Displaying 1 - 24 of 87 results.

Ngaio Primary School will receive a major property upgrade worth almost $3.3 million, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye says.

“I am very pleased that an agreement has been reached with the Ngaio School Board to undertake several much-needed upgrades concurrently.

“We are also using this opportunity to provide some exciting new learning spaces for the students that will assist in the delivery of the curriculum. Bundling the work into one project will help to reduce disruption to the students and staff.”

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Education

Foreign Minister Murray McCully and Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye today announced a new partnership aimed at helping Pacific Island nations prepare for and manage natural disasters.

“The Pacific region is vulnerable to natural disasters such as tsunami, earthquakes and cyclones,” Mr McCully says.

“Over the last three years the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) have been working together with Pacific Island governments to help them prepare for natural disasters.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Murray McCully
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Civil Defence

The Government is investing more than $22 million in the redevelopment of four schools across North Canterbury, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye says.

“The funding will be used to expand and upgrade Oxford Area School, Rangiora Borough School, Ashgrove School and Southbrook School as part of the Government’s ongoing investment to ensure that schools have buildings fit for purpose and that provide safe and inspiring modern learning environments,” Ms Kaye says.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Education

Work to address weathertightness issues is now complete with today’s opening of  a $4 million technology block at Northcross Intermediate School in Auckland, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye says.

The two-storey building features a food and nutrition technology kitchen, a sound and light-proof media suite with green screen capability, hard and soft technology workshops, and a graphics studio.

“This impressive new space boasts modern learning spaces for students and staff, providing a fresh approach to learning and teaching,” says Ms Kaye.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Education

Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye today welcomed the announcement by Foodstuffs that it will adopt the Health Star Ratings on its Pams and Budget product packaging.

“Having the support of one of the biggest food retailers in the country is a good sign of industry confidence in this new food labelling system,” Ms Kaye says.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Food Safety

Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye today announced that the National-led Government will invest at least $350 million over the next four years to build new schools and classrooms in the rapidly growing Auckland region.

Ms Kaye made the announcement during a visit to Ponsonby Primary School with Prime Minister John Key.

“New Zealand is growing strongly and the school network will come under pressure in different parts of the country as the population grows,” Ms Kaye says.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Education

The first phase of weathertightness repairs to Gisborne Intermediate School is now complete, Associate Minister of Education Nikki Kaye says.

The $2.3 million project is being carried out in three phases as part of the Ministry of Education’s Building Improvement Programme, which was set up in 2009 to manage the testing and remediation of school buildings affected by water damage.

“The administration building has been re-clad and re-roofed, and work on the  technology block will begin this month,” Ms Kaye says.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Education

The rollout of fast internet to schools is almost five months ahead of schedule with 700 schools now connected to the Government’s Managed Network, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye says.

“The 700th connection was the target for the end of the first year so it is great news that this milestone has been reached so early. It is a tribute to the team at Network for Learning (N4L) to have connected so many schools so quickly,” Ms Kaye says.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Education

The Interim Labelling Guide for Manuka Honey released today by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is a positive step for the New Zealand industry, Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye says.

“The Guide provides clarification on what constitutes manuka-type honey, and aims to ensure that New Zealand is producing quality manuka honey that is labelled correctly and meets the expectations of overseas regulators, along with consumers here and overseas,” Ms Kaye says.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Food Safety

Today is significant for the Kawerau community with a ceremony to mark the start of construction of new facilities at Tarawera High School,  Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye says.

“The $15.6 million redevelopment of the school reflects the importance the Government  places on raising student achievement in Kawerau and on providing a fresh start for the school and local community.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Education

Teacher-training institutions can now access a digital resource that enables schools to share learning resources and best practices, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye says.

Pond, the online learning hub built by Crown-owned company Network for Learning, aims to become a central environment in digital discovery and participation for schools.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Education

Youth Affairs Minister Nikki Kaye has today opened Youth Fund 2015 with $200,000 available for community projects.

“The Ministry of Youth Development’s Youth Fund is unique in that it supports projects designed and led by young people aged 12 to 24, or projects by youth organisations in partnership with young people that develop community participation,” Ms Kaye says.

