unnecessary compliance costs for business,” Ms Wagner says.

“Businesses’ obligations will be clearer and there will be more flexibility in meeting them in the new modern legislation.

A new strategy for tackling wilding conifers in the Mackenzie Basin has been announced today by Conservation Ministers Maggie Barry and Nicky Wagner.

“Currently, wilding conifers impact on almost a quarter of land in the Mackenzie Basin, and without further control they will spread and take over large areas of farm and conservation land,” Ms Barry says.

“Wilding conifers are a major threat to our ecosystems, land and farms. These invasive self-sown trees spread fast and are very hard to eliminate once established.

The Disability Confident campaign, which supports employers to hire and retain disabled employees, was launched today by Prime Minister John Key.

Disabilities Issues Minister Nicky Wagner says the campaign is about showcasing the wide range of easily accessible and practical information available to support employers of disabled employees.

An ongoing focus on the whole of government response to the Canterbury earthquakes will prove invaluable for the New Zealand’s future resilience against natural disasters, Ministers Gerry Brownlee and Nicky Wagner say.

The decision has been made to hold off on the Canterbury Earthquake ‘Learn, Prepare, Act’ Symposium, scheduled for February 2017.

New detector dog teams have completed their three-month training programme and begin working at the border from tomorrow, says Customs Minister Nicky Wagner.

“The four Labrador’s, Casey, Flo, Latte and Que and their handlers were put through their paces during their training using tasks and exercises that simulate the airport and cargo operational environments,” Ms Wagner says.

“Three teams will be based in Auckland and one in Christchurch.

The final inscribed marble panel on the front of Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial is being placed today, says Associate Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration Nicky Wagner.

“The Memorial Wall consists of 517 panels of Italian marble, which have been placed on a concrete base wall over the past two months. The names of those who lost their lives in the earthquakes and supporting text have been carefully inscribed using a sandblaster onto 21 panels,” Ms Wagner says.

The addition of 12 new eGates at Christchurch airport will improve international travellers’ airport experience says Customs Minister Nicky Wagner.

“Eight new eGates are being installed in Customs’ arrivals area and four in the departures area,” Ms Wagner says.

“We are replacing the six older SmartGates with the next generation eGates, and adding six more, to provide travellers with a faster one-step process that takes around 25 seconds.”

This week Customs is deploying 14 new FirstDefenders, a mobile substance identification device, to enhance its capabilities to protect the border says Customs Minister Nicky Wagner.

“FirstDefenders use a laser to analyse a substance, often without the need to open the packaging. It matches this against a database of over 11,000 illicit and legal substances to provide an accurate result within seconds,” Ms Wagner says.

Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner welcomes the New Zealand Deaf Games 2016, held in Hamilton from Friday 21 to 23 October.

“The Deaf Games is the premier national sports competition for the Deaf in New Zealand. First held in 1969, the Games run every two years and are a fantastic chance for Deaf athletes from all over New Zealand to show their prowess in their individual sport,” Ms Wagner says.

“Around 140 athletes will compete across 11 sports, including basketball, football and touch rugby.

The warmer weather signals the arrival of overseas yachts for the summer and Customs is geared up to welcome them says Customs Minister Nicky Wagner.

“The traditional small craft arrival season starts in mid-October and continues through to mid-December. Customs expects 420-440 arrivals during this time,” Ms Wagner says.

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner has met Customs five newest recruits in Auckland.

The Labradors were selected from Australian Border Force’s dog breeding and training facility in Melbourne in August and are three weeks into an extensive three-month training programme.

Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner welcomes New Zealand’s accession to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

The Optional Protocol enables individuals or groups, who claim to have had their rights breached under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to make a complaint to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner welcomes the start of national Blind Week.

“Next week is a chance for us to support to people who are blind or who have low vision,” Ms Wagner says.

“A recent study shows that around 47,000 New Zealanders aged 15 years and over are blind or have low vision. That’s almost enough people to fill Eden Park.

"We all want to make sure that people who are blind or who have low vision are included in our communities and have the same opportunities and outcomes as everyone else.

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner has welcomed the acquisition of a significant area of forest on the West Coast. 

“The Nature Heritage Fund has acquired the 152 ha of lowland podocarp/beech forest in the Buller District on the West Coast on behalf of the Crown. The forest sits on fertile limestone alluvium between Ruff Creek and Yorke Creek on the eastern flank of the Paparoa Range. This is now a rare forest type due to clearance for agriculture,” Ms Wagner says.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and Associate Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration Nicky Wagner say the 2016 Canterbury Wellbeing Survey and Index shows Cantabrians are making good progress.

“The survey of over 3,000 greater Christchurch residents shows that Cantabrians’ quality of life and wellbeing continues to improve, and fewer people are negatively impacted by earthquake stressors,” says Dr Coleman.