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Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman and ACC Minister Nikki Kaye welcome Water Safety New Zealand’s campaign launch of ‘Stop and think before you go near the water’, which is supported by ACC.

“On average 103 people die in New Zealand waters each year. Water Safety New Zealand’s campaign reminds people to reflect on whether it really is safe to enter the water,” says Dr Coleman.

Classes may have stopped but the Government’s investment means lots of building work will be happening in schools over the holidays, with around 100 significant projects of over $3 million each currently on the go, says Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye.

“Christmas and New Year is an important time to undertake redevelopments because it enables the least disruption to students and teachers,” says Ms Kaye.

An assessment of local government civil defence organisations shows their capabilities continue to improve across New Zealand, says Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye.

“The assessment of New Zealand’s 16 regional Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) groups began last year and was carried out by the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM),” says Ms Kaye.

The Government is working to gain a full understanding of treatment injury to inform a range of initiatives to reduce treatment injury rates, say Minister of Health Jonathan Coleman and Minister for ACC Nikki Kaye.

“ACC’s treatment injury liability account is subject to a rising number of claims. It’s important from a clinical and financial point of view to understand why this is happening,” says Dr Coleman.

The Government will invest $12.3 million to redevelop two more Wellington schools, Newtown School and Ngaio School, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

This follows last week’s announcement of an $8.5 million redevelopment of Kelburn Normal School in the capital.

“These two latest redevelopments will help address roll growth and a range of building and site issues, including weathertightness and structural strengthening, and will create exciting new innovative learning environments for students,” says Ms Kaye.

The Government intends to build and maintain six new schools around New Zealand using a public private partnership (PPP), Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“A public private procurement model is an innovative and proven way to spend taxpayer money efficiently,” says Ms Parata.

“It offers the significant advantage of having professional facilities managers take care of school property, freeing up schools to focus on teaching and learning.

Youth Minister Nikki Kaye today announced $25,000 of funding for the OMG Tech Youth Leadership Training Programme.

“This investment will help foster 20 young leaders from decile 1 and 2 schools to empower other young people in their communities to learn about and become familiar with using future technologies,” says Ms Kaye.

Participants in the programme will have the opportunity to learn about coding (how you instruct a computer to create software, apps and websites) as well as 3D printing and robotics, ie building and programming robots.

The Government will invest $8.5 million redeveloping Kelburn Normal School in Wellington, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“This project will help address a range of building and site issues at the school, and create an exciting new learning environment for students,” says Ms Kaye.

“The school’s main teaching block, which is past its use-by date, will be demolished and replaced with a new two-storeyed building. The new block will be repositioned on the school site to free up space for hard courts and fields.

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye today announced the reappointment of James Miller as a member of the Accident Compensation Corporation Board. 

“I’m pleased to announce that James Miller has been reappointed for a three-year term,” says Ms Kaye.

James has extensive experience in financial markets, investment management and commercial governance. He sits on ACC’s investment subcommittee and is Chair of the Shaping Our Future subcommittee.   

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye today confirmed the Government has agreed to $450 million of ACC levy reductions consulted on and recommended by the ACC Board for the 2016/17 year.

“These levy reductions apply across motor vehicle, work and earners’ levies,” says Ms Kaye.

“There will be a 33 per cent reduction to the average motor vehicle levy, comprising the petrol levy and annual licence levy, from an average of $194.25 currently, to $130.26 per vehicle.

A new agreement with Microsoft will reduce IT complexity for schools and enhance access to the online world for students, enabling them to learn anywhere, any time and on any device, says Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye.

Ms Kaye announced the new agreement between the Ministry of Education and Microsoft during a visit to Lyall Bay School in Wellington this afternoon.

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye today announced the release of a discussion paper on the proposed Accident Compensation Appeal Tribunal.

“After listening to stakeholders’ concerns, the Government agreed in June 2015 to review the decision to establish a stand-alone tribunal. This was to take into account work ACC has been doing to resolve accident compensation disputes early on, to consider different options for dealing with accident compensation appeals, and to allow for targeted consultation with key stakeholders,” says Ms Kaye.

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye and Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner have congratulated the winners of last night’s Attitude Awards, which recognise exceptional contributions made by New Zealanders who live with disabilities.

“ACC is the principal sponsor of the Attitude Awards, which promote positive role models and celebrate people living with a disability who are achieving great things,” Ms Kaye says.

Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye today announced that around 90 per cent of schools are now connected to the $211 million N4L Managed Network, and she also released an outline of work underway to harness the power of digital technologies to transform teaching and learning.

“I’m pleased to make this announcement just over two years after the first school was connected to the N4L Managed Network, which gives schools access to fast, reliable, Government-funded internet and uncapped data for learning, says Ms Kaye.

The scope of redevelopments already planned for two Auckland schools has been expanded prior to work starting, to accommodate further roll growth, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“An extra $6.8 million will be invested in the Waterview Primary School redevelopment, taking the total value of this project to $17 million, and an extra $5 million will be invested in the Freemans Bay School redevelopment, taking the total value of this project to $18 million,” says Ms Kaye.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye today announced that the new National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan and supporting guide will come into effect on 1 December 2015.

“The plan sets out the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies,” says Ms Kaye.

“The supporting guide, which incorporates the plan’s wording as well as extra detail, diagrams and operational information to help those implementing the plan, has been released today.

Youth Minister Nikki Kaye today announced changes for the Ministry of Youth Development (MYD) which will see significantly more youth development opportunities in New Zealand.

“These changes follow a review completed in August this year, and my desire to increase the number of youth development opportunities available to young people,” says Ms Kaye.

“There is a need for more clarity and purpose to the Ministry’s activities, and spending needs to be targeted where it will make the biggest difference.

Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye today announced that around $6 million will be invested to redevelop Te Wharekura o Maniapoto, near Te Kuiti, Waikato.

“This redevelopment will see the wharekura’s existing buildings replaced with a brand new two-storey building that will provide students with a fresh, bright learning environment,” says Ms Kaye.

“A new multipurpose space, containing specialist learning spaces and a covered, all-weather outdoor playing area will also be built.”

Raising the potential for digital technology to transform learning in New Zealand schools

Introduction - the Government’s vision for the future of digital education

New Zealand’s education system has long provided the foundation for the social and economic success of our country.  We know that differences in education and skills between countries explain the difference in rates of economic growth more than any other single factor.

Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye will represent the Government at the Bett Asia Leadership Summit 2015 in Singapore.

The summit, held on 17-18 November, is a meeting of Ministers and leading educators, focusing on the latest trends in the use of information technology in education.

“I will speak at the summit on New Zealand’s approach to integrating new technologies into our education system, and the potential for digital technology to transform learning in our schools,” says Ms Kaye.

Youth Minister Nikki Kaye has announced $150,000 in funding over the next three years for RainbowYOUTH to develop and increase support services for LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex) young people.

“LGBTI young people are five times more likely than other young people to attempt suicide or deliberately self-harm. They are also more likely to be bullied, physically harmed or afraid that someone may hurt them,” says Ms Kaye.

The largest-ever school investment in New Zealand has been announced today, with the Government set to invest around $75 million redeveloping Auckland’s Western Springs College, and around $4 million upgrading TAPAC, the Auckland Performing Arts Centre situated on the school grounds, says Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye.

“This rebuild of the current school will see at least 80 per cent of the existing teaching spaces replaced entirely. The other teaching spaces will be upgraded.

Youth Minister Nikki Kaye today announced that 50 successful applicants will receive a total of around $217,000 to fund community projects led by young people, as part of Youth Fund 2016.

“Youth Fund is about supporting projects designed and led by young people themselves, either working alone or in partnership with youth organisations,” says Ms Kaye.

“Once again, the applications showed there are countless young people out there brimming with ideas on ways to create opportunities for youth to serve their communities.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye today announced the introduction of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Amendment Bill, which will strengthen the law to help communities recover from small to moderate scale emergencies.

“In June I announced that Cabinet had approved changes to the Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Act to improve recovery from these emergencies, and this Bill will give effect to those changes,” says Ms Kaye.

“This is about helping communities get back on their feet more quickly after an emergency.”