“Panels of young people will assess applications to determine successful projects and where the funding will go, resulting in a completely youth-led initiative.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Youth Affairs

Youth Affairs Minister Nikki Kaye today welcomed the opening of nominations for Her Majesty The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme, which aims to discover, celebrate and support young people from Commonwealth countries.

Buckingham Palace is searching for exceptional young leaders from every country in the Commonwealth, and the programme was officially launched in London on July 9 by their Royal Highnesses The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry on behalf of The Queen.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Youth Affairs

The Government expects to contribute millions of dollars in funding towards the Northland recovery and response costs, Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye says.

“Yesterday, local MP Mike Sabin and I visited a number of Northland communities and saw first hand the impact of the storms and flooding. I was pleased to hear of the superb efforts by council staff, the emergency services, communities and volunteers to assist people during the storm.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Civil Defence

The Government is considering a range of options to further support those affected by the Northland storms, Civil Defence Minister Kaye says.

“I can confirm that the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) has liaised with the Far North District Council, Kaipara District Council, Whangarei District Council and Northland Regional Council to establish a mayoral relief fund,” Ms Kaye says.

“This will be set up by the Far North and Whangarei councils with the majority of the fund going to the most affected areas in Northland.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Civil Defence

The Northland region is moving into the recovery stage following a week of severe weather that has resulted in the evacuation of homes and the closure of state highways, Minister of Civil Defence Nikki Kaye says.

Floodwaters are now dropping after heavy rainfall overnight on Friday resulted in further flooding and slips. Access has been restored to all affected communities.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Civil Defence

Minister for Food Safety Nikki Kaye today announced the reappointment of Andrew McKenzie and Neil Walker to the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) Board.

Dr McKenzie has a background in veterinary public health, food safety, food regulation, international and financial management.  He has extensive knowledge of the New Zealand food regulation system having led the New Zealand Food Safety Authority from its inception in 2002 until 2010.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Food Safety

The Government is investing $14.9 million in Rangiora High School to upgrade its buildings and facilities and to accommodate a growing roll, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“Rangiora High School has experienced a significant roll increase following the Christchurch earthquakes. It has a large number of relocatable classrooms in very poor condition, and property issues have compounded over time to the point where a substantial redevelopment is required.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Education

Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye today announced the opening of consultation on measures that aim to ensure the robustness of the government’s assurance system for infant formula exports.

“In June last year I announced a work plan to further protect and strengthen confidence in New Zealand’s food assurance systems, to match rapid growth in infant formula exports,” Ms Kaye says.

“Export assurances are particularly important for infant formula exports where consumers have strong concerns about food safety, quality and product integrity.”

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Food Safety

An electronic certification system that has been years in development is now operating for animal product exports, Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye says.

The new certification system, launched in the last few weeks, replaces an older system that was approaching the end of its life and becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. It currently applies to meat and seafood products, with certification of dairy products scheduled from September 1.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Food Safety

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye today invited seven organisations to participate in a Request for Proposals (RfP) to host the Food Safety Science and Research Centre.

“The Centre is being established to promote, co-ordinate, and deliver food safety science and research, in response to a key recommendation from the Government Inquiry into the Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC) Contamination incident,” Ms Kaye says. 

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Steven Joyce
  • Food Safety
  • Science and Innovation

Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye today announced the establishment of an ICT Advisory Service to help schools make the most of their new connections to the Managed Network.

In the interim, a targeted service will be delivered by Network For Learning (N4L). This will enable a tender process for the provision of a more comprehensive Learning Technologies Advisory Service to be completed.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Education

Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye today announced the launch of an online calculator that will enable food businesses to determine their products’ nutritional value under the Health Star Rating food labelling system.

Cabinet agreed last week to New Zealand adopting the voluntary system that has been developed as part of the Australian and New Zealand Ministers’ Food Forum. Both countries established advisory groups that deliberated for more than two years to work through the key issues and come to final recommendations.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Food Safety

The Ministry of Education aims to repair a further 15 quake-damaged school pools in the greater Christchurch area with most due for completion in time for the 2015 school year, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye said today.

“The pools repair programme is being funded as part of the government’s $1.137 billion investment over 10 years in education renewal in greater Christchurch,” Ms Kaye says.

  • Nikki Kaye
  • Education