Displaying 49 - 72 of 233 results.

Good afternoon. It’s a pleasure to be with you again today.

My thanks to Michael and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, and Steve and Massey University, for inviting me back to this annual event.

This is the fifth time I’ve spoken at this forum since becoming Minister of Finance.

With your support later this year, I look forward to returning in 2015.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

Government spending remains under control and revenue remains somewhat below forecast in the six months to 31 December – possibly due to timing issues, Finance Minister Bill English says.

This resulted in the operating deficit before gains and losses coming in at $1.8 billion for the six months – or $379 million higher than forecast.

“Given the large size of both the revenue and spending bases, overall we are still tracking reasonably close to forecast for the first six months of the financial year,” Mr English says.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

The public service deserves congratulations on its achievements over the last five years because it’s unique in three ways.

The Kiwi Counts survey shows that, in general, the public thinks services are better now than they were five years ago, almost across the board.

Secondly, it’s been impressive that we’ve been able to meet our fiscal objectives every year for the past five years. That is very unusual by the standards of any developed country. I would argue that the path ahead looks more sustainable than we had expected.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

Finance Minister Bill English will join representatives from the world’s largest economies at the meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Sydney this week.

Australia, as host of the G20 this year, has invited New Zealand to attend as a guest alongside the G20 members. The finance ministers will meet again in Cairns in September.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

The first comprehensive analysis of the performance and condition of New Zealand’s infrastructure networks confirms they are performing well, but there are challenges ahead, Finance Minister Bill English says.

“Until now, we have not had a complete picture about the condition and performance of our entire national infrastructure networks,” he says.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

The Government has set up a working group to advise ministers on how the collection, sharing and use of business and personal information will impact on public services in the coming years.

“The Government has put in a lot of effort over recent years to provide frameworks for the collection, storage and use of information,” Finance Minister Bill English says.

“In particular, we have worked hard to catch up with public expectations about security and privacy in the fast-moving electronic environment.

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Bill English
  • Statistics
  • Finance

Finance Minister Bill English will deliver Budget 2014 on Thursday, 15 May, he announced today.

“This will be the National-led Government’s sixth Budget and it will remain focused on delivering sensible policies that support a more competitive and faster-growing economy, more jobs, higher incomes and opportunities for New Zealand families,” he says.

“The Government’s programme is delivering results, but achieving our potential will require consistent and positive change for several years to come.

  • Bill English
  • Finance
  • Budget 2014

Moody’s Investors Service says New Zealand’s economy and government finances are on an improving trend, which confirms the Government’s responsible economic and fiscal programme is on the right track, Finance Minister Bill English says.

New Zealand is one of only 10 countries with the top Aaa rating and a stable outlook by Moody’s. It is also rated AA by Standard and Poor’s.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

The Government’s financial statements for the five months to 30 November reinforce the need to remain focused on disciplined fiscal and economic policy, Finance Minister Bill English says.

Lower core Crown tax revenue than forecast in the Half-Year Update last month left the operating deficit before gains and losses at $2.34 billion for the five months.

This was about $400 million larger than forecast, although the Treasury believes most of this revenue difference was due to timing issues and will reverse out in coming months.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

Finance Minister Bill English will attend the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland next week.

It is the first time Mr English has attended the Forum annual meeting, which attracts around 3,000 political, business and economic leaders from around the world.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

The Government’s sound policies are building a faster-growing economy, with annual growth moving ahead of Australia and supporting more jobs and higher incomes, Finance Minister Bill English says.

Statistics New Zealand today reported gross domestic product expanded by 1.4 per cent in the September quarter, the largest quarterly increase since December 2009.

This took annual growth – from the September quarter 2012 to the September quarter 2013 - to 3.5 per cent. Average annual growth was 2.6 per cent.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

The Government’s programme to build a faster-growing economy with more jobs and rising incomes is delivering positive results, Finance Minister Bill English says.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

The Opposition will be disappointed by the provisional result of the share offer referendum in which less than 30 per cent of eligible voters turned out to oppose the Government’s share sales programme, Finance Minister Bill English says.

