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I’m pleased and honoured to be here today celebrating with you. Today is a special day – we are marking the opening of the new Hobsonville motorway and Brigham Creek Extension – 9 km of safer new highway for Auckland.

As you know this new motorway runs from Upper Harbour Bridge to Westgate, completing the northern part of the Western Ring Route.

From Sunday it will be against the law for drivers under the age of 20 to consume alcohol before driving, says Transport Minister Steven Joyce.

The current blood alcohol limit for drivers under the age of 20 is BAC 0.03 (30 mgs of alcohol per 100 mls of blood), this will reduce to zero.

Mr Joyce says the reduced BAC is the second of three current measures being introduced which will enhance the safety of our young drivers.  It follows an increase in the minimum driving age, from 15 to 16, which came into force on Monday (1 August).

An increase in the driving age from 15 to 16 from Monday (1 August) is one of a number of measures designed to make young New Zealanders safer on the roads, says Transport Minister Steven Joyce.

Other measures include introducing a zero blood alcohol limit for drivers under 20 (from 7 August) and strengthening the restricted license test to encourage more practice (in place February 2012).

Mr Joyce says improving the safety of young drivers is a priority for the government as young drivers are disproportionately represented in fatal and serious crash statistics.

 The government has established a Road Maintenance Task Force to drive value for money and seek opportunities to reduce costs for roading authorities around the country.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says the taskforce has been set up alongside the new Government Policy Statement on Land Transport Funding to encourage initiatives in the road maintenance and renewals area that save money without sacrificing quality.

The government has today confirmed plans to invest around $36 billion through the National Land Transport Fund over the next ten years, with a focus on projects supporting economic growth, value for money and road safety

The investment plans are contained in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport Funding (GPS) which has been released today by Transport Minister Steven Joyce.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce today announced two new appointments and two reappointments to the Board of the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).

New Board member Adrienne Young-Cooper has been appointed for the period 1 August 2011 to 30 April 2014.

“Adrienne Young-Cooper has in-depth knowledge of the transport sector and more than 25 years’ governance experience, as well as an impressive background in urban development and Auckland local government. She will be a valuable addition to the NZTA Board,” says Mr Joyce.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce today announced two new appointments and two reappointments to the Board of the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).

New Board member Adrienne Young-Cooper has been appointed for the period 1 August 2011 to 30 April 2014.

“Adrienne Young-Cooper has in-depth knowledge of the transport sector and more than 25 years’ governance experience, as well as an impressive background in urban development and Auckland local government. She will be a valuable addition to the NZTA Board,” says Mr Joyce.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says there is no room for complacency on our roads despite the release today of a Ministry of Transport report showing a record low road toll for the past two quarters.

The road toll at the end of June stood at 139, compared with 199 at the same time last year.  The toll for the twelve months to the end of June was 315, which was also the lowest ever recorded for a twelve month period. 

New Zealand is looking to negotiate new and improved air services agreements with countries in East Asia and South America, Associate Transport Minister Nathan Guy announced today.

"This is an important step in encouraging stronger tourism and business ties with two of the fastest growing regions in the world," Mr Guy says.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce has welcomed the signing of an asset transfer agreement between Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) and KiwiRail.

The agreement is part of a funding and ownership package to complete the rebuild of Wellington commuter rail services.

The final Board of Inquiry decision approving consents for the Waterview Connection is good news for Auckland and New Zealand, Transport Minister Steven Joyce says.

"We are today a big step closer to unlocking the benefits that the completed Western Ring Route will bring to Auckland and the whole country," Mr Joyce says.

The Waterview Connection is part of the Western Ring Route Road of National Significance and is the first roading project to use the Government's new national consenting process.

Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to say a few words today.

This morning you’ve already heard from the Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson, and I’m sure you would have welcomed her decision on landings at Milford Sound aerodrome.

As we know, the weather already provides a natural limit on the number of flights.

I think it is a sensible, balanced and common sense decision. It shows faith in the aviation industry to come up with solutions.

