Displaying 97 - 120 of 215 results.

Commerce Minister Craig Foss today announced two reappointments to the Takeovers Panel. 

Andy Coupe has been reappointed as a member for a term of three years and six months and Murdo Beattie has been reappointed as a member for a term of five years.

“I am pleased that these current panel members have accepted a further term. The Takeovers Panel’s work is highly regarded and its contribution to the regulatory environment for business is invaluable,” says Mr Foss.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

A Bill that will strengthen protections for borrowers and make wide-ranging changes to consumer credit and repossession laws has passed its first reading in Parliament today.

Consumer Affairs Minister Craig Foss says the Credit Contracts and Financial Services Law Reform Bill is the largest overhaul of consumer credit law in a decade.
“The Bill will crack down on unscrupulous lenders who leave borrowers and their families trapped in a spiral of uncontrolled debt,” says Mr Foss.

  • Craig Foss
  • Consumer Affairs

Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss says the fact that musical online series The Factory has had over 250,000 views shows that NZ On Air’s Digital Media Fund allocation is being directed in the right place.

The Factory is an innovative online series, which started with auditions in markets, shopping centres, community halls and festivals around South Auckland to find new talent, songs and stories for the series.

  • Craig Foss
  • Broadcasting

Justice Minister Judith Collins and Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss have today announced the Government’s response to the Law Commission’s report on regulation of news media.

The report, The News Media Meets “New Media”: Rights, Responsibilities and Regulation in the Digital Age, considered how unregulated news media could be regulated and/or if our current regulatory bodies should be extended to cover media such as blogs.

  • Craig Foss
  • Judith Collins
  • Broadcasting
  • Justice

Charities with annual expenditure of $500,000 or more will be required to have their financial statements reviewed by a qualified accountant, Minister of Commerce Craig Foss and Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew announced today.

Charities with annual expenditure over $1 million will be required to have their financial statements audited.

“These changes will improve the quality of financial reporting among charities and result in greater confidence that financial statements are reliable,” says Mr Foss.

  • Jo Goodhew
  • Craig Foss
  • Community and Voluntary Sector
  • Commerce

Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Christopher Finlayson and Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss have welcomed the most recent addition to Te Ara – New Zealand’s online encyclopedia.

The ‘Daily Life, Sport and Recreation’ section of Te Ara went live on 5 September 2013 and catalogues Kiwi sporting successes and challenges from the beginning of settlement in New Zealand.

The Ministry of Culture and Heritage began work on Te Ara in 2002 and has been steadily adding to the online encyclopedia.

  • Craig Foss
  • Christopher Finlayson
  • Broadcasting
  • Arts, Culture and Heritage

Commerce Minister Craig Foss is congratulating all involved in Money Week 2013 as the event comes to a close.

The theme of Money Week 2013 is ‘Make a date with your money’ and approximately 300 events have taken place around New Zealand to mark the event.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

The Commission for Financial Literacy and Retirement Income has launched Money Week 2013 following the success of its inaugural event last year.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

The 550,000 New Zealand businesses on the Companies Register will be issued a unique New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) by the end of 2013 making it easier to interact with Government, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Commerce Minister Craig Foss announced today.

“Having a single business number means that by 2016 businesses will only have to provide government with their information once, which will be automatically shared across government departments,” Mr Joyce says.

  • Craig Foss
  • Steven Joyce
  • Commerce
  • Economic Development

Commerce Minister Craig Foss has today welcomed the passage of major law reform aimed at improving financial market conduct and restoring investor confidence in New Zealand’s financial markets.

“The passage of the Financial Markets Conduct Bill today is a significant milestone and the result of a comprehensive review of securities law.  It addresses the lessons from the global financial crisis and the failure of finance companies and also picks up many of the recommendations of the Capital Market Development Taskforce,” says Mr Foss.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

Commerce Minister Craig Foss has welcomed the modernisation of New Zealand’s patents laws as the Patents Bill passes its third reading in Parliament today.

“This Bill is marks a significant step towards driving innovation in New Zealand, it replaces sixty year-old legislation and introduces a patent system suited for the 21st century,” says Mr Foss.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

Commerce Minister Craig Foss today announced three commerce appointments. Elisabeth Welson has been appointed to the Commerce Commission and Hon Sir Bruce Robertson, KNZM and Michael Behrens, QC have been appointed as Cease and Desist Commissioners.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

Commerce Minister Craig Foss welcomed the Law Commission’s report into incorporated societies.