With a turnout of 44 per cent of eligible voters, 67 per cent voted to oppose the share sales and 32.5 per cent voted in favour of them.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

A combination of slightly higher than expected revenue and lower than forecast spending left the Government’s operating deficit before gains and losses almost $400 million smaller than expected at $1.75 billion in the four months to 31 October.

“The result continues a trend over the past year of the Government’s fiscal results exceeding forecasts, as we remain on track to return to surplus in 2014/15,” Finance Minister Bill English says.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

The managed wind-down of Learning Media has been completed, Finance Minister Bill English and Education Minister Hekia Parata say.

“The Learning Media board has managed the wind down in a way that provided certainty of provision for publications such as the School Journal, as well as ensuring staff were treated fairly,” Mr English says.

  • Hekia Parata
  • Bill English
  • Education
  • Finance

The Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update this month will revise the estimated range of proceeds from the Government’s share offer programme to $4.6 billion - $5 billion, Finance Minister Bill English says.

“The revised assumption of share sale proceeds is based on Solid Energy clearly being in no position to be sold anytime soon, and it takes account of other developments and the results of share offers to date,” he told Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee today.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

New Zealand will be among the strongest developed economies in the world over the next few years, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s latest annual Economic Outlook published overnight.

The OECD is forecasting annual economic growth in New Zealand of 2.4 per cent and 3.6 per cent over the next two calendar years, and for the current account deficit to narrow to less than 4 per cent of gross domestic product.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

The Government’s comprehensive Business Growth Agenda is helping New Zealand build a productive and competitive economy to deliver more jobs and higher growth for people around New Zealand, Finance Minister Bill English and Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce say.

  • Steven Joyce
  • Bill English
  • Economic Development
  • Finance

New Zealand has been ranked 4th in the 2013 Global Open Data Barometer, released in London by the World Wide Web Foundation and Open Data Institute.

“This is a real coup for New Zealand.  The Barometer is the first survey of global trends which ranks 77 countries on how they release their public data and the benefits those initiatives have for citizens and the economy,” says Mr English. 

  • Maurice Williamson
  • Chris Tremain
  • Bill English
  • Land Information
  • Internal Affairs
  • Finance

The Government’s Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update will be issued on Tuesday, 17 December, Finance Minister Bill English announced today.

“The Government is aiming to return to surplus in 2014/15 and we are seeing good momentum building in the economy,” he says.

“Over the past five years, the Government’s economic programme has ensured the most vulnerable New Zealanders have been protected, while at the same time building a more productive and competitive economy capable of providing more jobs and higher incomes.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

Treasury advice shows that the so-called “living wage” is not well targeted to help low-income families and, if implemented, would be likely to cost jobs and be unlikely to lift average wage rates, Finance Minister Bill English says.

The Government’s economic programme is focused on increasing incomes and supporting more jobs and the best way to achieve that is through a growing and more competitive economy, Mr English says.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

Lower income households are paying a smaller proportion of net income tax than they did in 2008, indicating that the tax system has become more progressive since the Government’s tax changes in 2010, Finance Minister Bill English says.

“This should contribute to improvements in income equality in New Zealand, contrary to the Opposition’s completely false claims that lower income households were disadvantaged by the tax changes,” he says.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

The National State of Infrastructure Report published today shows the benefits of the Government’s commitment to major infrastructure projects New Zealand needs to build a competitive and productive economy, Finance Minister Bill English says.

This is the second annual progress report prepared by the National Infrastructure Unit within the Treasury.

  • Bill English
  • Finance

A number of ongoing global risks reinforce the need for New Zealand to continue improving its own economic resilience and competitiveness, Finance Minister Bill English says.

It can do that by returning to budget surplus and addressing potential threats to financial stability such as housing affordability, he told the Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand (INFINZ) annual conference in Auckland today.

  • Bill English
  • Finance