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Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga is encouraged by progress made by local councils and communities in the wider Wellington region working with the Local Government Commission on the future of their local government structures.

Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today called for greater collaboration between local councils to meet future community needs.

“Local government is a critical building block for our national growth and prosperity. Councils manage more than $96 billion in fixed assets and provide essential infrastructure and planning for local communities.”

Minister Lotu-Iiga was addressing local government mayors, chairs, and chief executives from around the country at Local Government New Zealand’s annual conference in Dunedin.

Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today released the Government Response to the Rules Reduction Taskforce (RRT) “Loopy Rules” report.

The Taskforce was set up in 2015 to hear from people about what property related rules and regulations stop them from getting on with the job.

“The Taskforce report published in September 2015 provided a wealth of information about rules that New Zealanders found did not make sense or were inconsistently applied,” says Mr Lotu-Iiga.

Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga challenged leaders at the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network (CSCN) meeting in London to urgently work with central governments on the challenges of global urbanisation.

The CSCN heard from agencies working across the globe that the increasing demands from more concentrated populations are outstripping the abilities of local governments to provide adequate infrastructure and services.

By 2050, more than 70 per cent of the world's population will be living in cities.

Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga is encouraging more people to put their names forward for this year’s local authority elections.

“Local government is a critical building block for national growth and prosperity. Councils manage more than $96 billion in fixed assets and contribute more than $8 billion to New Zealand’s GDP each year,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga is urging people to make their views known on the Health of Older People (HOP) Strategy which is now released for consultation.

“We are living longer than ever, which is a blessing.  We can add quality to life through a focus on healthy ageing and empowering people to live well,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has welcomed the take up of a new performance standards system by more than a quarter of New Zealand’s councils.

“New Zealanders expect and deserve quality information on council performance and this is a welcome step in the right direction.” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

21 out of 78 (27%) councils have signed up to be foundation members of Local Government New Zealand’s Excellence Programme.

Local Government Minister, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, leaves for London today to strengthen Commonwealth ties and share plans on local government reform.

Mr Lotu-Iiga will attend the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) Board meeting and the associated Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Network meeting.

“This is an opportunity for New Zealand to strengthen relationships with our Commonwealth counterparts and to encourage best practice in local government across the Commonwealth,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Ethnic Communities Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says Muslim New Zealanders today celebrate Eid ul-Fitr, the end of Ramadan.

As New Zealand’s diversity increases, it is important we recognise and acknowledge the many cultures and religions within New Zealand.  They all contribute to a strong, inclusive and prosperous nation,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says

Ethnic Communities Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today announced the new Ethnic Communities Development Fund (ECDF).

“It is important that all ethnic people have a sense of belonging and participation in New Zealand and that we foster communities that are inclusive and value diversity,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

“The ECDF replaces the Settling In fund and is designed to better support the ongoing and often long-term settlement process for people and communities.”

The Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has announced a major change to quit smoking services in New Zealand.

“Smoking rates have halved overall in the last 30 years. But there are still 550,000 New Zealanders who smoke each day. Business as usual will not see these people stop smoking,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Approximately $12m is used for frontline cessation services, advocacy and training. From today, the Ministry of Health will put more funding into frontline services and less into advocacy.

Associate Health Minister, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says the government has today taken another step to save lives by reducing the harm caused by tobacco in New Zealand.

The Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Amendment Bill passed its second reading this afternoon.

“Standardised packaging will make a measureable difference to smoking rates in New Zealand, just as it has done in Australia. There is now strong evidence that standardised packs reduce the appeal of tobacco products and discourage people from smoking,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Pacific Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says new literacy and numeracy results for Pacific adults are great news.

“The fact that Pacific literacy and numeracy scores are increasing at a faster rate than the rest of the New Zealand adult population shows Pacific communities are rising to the challenge of better education,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Since 2006, Pacific literacy scores have risen by 4 percent compared to a 1 per cent increase for the total population. Pacific people’s numeracy scores have also risen by 2 per cent.

Pacific Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has congratulated all Pacific businesses, entrepreneurs and stakeholders taking part in the Pasefika Expo in Auckland this weekend.

“The Ministry for Pacific Peoples has delivered an exciting programme to launch this new initiative for Pacific businesses. A Dragon’s Den event at the Expo has attracted interest, with prizes of cash and business support worth over $9,000,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Pacific People’s Minister, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, has welcomed the inaugural fono for Pacific social services workers and church leaders and is urging them to work with the government to tackle the problem of family violence in the Pacific community.

“The Government is making fundamental changes to the way agencies respond to the needs of our most vulnerable people.  But we cannot do it alone.  Community and church leaders need to step up so we can all work together to tackle this,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

The Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Bill (No 2) has passed its first reading this evening and has been referred to the Local Government and Environment Select committee.

Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says “the Bill will enable more innovation and collaboration across local government to deliver better local services and infrastructure”.

Local government touches everyone’s lives.

Councils help to build our roads, supply our water, and collect our rubbish. They manage our libraries, our community halls, and our swimming pools. They make decisions that affect the lives of people in their local communities every day.

Councils provide essential infrastructure and services to support jobs, regional growth and community development.

They have a challenging job, and their world is changing.

Hon Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, Minister for Pacific Peoples and Ethnic Communities, says this morning’s tree planting ceremony on One Tree Hill / Maungakiekie is an historic event.

“One Tree Hill is an iconic New Zealand landmark recognised internationally,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

“It is a significant step forward to see these trees restore some of the history and pride back to the city of Auckland.”

Mr Lotu-Iiga accompanied Mayor Len Brown, local elected representatives, iwi and local people at the ceremony.

Pacific Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has congratulated all the winners at tonight’s 12th annual Vodafone Pacific Music Awards.

“The awards highlight the creativity of our Pacific peoples.  Music has always been an important means of communication and it connects us to our roots and to each other,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Vince Harder won Best Pacific Male Artist, Best Pacific Urban Artist and Best Producer.

Around 20,000 disabled people and their family carers living in the community will benefit from two national services formally launched today by Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga.

Carer Matching and Care Matters are two new national disability support services developed out of the NZ Carers’ Strategy Action Plan.

"The Carer Matching service makes it easier for carers to locate the right person at the right time to fill in for them while they take a break,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says Labour’s Meka Whaitiri should understand the Local Government Act before leaping in to the Auckland governance debate.

“Ms Whaitiri should read the Act. If she did she would understand the Local Government Commission has statutory responsibility for reorganisation applications. As the Minister of Local Government, I cannot intervene in this process,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

The Pacific People’s Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has welcomed the inclusion of 7 Pacific recipients in this year’s Queens Birthday Honours list.

“Service to family and the community is one of the core Pacific values. These outstanding individuals have worked tirelessly to serve and help their communities,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

"These recipients have strengthened their communities and worked to ensure Pacific people maintain links to their culture while being part of the wider New Zealand community.”

Ethnic Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga congratulates the recipients of Queen’s Birthday Honours who have served their ethnic communities.

"The achievements of these remarkable people will inspire a new generation of young people to serve their ethnic communities,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

“The efforts of these outstanding people ensure people of diverse cultures keep their heritage alive while also contributing to New Zealand society.”

Minister for Pacific Peoples Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has praised the Manukau Institute of Technology for going out of its way to recognise and embrace its Pacific population with a Pasifika Community Centre.

Mr Lotu-Iiga  and Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce opened the MIT centre today.