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The official opening of the new Kopu Bridge today will come as a huge relief to both holiday motorists and those who rely on the route more regularly, says Transport Minister Steven Joyce.

"Work on the $47 million bridge replacement project was brought forward by three years as part of the government's $500 million Jobs and Growth plan.

"The project has created about 50 local jobs that would not have otherwise been there, as well as work for local companies involved in supplying materials and providing supporting services.

Minister for Tertiary Education, Steven Joyce, is pleased to confirm the merger of the Whitireia Community Polytechnic (Whitireia) and Wellington Institute of Technology (Weltec) councils.

Mr Joyce’s approval of the merger is the first since new legislation for ITP governance was passed in 2009.

“It is an exciting development that will provide opportunities for the institutions to work more closely together for the benefit of students right across the Wellington region,” says Mr Joyce.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says the opening of the Victoria Park Tunnel to two lanes of traffic today is a major milestone in the resolution of the last remaining major bottleneck in central Auckland’s motorway junction.

The third lane of the tunnel will open to northbound traffic in March next year. The Victoria Park flyover will open in a new southbound-only layout in early January 2012.

Mr Joyce says Victoria Park was advanced as a Road of National Significance in recognition of the contribution it could make to economic growth.

The salvage of the Rena, which has been grounded off the coast of Tauranga since 5 October, is moving into a new stage with Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) confirming today that almost all of the heavy fuel oil aboard has now been recovered.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce has congratulated Maritime NZ and the Svitzer salvage team for their work and commitment to what has been a very precarious operation.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says while it is pleasing to see the road toll continue to come down, there are still far too many preventable deaths on New Zealand roads.

The government’s ultra fast broadband (UFB) initiative is now underway in Christchurch, with the first fibre laid today in Aidanfield.

The Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Steven Joyce, says ultra fast broadband will assist the transformation of the Canterbury economy.

Under the UFB initiative Enable Networks is contracted to roll out fibre-optic cable to across Christchurch and in Rangiora.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce has welcomed news that the $16.5 million safety makeover of the Rimutaka Hill Road is set to be finished in March, more than three months ahead of schedule.

He says the work, which was accelerated as part of the government’s $142.5 million Jobs and Growth package, will come as a relief to those who travel the notorious Rimutaka Hill Road.

"The upgrade will ease a number of tight curves, including Muldoon's Corner, about 500m south of the Rimutaka Summit.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Steven Joyce has approved open access deeds of undertaking provided by the government’s broadband partners.

The deeds set out the requirements for open access on the Ultra-fast Broadband and Rural Broadband networks, and on Telecom’s copper network after structural separation.

The opening of the Victoria Park Tunnel will bring huge gains for Auckland and the wider New Zealand economy, through reduced congestion and faster, more reliable journey times, says Transport Minister Steven Joyce

The $340 million Victoria Park Tunnel project will increase the capacity of State Highway 1 between the Auckland Harbour Bridge and Newmarket, one of the country’s busiest freight and business routes.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Steven Joyce has welcomed today’s announcement that Telecom shareholders have voted in favour of proceeding with structural separation.

He says this is one of the final procedural steps in the roll out of ultra fast broadband to 75% of New Zealanders where they live, work and study.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says while this year’s road toll is at a record low to date, there is no room for complacency on the roads this long weekend.

To date this year, 220 people have died on the roads.  This time last year the toll was 297.  The rolling 12 month total is 298 which is the first time it has been under 300 since 1952.

Mr Joyce says while the low toll is encouraging, there’s still a lot of work to do to reduce the level of death and injury on our roads.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce has signed a rule aimed at improving safety in the commercial adventure aviation industry.

“New Zealanders love their extreme sports, and we are a top adventure tourism destination. It is important that we have systems in place to ensure these activities are safe,” says Mr Joyce.

The Prime Minister and Hon Steven Joyce brief media on the the cargo ship Rena and steps the Government is taking to mitigate the oil spill involved.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce has today welcomed the signing by Auckland Transport of a purchase contract for 57 new electric trains just weeks after the government sealed a rail funding and ownership deal with the region.

“This is another key milestone on our way to delivering a real step change in commuter rail travel in the region,” he says.

“We are on track for these new electric trains to start coming into service from the end of 2013.”

Communications and Information Technology Minister Steven Joyce has declined to approve Chorus’s open access deed of undertaking in relation to its copper business.

The deed of undertaking was submitted by Telecom, on behalf of Chorus (assuming structural separation goes ahead) on 22 July 2011.

Public submissions were sought on the deed, which set out the requirements for open access on Chorus’s legacy fixed copper network if structural separation occurs.

The roll out of ultra fast broadband-enabling fibre to schools is progressing well and will see nearly 100,000 students at 221 schools around the country connected by July next of year, says Education Minister Anne Tolley and Communications and IT Minister Steven Joyce.

The Ministers were commenting following the release today of details of the first 200 schools to be connected by Chorus, one of the Crown’s four partners for the UFB rollout. 

Construction on the Ngaruawahia Bypass section of the Waikato Expressway is now underway.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce, who today turned the first sod to officially mark the start of construction, says the Ngaruawahia Bypass, is a very important part of the expressway which has been classed as one of seven Roads of National Significance.

Mr Joyce says he is very pleased with the work on the Expressway to date.

The new National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has officially opened today.

The centre is charged with helping to defend government agencies and critical infrastructure providers against cyber threats.

The Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Steven Joyce, says the global threat from cyber intrusions is real and growing, and New Zealanders and the New Zealand economy are not immune.

Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Steven Joyce today signed off a framework for maximising opportunities for Maori from the roll-out of high-speed broadband.

Terms of Reference have been agreed between the Government; Nga Pu Waea, a Maori working group; Telecom and Vodafone, the major contractors rolling out the broadband network; and a number of regional providers of ultra-fast broadband (UFB).

The government has moved to give Canterbury’s tertiary institutions greater financial certainty as they work to recover from the effects of the September and February earthquakes.

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce says the government’s 2012 funding commitments, which were made prior to the September 4 2010 earthquake, will be met despite an expected decrease in enrolments.

Doubling the economic value of international education to New Zealand is at the heart of the Government’s Leadership Statement for international education, says Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce.

“The government has preparedthe first version of a Leadership Statement for international educationwhichsets bold aspirations for the growth that we want to achieve over the next 15 years.”

The option of using Clifford Bay in Marlborough as base for ferry terminal operations will be further investigated, Transport Minister Steven Joyce announced today. 

“An independent report commissioned by the Ministry of Transport found that there is a financial and economic case for progressing Clifford Bay,” says Mr Joyce.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce has welcomed a decision by the Minister for the Environment to direct matters lodged for the Transmission Gully to a Board of Inquiry.

He says the milestone is a great step forward for the project, and means it remains on track for a construction start in 2015/16.

“Transmission Gully is a crucial section of the Wellington Northern Corridor Road of National Significance, which will give the whole lower North Island the vital transport link it needs to thrive economically.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce today announced the appointment of Mr Grant Lilly to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Board.

Mr Lilly’s appointment is for the period from 13 September 2011 to 31 August 2012.

“Since the middle of last year I have made several new appointments to the CAA Board to help increase efficiency and effectiveness at the CAA and to lead cultural change. The appointment of Grant Lilly further strengthens the mix of skills and experience on the Board and adds to its leadership and management capability,” says Mr Joyce.