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Research, Science and Technology Minister Wayne Mapp has announced the membership of the two new boards that will decide funding for science and innovation.

The Science Board and the Innovation Board will be associated with the new Ministry of Science and Innovation. The Science Board will allocate science funding to research organisations. The Innovation Board will make funding decisions related to business-facing programmes.

“These boards will be key players in the Government’s reforms to improve the science and innovation system,” the Minister said.

New Zealand will send a Civil Defence emergency response team to Queensland to assist Australia in its response to the devastating floods, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said today.

The deployment comes after a phone conversation between the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers.

"During that conversation it was agreed that a small team from New Zealand would make a valuable contribution to the recovery effort," Mr McCully said.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says while he’s pleased the 2010 road toll is an improvement on that of 2009 there’s no room for complacency on our roads.

The provisional 2010 toll of 373 compares to 385 in 2009 and 366 in 2008.

Provisional data for 2010 indicates that alcohol was a factor in 33 per cent of fatal crashes, with speed being a factor in 29 per cent of fatal crashes.

Mr Joyce says the 2010 road toll is the second lowest in the last 50 years. It is the third year in a row that we have had less than 400 deaths.

NZ-Hong Kong trade agreement in force today Trade Minister Tim Groser announced that the New Zealand-Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEP) has entered into force as of today.

"I am pleased to confirm that Hong Kong and New Zealand have both completed the necessary legislative measures and that the CEP has come into force," = said Mr Groser.