The Government’s second infrastructure plan highlights both progress and strategic opportunities for telecomunications and transport infrastructure, Associate Infrastructure Minister Steven Joyce says.

The second plan takes a strategic look at the country’s infrastructure over the next 20 years.

"The Government is committed to ensuring New Zealand has the infrastructure to support faster economic growth," Mr Joyce says. "Effective transport and telecommunications networks will be central to achieving this.

Cabinet has approved changes to transport planning legislation as part of ongoing efforts to cut unnecessary red tape and get New Zealand moving.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says amendments to the Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA) will make the transport planning process simpler, more streamlined and less prescriptive.

“The current legislation is far too complicated. It has resulted in confusing and convoluted decision making, ambiguity between planning documents, and onerous consultation processes.

A new State Highway classification system shows that a small number of highways carry a disproportionate amount of New Zealand’s traffic, says Transport Minister Steven Joyce.

The classification system puts all state highways into one of four categories based on the volume of traffic they carry and the function they perform within the network:

Good evening and thank you for asking me to say a few words tonight.

It’s great to be here to celebrate an important milestone for New Zealand aviation training.

Importance of the aviation industry

I’m sure most people in the room tonight know just how important the aviation industry is to New Zealand.

Good evening and welcome to Parliament tonight.

Tonight I’d like to say a quick few words about the importance of airports to New Zealand, and update you on a few important issues.

Volcanic ash

Obviously it’s been a disruptive week for air travel in New Zealand with the volcanic ash from Chile affecting flights.

The Civil Aviation Authority is keeping close eye on conditions and doing a good job of monitoring the situation.

The government has agreed to delay the implementation of new safety requirements for Christchurch taxi operators, says Transport Minister Steven Joyce.

Changes announced in December mean taxis in larger towns and cities need to be fitted with in-vehicle security cameras and have around the clock telecommunications support from 1 August 2011.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says there is no room for complacency on the roads as we head into Queens Birthday weekend.

“While this year got off to a positive start in terms of the road toll, the last few days have sadly brought with them a significant number of fatal accidents on the roads as winter sets in.

“All road users need to be mindful of the weather conditions and extra traffic on the roads this holiday weekend and be extra vigilant.”

A re-forecast of the Aviation Security Service’s costs and higher-than-expected revenue means that passenger security charges can be reduced further over the next two years, says Transport Minister Steven Joyce.

Charges will decrease from $10.22 to $8.00 (GST inclusive) per departing international passenger, and from $4.45 to $3.70 per departing domestic passenger.

These decreases come on top of reductions made last year. Over the two years international charges have dropped by a total of $7.00 and domestic charges by just under $1.00.

The review of the Business Case for the CBD Rail Link finds that the case for funding and building the rail link has not yet been made, and that the mix of options for meeting transport needs in the CBD have not been sufficiently explored.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce has today released the review which was conducted by the Ministry of Transport and the Treasury in conjunction with the NZ Transport Agency.

Budget 2011 commits more than $338 million to improving commuter rail services and supporting KiwiRail to become more commercially viable.

A funding package of $88.4 million over eight years for Wellington commuter rail will help transform Wellington’s rail services, Transport Minister Steven Joyce says.

“This funding will go towards upgrading and renewing the remainder of the signalling and electric power equipment on the Wellington network.

Public consultation is now underway on the proposed changes to the give way rule.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says changing the give way rules for turning vehicles is part of the Government's 10-year Safer Journeys road safety strategy.

"Our current give way rules for turning vehicles are confusing and out of step with the rest of the world," says Mr Joyce.

"Research shows changing the rules could reduce relevant intersection crashes by seven percent."

Transport Minister Steven Joyce has today released an action plan outlining the government’s next steps on road safety.

The Safer Journeys Action Plan 2011-12 builds on legislation that received its final reading in Parliament last week, which focuses on improving the safety of young and high-risk drivers. 

The plan was released at the global launch of the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety. New Zealand was the first country today to launch the Decade as part of a series of events in cities across the world.