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Restrictions on commercial paua harvesting in areas around Otago and Southland will remain in place, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced today.

“I’ve taken a precautionary approach and made the decision to retain the closures to commercial fishers. It’s clear these areas are greatly valued by recreational and customary fishers,” says Mr Guy.

The decision comes after Ministry for Primary Industries officials held extensive discussions with local iwi and recreational and commercial fishers.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced amendments to the Layer Hens Code of Welfare 2012, in a move to avoid a large increase in the price of eggs.

“The final date of 2022 for all layer hens to be out of battery cages remains unchanged. However, the amendment alters the transition dates by two years:

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed Cabinet’s approval of the GIA (Government Industry Agreement) Deed as an important tool in strengthening New Zealand’s biosecurity.

“Under the GIA, industry organisations and the Ministry for Primary Industries can sign a Deed that formally establishes the biosecurity partnership. Partners will share decision making, costs, and responsibility in preparing for and responding to biosecurity incursions.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed Cabinet’s approval of the GIA (Government Industry Agreement) Deed as an important tool in strengthening New Zealand’s biosecurity.

“Under the GIA, industry organisations and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) can sign a Deed that formally establishes the biosecurity partnership. Partners will share decision making, costs, and responsibility in preparing for and responding to biosecurity incursions.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye today released the report on the first stage of the Government Inquiry into the Whey Protein Concentrate Contamination Incident and said the Government accepts in principle all 29 recommendations.

“This part of the inquiry focused on our dairy food safety system and we are pleased to confirm it found the whey protein concentrate (WPC) incident in August this year (2013) was not the result of any failure in the regulatory system,” Mr Guy says.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy is welcoming the approval of New Zealand meat exports to enter Peru.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye have received the first of two reports from the Government’s inquiry into the whey protein concentrate contamination incident. The report is on Parts B and C of the inquiry.

Ministers will now consider the report on Parts B and C and its recommendations. The report will be released along with the Government’s response within the next two weeks.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy is welcoming major cuts in tariffs for many exporters today, as the Economic Cooperation Agreement between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu (Chinese Taipei) comes into effect.

“From today tariffs are removed from milk powder, cheese, butter, apple, cherry and wine exports to Chinese Taipei,” says Mr Guy.

“This will mean tariff savings of nearly $40m on current trade. It’s great news for our exporters.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy is welcoming a new $17 million research and development project to produce low-calorie, low-alcohol wine.

‘Lifestyle wines' is the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) newest Primary Growth Partnership (PGP), working to develop this new, promising niche market for New Zealand wine producers.

“It’s great to see innovation like this in New Zealand’s primary sectors and I’m excited that the Government can help it become a reality,” says Mr Guy.

New x-ray technology and more frontline staff will help to beef up New Zealand’s biosecurity defences at the border, says Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.

Mr Guy today unveiled a new x-ray machine at Auckland Airport, one of 12 machines that have been installed around the country.

“The new machines will be more reliable than the Ministry for Primary Industries’ older x-ray units and will provide better image quality,” says Mr Guy.

Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy has welcomed confirmation that 25% of the Snapper 1 trawl fleet will have cameras or observers in place by 1 December this year.

“This will be the start of a large scale monitoring programme of the Snapper 1 fishery, providing us with more information on this very valuable resource.

The Government has today announced its final Threat Management Plan for dolphins which confirms additional protections for the Maui’s dolphin in Taranaki and releases new promising population estimates for the Hector’s dolphin.

“Our greatest concern is for the critically-endangered Maui’s dolphin. It is the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin with an estimated population of just 55 adults,” Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

HMNZS OTAGO departs Dunedin today to monitor fishing activities in the Southern Ocean.

New Zealand-designated Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) inspectors from the Ministry for Primary Industries will be on board to conduct compliance checks on the Southern Ocean’s legal fishing fleet.

“New Zealand takes its commitment to Southern Ocean conservation seriously.  It is vital that, as a CCAMLR member, we play our part in tackling illegal fishing activities,” Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy have welcomed a water quality report released today by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.

“The report underlines the importance of the Government’s freshwater reform programme, by showing just what could happen with our water quality if we do not have good policy in place to drive more careful and efficient use of our land and water,” Ms Adams says.

Associate Minister for Primary Industries, Jo Goodhew has today announced a new commodity levy on all harvested wood material, including logs, from New Zealand plantation forests.

“The Government has agreed to make this new levy order following a successful referendum of forest growers in March 2013,” says Mrs Goodhew.

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to be here. It gives me great pleasure to speak to you today about global food security, and New Zealand's journey to become a ‘kitchen of the world’.

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to speak.

For over a century, dams and the infrastructure associated with them have been a vital but often overlooked part of the fabric of this country.

Back in the 1880s, gold dredgers dammed a tributary of the Shotover River to provide hydropower for the nearby mine.

Early freezing works and dairy factories ran on hydro and it even helped power early municipal lighting at Reefton on the West Coast.

Today we still tend to associate dams with generating electricity for the national grid.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has paid tribute to Rural Support Trust members at a function in Parliament tonight, thanking them for their work during the drought earlier this year.

“This was the worst drought in 70 years and a very tough time for many rural communities.

“Rural Support Trusts worked tirelessly to lift farmer and community morale. I want to salute them for the work they did in sitting around the kitchen table with so many farmers, supporting them to find a way through.

Thank you for the introduction. It is a pleasure to address this forum today and to welcome visitors from China, the United States, Australia and New Zealand .

Can I acknowledge:

The Government is proposing to ban the removal of shark fins and the dumping of the shark carcass at sea, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

The Ministers made the announcement at the Island Bay Marine Education Centre in Wellington, while releasing the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks for public consultation.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy have today released proposals for improving freshwater management, including national water standards.

“Ensuring an on-going and reliable supply of healthy water is one of the most important environmental and economic issues facing New Zealand today,” Ms Adams says.

“It is critical that we protect and improve the water quality that we all care so much about.”

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed the appointment of Sir Ian Barker to Chair the new Snapper 1 Strategy Group, which will work on a long term plan to manage the fishery.

“As part of the Snapper 1 review this year I directed the Ministry for Primary Industries to set up a multi-sector strategy group before the end of the year. There will be seven members appointed in total, with two members each representing the commercial, recreational, and customary sectors.

Associate Primary Industries Minister Jo Goodhew welcomes international participants to the 25th session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC) in Rotorua today.

“APFC meets every two years. New Zealand is chairing this session and will retain this role until the next meeting in 2015,” says Mrs Goodhew.

“It has been 50 years since the last session was last held in New Zealand, and the Government is privileged to host this event once again.

E aku rangatira, tēnā koutou katoa. Ka nui te honore ki te mihi ki a koutou.

Rotorua Mayor Hon Steve Chadwick, FAO Assistant Director-General Mr Konuma, FAO Director of the Forest Economics Policy and Products Ms Eva Muller, Scion CEO Warren Parker and chair Mr. Su Chunyu.

Distinguished delegates and guests, industry and iwi leaders, local dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen.