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A new partnership between the Department of Conservation and New Zealand’s largest tourism industry organisation will benefit both our natural environment and the economy, Conservation Minister Maggie Barry says.

The partnership will see DOC work with the Tourism Industry Association to promote tourism on conservation land and beyond across the country.

Andrew Caisley from Auckland has been appointed a member of the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa, Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry announced today.

“I’m pleased to welcome Andrew Caisley to the council,” Ms Barry says. “He has longstanding experience in governance of theatre and arts organisations and I am sure he will make a valuable contribution.”

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry is in Melbourne this week to attend the inaugural Threatened Species Summit.

The event on Thursday will be hosted by Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt and chaired by Australia’s Threatened Species Commissioner, Gregory Andrews.

Minister Barry will be one of the keynote speakers, discussing the New Zealand experience of conservation.

Wayne Marriott JP has been appointed to the board of Heritage New Zealand and the Māori Heritage Council, replacing the late Sir Ian Athfield, Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry announced today.

“I am very pleased someone with the skills, background and community experience of Wayne Marriott has been able to take up these important positions,” Ms Barry says.

“He has extensive experience in the heritage sector, with a community perspective which will make him a valuable contributor to both roles.”

The Government will grant up to $100,000 to enable the West Coast’s Old Ghost Road cycle trail to be completed this year, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry announced today.

The Government is working with the Mokihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust, the Buller District Council and Development West Coast on the 85km trail, which will connect the ghost town of Lyell in the Buller Gorge to Seddonville township.

New Zealand has boosted the protection of sharks by signing the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry have signed the agreement today which aims to improve the conservation of seven migratory shark species vulnerable to over-exploitation.

“This international memorandum is the first global instrument of its kind, and we join 38 other countries in becoming a signatory,” says Mr Guy.

Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry and Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner congratulate the winners of the eighth annual Arts Access Awards for their work in providing access to the arts.

“The Arts Access Awards celebrate the individuals, community groups and organisations that provide opportunities for people with limited access to engage with the arts, both as audience and artist,” Ms Barry says.

“It was a very impressive occasion, and a reminder of the vibrancy and diversity of the creative arts sector.”

A new report has highlighted the economic influence of older people in New Zealand, Senior Citizens Minister Maggie Barry says.

The 2015 Business of Ageing report update has projected older New Zealanders will make an even bigger contribution to the economy than previously thought.

“Seniors put billions of dollars into our economy each year, and their importance will only grow as our population ages,” Ms Barry says.

“By 2035, there will be 1.2 million people aged over 65 – almost double the current figure of 650,000.”

A new set of online resources will help carers look after their own needs, make time for themselves and stay connected, Senior Citizens Minister Maggie Barry says.

Around one in ten New Zealanders helps a family member or friend with everyday life, and many find it hard to balance that important role with work or their other commitments.

Newly released research shows more Kiwis enjoy and value the arts than ever before, Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry says.

Three new marine protected areas (MPAs) have been announced for the West Coast today by Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry.

New Zealanders need to confront the reality of elder abuse to prevent the exploitation and mistreatment of older people, Senior Citizens Minister Maggie Barry says.

New research released on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day shows around one in 10 older New Zealanders have suffered some form of abuse or neglect.

With our ageing population, this research, the first specifically focused on New Zealand, suggests the rate of elder abuse could increase significantly.

A generous donation towards protecting our native kauri tree from the ravages of kauri dieback disease has been welcomed by Conservation Minister Maggie Barry.

Sir Stephen Tindall and Julian Robertson will contribute $480,000 over the next three years through their Tindall and Aotearoa Foundations, targeted at protecting kauri.

$100,000 a year will go towards landowner’s efforts to stop livestock spreading the spores which cause the disease to kauri on their land. It will also fund public education and practical efforts such as hygiene stations at track entrances.

Project Janszoon has named as the recipient of the Supreme Award at this year’s Green Ribbon Awards, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry announced at the ceremony held at Parliament tonight.

A fresh approach to saving the kiwi from extinction has been launched today thanks to a new $11.2 million investment from Budget 2015, Conservation Minister Maggie Barry says.

Our national bird is struggling to survive and faces a crisis. There are now less than 70,000 birds in the wild with the population falling 2 per cent a year, largely due to invasive predators such as rats, stoats and ferrets.

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry today announced the finalists for the 2015 Green Ribbon Awards, which will this year mark 25 years of honouring New Zealand’s environmental leaders.

New Zealand’s most famous bird, the kiwi, will receive $11.2 million of operating funding over the next four years in an effort to arrest its serious ongoing decline in the wild.

Wild kiwi numbers are falling by 2 per cent a year and the bird could be extinct on the mainland in our grandchildren’s lifetimes, Conservation Minister Maggie Barry says.

The aim of the investment is to turn the 2 per cent decline into an annual increase as soon as possible.

Senior Citizens Minister Maggie Barry has welcomed a report highlighting the value of older workers to New Zealand’s economy – and identifying the discrimination many of them still face.

The Workforce Ageing Survey 2014 has found workers aged 50 and over are seen as valuable and hardworking by employers – regarded as more productive and better in a crisis.

2,631 employers and employees from Crown Entities and District Health Boards took part in the survey, a collaboration between the Office for Senior Citizens and the Human Rights Commission.

Composer Jack Body made an enormous contribution to the development and recognition of New Zealand music here and overseas, Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry says.

Mr Body, 70, died in Wellington on Sunday.

“An inspirational and talented composer and ethno-musicologist, he will long be remembered for his many diverse compositions, from the music for the TV series Close to Home to the award-winning Pulse which won the 2002 New Zealand Music Award for Best Classical CD,” Ms Barry says.

Kua hinga te tōtara o Te Wao-nui-a-Tāne,

Ka tangi a Ngāti Hine, ka tangi te motu,

Ko te pou tokomanawa o te reo kua wahangū.

A tree has fallen in the great forest of Tāne

Ngāti Hine mourns, and the nation mourns with them,

The mainstay of the Māori language has been silenced.

Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry has extended her condolences to the family of Erima Henare who passed away suddenly, aged 61.

New Zealand’s vulnerable native species will now have another strong voice for their protection with the announcement of the country’s first Threatened Species Ambassador.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry says the high-profile new role will be pivotal in educating New Zealanders and raising awareness of our threatened species.

“We all need to know about the unique birds, animals and plants which are our taonga and understand the efforts needed to conserve them,” Ms Barry says.

Senior Citizens Minister Maggie Barry says the latest SuperGold business recruitment campaign has achieved its aim of signing up more health professionals and lawyers.

The campaign ran over March and April and resulted in more than 650 new businesses offering discounts. Among them are 60 dental practices and more than 40 legal firms around the country.

Around 70% of these new businesses have come from outside of the main centres.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry is pleased to announce two key remnants of the native landscape of the Banks Peninsula will now be open for public access.

Two properties on opposite sides of Akaroa harbour have been bought with help from the contestable Nature Heritage Fund, which is allocated at the Minister’s discretion.

They will substantially increase the amount of publicly accessible land on the peninsula and be managed by the Department of Conservation.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry says the success of the Battle For Our Birds programme is a welcome victory for endangered native species.

The Department of Conservation today released preliminary monitoring results for the eight-month long anti-predator campaign.

“There are thousands more native birds alive today than there would have been without the work done by DOC’s Battle For Our Birds last summer,” Ms Barry says.