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Safekids Aotearoa has unveiled a new online tool to help health professionals treat children who have swallowed button batteries.

Health Minister Tony Ryall says the tool, which has been developed in partnership with the Ministry of Health, provides doctors and nurses with immediate diagnosis and treatment information.

“If a child swallows a battery it’s important they receive prompt care. Button batteries can get stuck in the throat, nose or ear canal which can have very serious consequences,” says Mr Ryall.

The government today announced the formation of Screen New Zealand, a new ‘virtual agency’ that formalises the collaboration of three existing screen agencies.

The New Zealand Film Commission, Film New Zealand and NZ On Air will work together on a number of specific projects under the umbrella of Screen NZ.

Screen NZ will play an important role delivering the government’s goals for the New Zealand screen sector – specifically to encourage more mid-sized, locally-driven productions and attract more international production.

Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Foss will travel to Australia today to attend a trans-Tasman consumer affairs forum.

The two-day Legislative and Governance Forum on Consumer Affairs (CAF) begins in Cairns on Thursday.

Mr Foss will join Australian Commonwealth, state and territory ministers to discuss a range of consumer affairs and fair trading matters.

“CAF is an excellent opportunity to advance the Single Economic Market agenda and establish a joint approach to international consumer issues,” Mr Foss says.

Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss says the Going Digital programme has wrapped up on time and under budget.

“All installations under the Government’s Targeted Assistance Package – about 32,000 of them - have now been completed,” Mr Foss says. 

“I am very pleased to have received a review of the Going Digital programme that shows it was delivered on time and under budget.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss today released a discussion paper seeking feedback on options for introducing a bounded public interest test into New Zealand’s anti-dumping regime.

“The development of a public interest test is part of the Government’s on-going work to improve housing affordability.  It follows the removal of duties and tariffs on imported building material, as announced in the budget,” Mr Foss says.

Raising awareness of online scams is the key focus for this year’s Fraud Awareness Week, Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Foss says.

“Online scams are increasingly sophisticated and can fool even the most tech-savvy among us,” Mr Foss says. 

“At any one time there are thousands of fraudsters online looking for victims using dating scams, fake job adverts, cloned Facebook profiles and bogus online trading sites.

A Bill making the biggest changes to consumer credit legislation in more than a decade has passed its third reading in Parliament today, Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Foss says.

The Credit Contracts and Financial Services Law Reform Bill protects the interests of borrowers and requires lenders to act responsibly.

The TVNZ archive, including over 500,000 hours of original New Zealand television, is set to become much more accessible, Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss and Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne say.

The Government is in negotiations to transfer guardianship of the archive from TVNZ to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage on 1 August. It will be managed on a day-to-day basis by the New Zealand Film Archive.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss today welcomed the Commerce Select Committee report on a Bill to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the accounting and audit industries.

“The Accounting Infrastructure Reform Bill is part of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda to improve regulation and promote healthy financial reporting frameworks,” Mr Foss says.

It builds on the changes initiated by the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 and the Financial Reporting Act 2013.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss is welcoming feedback on the content of financial product disclosure statements.

The third exposure draft of regulations under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 was today released for public consultation.

“The Government is continuing to drive a cultural change within the finance sector with a renewed focus on simple, meaningful and more accessible information for investors,” Mr Foss says.

Duties on plasterboard, reinforcing steel bar and wire nails and tariffs on building products like roofing, cladding, insulation, paints, electrical and plumbing fittings will be removed temporarily to increase competition and improve housing affordability.

“Reducing the costs of building materials is an important part of the Government’s programme to improve housing affordability,” Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss today announced appointments to the Commerce Commission and Financial Markets Authority (FMA).

Anna Rawlings joins the Commerce Commission in early June and will bring extensive experience in competition law, industry regulation, and consumer protection. 

“Her appointment is particularly timely given changes to consumer legislation which the Commission will be implementing,” says Mr Foss. 

Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss has today announced new appointments and reappointments to the Boards of Television New Zealand Ltd (TVNZ) and Radio New Zealand Ltd (RNZ).

Julia Raue is being appointed to the Board of TVNZ commencing on 1 May 2014 for a three year term. Joan Withers and Barrie Saunders have been reappointed as directors for further terms.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss today released a consultation paper on the Asia Region Funds Passport initiative, which will open up opportunities for cross-border offerings of managed funds.

The consultation paper is seeking feedback on detailed rules for the regime, such as investment and portfolio allocation restrictions. It has been prepared in conjunction with Australia, Korea, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines

A Bill that overhauls consumer credit laws to ensure that the interests of consumers are protected has passed its second reading in Parliament today says Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Foss.

“The Credit Contracts and Financial Services Law Reform Bill will require lenders to act responsibly and ensure consumers are given all the information they need to make sound borrowing decisions,” says Mr Foss.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss today announced the appointment of Sarah-Jane Weir to the Copyright Tribunal for a term of three years.

“The breadth of Ms Weir’s expertise in a range of areas, particularly technology and telecommunications will make her an asset to the Tribunal,” says Mr Foss.

Ms Weir will join Professor Susy Frankel (chairperson), Paul Sumpter, Peter Dengate-Thrush, Jane Glover and Sarah Bacon as the current Tribunal members.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss is welcoming a new era for New Zealand’s financial markets as the Financial Markets Conduct Act comes into force today.

The once-in-a-generation reforms make up an integral part of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda to restore confidence in our financial markets.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss today announced the selection of nine KiwiSaver default providers for a seven year term starting 1 July 2014.

AMP, ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Grosvenor, KiwiBank, Mercer, Fisher Funds and Westpac have been appointed.

The selections follow a Request for Proposal process that began last year. The tenders were assessed by an independent panel according to a range of criteria including the provider’s organisational and investment capabilities and fee levels.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss today announced a revised Code of Professional Conduct for Authorised Financial Advisers, which will come into force on 1 May 2014.

“The Code which has been developed in consultation with New Zealand financial advisers will continue to restore confidence in the professionalism and integrity of the industry. Improving confidence in our financial markets is part of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda,” says Mr Foss.

The code sets out new standards and requirements for Authorised Financial Advisers in the following areas:

Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss has welcomed the NZ On Air Local Content Report released today, showing that Kiwi content makes up more than a third of free-to-view TV schedules.

“New Zealanders are reaping the benefits of a fast-changing media environment. The opportunities to watch home-grown NZ On Air funded content are greater than ever as online and time shifted viewing options increase in popularity.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss has welcomed the Commerce Select Committee report on a Bill that will crack-down on unscrupulous lenders who leave borrowers and their families in a spiral of uncontrolled debt.

“Proposed changes under the Credit Contracts and Financial Services Reform Bill will help to increase confidence in the role consumer credit plays in our financial markets, which is a major component of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda,” says Mr Foss.

Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Foss and Pacific Island Affairs Minister, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga welcomed the launch of the 2014 Talanoa campaign. Talanoa encourages Pacific communities to ask for help and seek redress when they have problems with loans.

“One of the main aims of the campaign is to help Pacific communities to be more proactive when lodging complaints if things go wrong when borrowing money,” says Mr Foss.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss and Revenue Minister Todd McClay today announced that the Financial Reporting Act, which changes financial reporting obligations for most companies, comes into effect on1 April 2014.

“Now is the time for small and medium-sized companies to make sure they understand how the changes affect their financial reporting obligations,” says Mr Foss.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss and Revenue Minister Todd McClay have announced the launch of an integrated Employer Registration service, making it easier for newly-formed companies to communicate with Government.

The Employer Registration (ER) service is available on the Companies Office website and means businesses will only need to supply key information to government once, saving time and expense.