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Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy today announced New Zealand has ratified an international fisheries agreement designed to fight illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Port State Measures Agreement sets minimum standards for port access by foreign flagged fishing vessels and related support vessels.

“Widespread implementation of the agreement will make it more difficult and less economic to undertake IUU fishing,” Mr McCully says.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has released new figures today forecasting a rise in primary sector exports for this year, to nearly $5 billion higher than originally forecast.

The Ministry for Primary Industries has updated the Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries Forecast Update for January 2014.

It reveals an upward trend for agriculture, forestry, and fishing exports by $4.9 billion to $36.4 billion for the year to 30 June 2014.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye today announced a working group set up to improve dairy traceability.

“The independent Government Inquiry into the Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC) Contamination Incident highlighted the importance of effective systems for dairy traceability,” Mr Guy says.

“The Inquiry recommended lifting the dairy sector’s ability to trace products and ingredients through a working group focusing on regulatory and worldwide best practices.”

A Bill to update the funding of international traveller processing services at the border has passed its third and final reading in Parliament tonight.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy says the Airports (Cost Recovery for Processing of International Travellers) Bill completes the funding arrangements agreed with the aviation industry back in 2004.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has thanked the people of Whangarei for their cooperation over the last two weeks in responding to the find of a single male Queensland fruit fly.



“It’s very pleasing that no other fruit fly has been found and that this appears to be a solitary insect.



“This detection is a very rare event and shows we have a high performing biosecurity system.



“I want to thank the people of Whangarei for their support and patience over the last two weeks.



Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith today confirmed the Government’s decision to ban shark finning and have tightened the timetable in response to 45,300 submissions on the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks.

Restrictions on commercial paua harvesting in areas around Otago and Southland will remain in place, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced today.

“I’ve taken a precautionary approach and made the decision to retain the closures to commercial fishers. It’s clear these areas are greatly valued by recreational and customary fishers,” says Mr Guy.

The decision comes after Ministry for Primary Industries officials held extensive discussions with local iwi and recreational and commercial fishers.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced amendments to the Layer Hens Code of Welfare 2012, in a move to avoid a large increase in the price of eggs.

“The final date of 2022 for all layer hens to be out of battery cages remains unchanged. However, the amendment alters the transition dates by two years:

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed Cabinet’s approval of the GIA (Government Industry Agreement) Deed as an important tool in strengthening New Zealand’s biosecurity.

“Under the GIA, industry organisations and the Ministry for Primary Industries can sign a Deed that formally establishes the biosecurity partnership. Partners will share decision making, costs, and responsibility in preparing for and responding to biosecurity incursions.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed Cabinet’s approval of the GIA (Government Industry Agreement) Deed as an important tool in strengthening New Zealand’s biosecurity.

“Under the GIA, industry organisations and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) can sign a Deed that formally establishes the biosecurity partnership. Partners will share decision making, costs, and responsibility in preparing for and responding to biosecurity incursions.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye today released the report on the first stage of the Government Inquiry into the Whey Protein Concentrate Contamination Incident and said the Government accepts in principle all 29 recommendations.

“This part of the inquiry focused on our dairy food safety system and we are pleased to confirm it found the whey protein concentrate (WPC) incident in August this year (2013) was not the result of any failure in the regulatory system,” Mr Guy says.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy is welcoming the approval of New Zealand meat exports to enter Peru.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye have received the first of two reports from the Government’s inquiry into the whey protein concentrate contamination incident. The report is on Parts B and C of the inquiry.

Ministers will now consider the report on Parts B and C and its recommendations. The report will be released along with the Government’s response within the next two weeks.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy is welcoming major cuts in tariffs for many exporters today, as the Economic Cooperation Agreement between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu (Chinese Taipei) comes into effect.

“From today tariffs are removed from milk powder, cheese, butter, apple, cherry and wine exports to Chinese Taipei,” says Mr Guy.

“This will mean tariff savings of nearly $40m on current trade. It’s great news for our exporters.

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to address your annual conference. It is great to be here with so many of the people who make racing in New Zealand happen.

Having had this portfolio for nearly two years now, I’m impressed by the passion and commitment of the people involved at every level.

Over the last few months I’ve been attending the code conferences to talk about some of the recent issues and challenges facing the industry.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy is welcoming a new $17 million research and development project to produce low-calorie, low-alcohol wine.

‘Lifestyle wines' is the Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) newest Primary Growth Partnership (PGP), working to develop this new, promising niche market for New Zealand wine producers.

“It’s great to see innovation like this in New Zealand’s primary sectors and I’m excited that the Government can help it become a reality,” says Mr Guy.

New x-ray technology and more frontline staff will help to beef up New Zealand’s biosecurity defences at the border, says Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.

Mr Guy today unveiled a new x-ray machine at Auckland Airport, one of 12 machines that have been installed around the country.

“The new machines will be more reliable than the Ministry for Primary Industries’ older x-ray units and will provide better image quality,” says Mr Guy.

Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy has welcomed confirmation that 25% of the Snapper 1 trawl fleet will have cameras or observers in place by 1 December this year.

“This will be the start of a large scale monitoring programme of the Snapper 1 fishery, providing us with more information on this very valuable resource.

The Government has today announced its final Threat Management Plan for dolphins which confirms additional protections for the Maui’s dolphin in Taranaki and releases new promising population estimates for the Hector’s dolphin.

“Our greatest concern is for the critically-endangered Maui’s dolphin. It is the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin with an estimated population of just 55 adults,” Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

HMNZS OTAGO departs Dunedin today to monitor fishing activities in the Southern Ocean.

New Zealand-designated Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) inspectors from the Ministry for Primary Industries will be on board to conduct compliance checks on the Southern Ocean’s legal fishing fleet.

“New Zealand takes its commitment to Southern Ocean conservation seriously.  It is vital that, as a CCAMLR member, we play our part in tackling illegal fishing activities,” Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy have welcomed a water quality report released today by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.

“The report underlines the importance of the Government’s freshwater reform programme, by showing just what could happen with our water quality if we do not have good policy in place to drive more careful and efficient use of our land and water,” Ms Adams says.

Racing Minister Nathan Guy today announced the appointment of Penny Mudford as Chair of the New Zealand Racing Safety Development Fund (RSDF).

“Penny has over 10 years’ experience in a range of governance roles both in the public and private sectors. She has strong mediation skills which will stand her in good stead in her role as chairperson,” says Mr Guy.

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to be here. It gives me great pleasure to speak to you today about global food security, and New Zealand's journey to become a ‘kitchen of the world’.

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to speak.

For over a century, dams and the infrastructure associated with them have been a vital but often overlooked part of the fabric of this country.

Back in the 1880s, gold dredgers dammed a tributary of the Shotover River to provide hydropower for the nearby mine.

Early freezing works and dairy factories ran on hydro and it even helped power early municipal lighting at Reefton on the West Coast.

Today we still tend to associate dams with generating electricity for the national grid.