“I would like to thank the Law Commission for its thorough review of the Incorporated Societies Act 1908,” says Mr Foss.

“The legislation is more than a century old, and I thank the Commission for suggesting ways to replace it with a modern Act.

“The Commission has made a series of recommendations to which I will give careful consideration,” says Mr Foss.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

Commerce Minister Craig Foss has launched a Trans-Tasman smartphone app today, allowing consumers in New Zealand and Australia to search more than 2.5 million registered companies using their smartphone.

The Companies Office has partnered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to develop NZAUConnect.  The NZAUConnect app enables users to obtain information from the Australian and New Zealand Companies Registers along with the Australian Business Names Register.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

Commerce Minister Craig Foss has welcomed the launch of QR codes and Company Badges as the Companies Office continues to make company information accessible online.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Christopher Finlayson and Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss have welcomed collaboration that will lead to greater efficiencies and savings for Crown entities NZ On Air, the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) and The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA).

The three agencies are now based at the same location and have increased sharing of back office functions. A blessing was held this morning to mark the occasion.

  • Craig Foss
  • Christopher Finlayson
  • Broadcasting
  • Arts, Culture and Heritage

Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss has welcomed research showing that at least 91 per cent of homes in the North Island have now made the switch to digital television.

The latest research shows that 91 per cent of homes in the Lower North Island and 92 per cent of homes in the Upper North Island have gone digital.  

  • Craig Foss
  • Broadcasting

NZ on Screen, a website funded by NZ On Air has had more than 1 million visits in the last year, a thirty per cent increase on 2012, Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss announced today.

“More and more Kiwis are choosing to watch New Zealand television and film, and to listen to Kiwi music online. More than 1 million visits to the NZ on Screen website shows that New Zealanders watch and listen to Kiwi content on a range of platforms. These websites increase the availability of content,” says Mr Foss.

  • Craig Foss
  • Broadcasting

A Bill that removes the requirement for smaller companies to produce complex financial statements has passed its second reading in Parliament.

The Financial Reporting Bill allows shareholders of small and medium-sized companies to decide whether the company must prepare financial statements says Commerce Minister Craig Foss.

“More than half a million companies are registered in New Zealand and all of them – regardless of their size – are currently required to prepare financial statements.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

Broadcasting Minister, Craig Foss and Pacific Island Affairs Minister Hekia Parata are today announcing the appointments of Dr Lesieli MacIntyre and Taualeo’o Stephen Stehlin to the board of the National Pacific Radio Trust (NPRT).

Dr MacIntyre was a senior lecturer in Pasifika education at the Massey University College of Education. She has researched and written extensively on Pasifika education issues and is currently a senior adviser to Pacific Island students at the University.

  • Craig Foss
  • Hekia Parata
  • Pacific Island Affairs
  • Broadcasting

A Bill to strengthen the companies and limited partnerships registration regime has passed its second reading announced Commerce Minister Craig Foss.

The Companies and Limited Partnerships Amendment Bill will address the misuse of New Zealand’s registration scheme by overseas entities and tightens the criteria for company registration.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

New KiwiSaver disclosure rules giving New Zealanders better information to compare Kiwisaver funds come into force tomorrow says Commerce Minister Craig Foss.

Retail KiwiSaver schemes will be required to publish consistent and comparable information about their funds. Previously there have been no specific reporting requirements on KiwiSaver schemes to disclose information about the performance of their funds.

“These changes allow KiwiSaver members to directly and easily compare funds and make an informed investment choice,” says Mr Foss.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

The Government has decided on regulations needed to bring the Financial Markets Conduct (FMC) Bill into force, Commerce Minister Craig Foss announced today.

“These regulations are part of the most significant reform of financial market regulation in a generation. The FMC Bill is a key pillar in the Capital Markets work stream of the Government’s Business Growth Agenda. The Bill is aimed at increasing investment in our capital markets so our firms can grow.

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce

Commerce Minister Craig Foss has today announced reforms to three areas of regulation regarding accounting and auditing services in New Zealand.

These reforms are to be included in an Accounting Infrastructure Reform Bill which will be introduced to Parliament later in 2013.

“This Bill will encourage efficiency, competition and give the New Zealand accounting market a more international outlook,” says Mr Foss.

The reforms will:

  • Craig Foss
  • Commerce