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Attorney-General Chris Finlayson and Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson have thanked the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission for its findings and recommendations outlined in the first part of its final report, released today.

The recommendations focus on a range of technical engineering issues including seismicity, recommendations to change concrete structures, structural steel and earthquake actions standards, providing guidance or training to structural engineers and low-damage building technologies.

Good afternoon and thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.

It’s quite an achievement to have reached your 50 year anniversary.

I’m aware that you’ve got over 1500 members and that’s surely a testament to both the great need for the skills of senior engineering technologists, and of the benefits of registration.

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson today sought to make the following personal explanation in Parliament about former Crafar-owned farms purchased by a consortium led by May Wang and Jack Chen without either Ministerial or Overseas Investment Office approval.

“Yesterday, in relation to the Hong Kong court case against May Wang and others, I said that the case had finished.

“I have today been advised that the court case has not yet finished and the Hong Kong restraint orders are still in force.

The return of staff members to Statistics New Zealand’s Christchurch office is welcome news for the rebuild of Christchurch, Statistics Minister Maurice Williamson says.

Mr Williamson formally reopened Dollan House, Statistics NZ's Christchurch office today.

The opening marks the culmination of almost 17 months of work to get the building operational after the last year’s February 22 earthquake.

Acknowledgements

Mayor Bob Parker and Mayoress Jo Nicholls-Parker

Dame Margaret Bazley

Geoff Bascand

Roger Sutton

The owners of Dollan House, Vincent and Cecilia Chia

Statistics New Zealand’s win of the leadership category at the Public Sector Excellence Awards is a fantastic achievement for the department, Statistics Minister Maurice Williamson says.

The department’s leadership programme ‘Leading from where you stand’ won the Improving Performance through Leadership Excellence category at the 2012 IPANZ (Institute of Public Administration NZ) Public Sector Excellence Awards.

Introduction:

• Good afternoon I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak to you today.

• Today I would like to spend a few minutes on the Government’s priorities for the building and construction sector and the Department of Building and Housing’s work programme.

• And I would like to thank Registered Master Builders (RMBF) for the work you have done in supporting the Department to implement the programme so far.

• Good morning. Thank you for inviting me to open your conference - it is a pleasure to be here again.

• I would like to acknowledge Andrew Giles, CEO of the Retirement Villages Association of Australia who is attending the conference.

A new publication showing economic, social, cultural, and environmental statistics on Māori will benefit all New Zealanders, Statistics Minister Maurice Williamson said today.

Mr Williamson launched Te Ao Mārama 2012 in Parliament House today.

The publication delivers a range of Māori statistics including population, age, and income.

It also contains statistics on iwi groups, cultural vitality and the use of te reo.

• Thank you Geoff, and thank you all for making time to be here today. What a fantastic room Matangireia is – steeped in Māori political history.

EA major exercise in Auckland today has shown New Zealand’s preparedness for dealing with a mass arrival of asylum seekers by boat, according to Immigration Minister Nathan Guy and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson.

Exercise Barrier has seen around 100 role players acting as potentially illegal immigrants being processed through health, customs and immigration checks following their simulated arrival by boat.

Introduction:

• Good morning, I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak to you and deliver this year’s Bunckenburg Address.

• I see the address - named in honour of your former President Henry Herbert Bunckenburg – has been a tradition of the NZIQS since 1986. I am honoured to be the latest person to deliver this speech to you.

• This morning I will cover Government’s priorities for the building and construction sector and the Department of Building and Housing’s work programme.

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson has announced the appointment of Richard Merrifield to the Building Practitioners Board.

“Mr Merrifield will bring a wealth of industry experience coupled with his knowledge and governance skills from a significant number of industry related board and working group appointments,” Mr Williamson says.

Introduction

• Good evening, and thank you for inviting me here to speak at your Annual Meeting.

• I know we share a common goal in wanting to raise standards and productivity across the construction industry.

• Your own Board Chairman, Bill Smith, is also the Chair of the Building and Construction Sector’s Productivity Partnership. This forum was established as an active partnership between professionals like you, and a government committed to growing the sector.

Land Information New Zealand has received $800,000 in new operating funding for 2012/13 so vital re-surveying of the Canterbury region can continue, Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson says.

The funding, which comes from the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Fund, will go towards restoring the survey control network that was badly damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes.

The survey control network provides surveyors with accurate information about the topography of the land.

Acknowledgements:

David Brown, Chairman, CBANZ
Richard Merrifield, Past Chairman, CBANZ
Grant Florence, Chief Executive, CBANZ

Acknowledgements:

Phil Saunders, BOINZ President
Norm Barton, BOINZ Vice-President
Nick Hill, BOINZ Chief Executive

Introduction:

• Good morning and thank you for inviting me to deliver the keynote address to your Annual Conference for 2012.

• I note you have chosen as the theme for your conference, “Enhancing Professionalism”.

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson has received a report into the reasons for the collapse of the Stadium Southland roof on 18 September 2010.

The detailed technical investigation was written by Hyland and StructureSmith. It explains the roof collapsed because of a combination of factors including heavy snowfall, construction defects and design problems.

• Good morning everyone, it is a pleasure to be here today.

Background
• We live in a changing world, and there has been an extraordinary shift in relative economic power from the developed world, our traditional trade and investment partners, to the emerging economies - particularly China.

• Many analysts have pointed out that this is simply a reversion to the past. Two hundred and fifty years ago, most of the world’s wealth was generated from economies where most of the world’s people lived.

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson has welcomed Parliament’s passing of the Crown Pastoral Land (Rent for Pastoral Leases) Amendment Act yesterday.

“This Act is a significant reform of the way rents are charged on pastoral leases in the South Island high country and will go a long way towards eliminating the years of tension that has existed between the Crown and lessees over rent issues.

“Under the Act, lessees of pastoral leases will be charged rents based on the earning capacity of the property.”

Today’s signing of a joint statement with the United States signals the start of a two-year work programme to ensure trade and travel with the United States is secure and efficient, Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says.

The Joint Statement between New Zealand and the United States to Strengthen Border Security, Combat Transnational Crime and Facilitate Legitimate Trade and Travel was signed in Wellington by Mr Williamson and the visiting Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.

Consumer protection measures for New Zealanders building or renovating their homes are closer after Building Amendment Bill (No 4) passed its first reading in Parliament yesterday.

The Bill is the companion to the Building Amendment Act 2012 which came into force on 13 March 2012. It provides a range of measures designed to help consumers hold building practitioners to account.

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson and Associate Finance Minister Jonathan Coleman have approved the new recommendation of the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) to grant consent to Milk New Zealand Holding Limited to acquire the 16 Crafar farms.

“New Zealand has a transparent set of laws and regulations around overseas investment,” Mr Williamson says.

Claims the Government is failing to monitor foreign buyers of New Zealand land are dangerous and misleading, Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson says.

The sale of land to foreign investors is monitored by the Overseas Investment Office (OIO).

There is a clear difference between the OIO’s monitoring of land sales to foreign buyers and the investigating of cases.
  
Monitoring includes checking that conditions of consent are complied with.