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Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain today announced the reappointment of Rt Hon Wyatt Creech as Chair and David McFarlane as Deputy Chair of the Fire Service Commission Board. Rangi Wills has also been appointed as a new Board member.

“Rangi Wills will be succeeding the incumbent member Bob Francis, who has served two full terms on the Board. I am particularly pleased that this appointment will bring Māori representation back to the Board, as Māori are represented strongly in the volunteer fire service.

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain says lower passport fees are being considered as the Government moves to enable online passport applications.

“Online applications have been trialled successfully and will be available to the public by the end of the year. This will streamline the process of applying for a passport and reduce costs, providing the opportunity to look at the level of fees,” says Mr Tremain.

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain says the Government is taking the next steps towards the adoption of cloud computing, paving the way for improved services and significant cost savings.

Cloud computing will enable government agencies to pay per-use for ICT products and services delivered through networks, rather than maintain their own ICT infrastructure.

“Cloud computing is an exciting, emerging technology which will contribute directly to better public services, promote innovation, and substantially reduce costs,” says Mr Tremain.

Online passport applications and a single customer number for businesses are among plans to improve the way government interacts with companies and the public, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain say.

As part of the Government’s Better Public Services initiative, the Ministers today released action plans for the Government’s planned one-stop online shop for businesses (Result Area 9) and for New Zealanders to complete transactions with Government easily online (Result Area 10).

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain today announced appointments to the two bodies that support the National Library of New Zealand.

“I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Helen Tait as the new Chair of the Guardians Kaitiaki of the Alexander Turnbull Library,” says Mr Tremain.

There are three other appointments to the Guardians Kaitiaki:

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain announced today the first round of funding to commemorate the centenary of World War One is now open to applicants.

“To recognise the importance of this war to our nation, the Lottery Grants Board has set aside over $17 million to fund commemorative projects,” says Mr Tremain.

“Funding for commemorative events is available through two pools: a $7.291 million general fund for community events and smaller capital work projects; and a $10 million fund for one or more large scale projects of national significance.

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain has announced that former Cabinet Minister Paul Swain will head the four person panel to review New Zealand’s fire services.

Other panel members are:

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain has announced a review of the functions and funding of New Zealand’s fire services.

“An independent panel will provide advice on how New Zealand can have a 21st century fire service which operates seamlessly with the roles performed by other emergency service providers,” says Mr Tremain. “This will include identifying any gaps or overlaps in emergency services and options for the future role of the fire service.

New Zealanders now have online access to a fascinating glimpse of their early history through the pages of the first 21 years of the New Zealand Herald says Internal Affairs Minister, Chris Tremain.

The addition of digitised Herald issues from 1863 to 1884 to the National Library’s website http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz  will be officially launched in Auckland this evening. 

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain today announced the reappointment of two members of the Gambling Commission – Graeme Reeves as Chief Gambling Commissioner and Paul Stanley as Gambling Commissioner. Both Commissioners’ terms are for three years.

“The reappointments will retain valuable governance experience and skills. Mr Reeves, of Wellington, will continue to provide his legal expertise and strategic analysis experience, while Mr Stanley, of Tauranga, will provide Māori and health sector perspectives,” says Mr Tremain.

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain today announced the reappointment of Nicola McCully as the Deputy Chief Censor of Film and Literature for a further three-year term.

“The reappointment will maintain the organisational capability of the Office of Film and Literature Classification and is part of a long-term succession management plan. The Office is an independent Crown entity that classifies films, videos, books, magazines, and computer files and bans objectionable publications,” says Mr Tremain.

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain today announced that $17 million in lottery funding has been allocated by the Lottery Grants Board to commemorate the centenary of ANZAC landings at Gallipoli and the First World War.

“The Lottery Grants Board recognises the importance of this centenary event to our nation. This money will be available to fund community events and projects marking the centenary of World War One with $10 million going towards one or more large scale commemoration projects of national significance,” says Mr Tremain.

Smart new online services will make it easier for the New Zealand public and businesses to interact with the Government, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain say.

Targets set for the Government’s planned one-stop online shop for businesses (Better Public Services Result 9) and for New Zealanders to complete transactions with government easily online (Result 10) were released today by Prime Minister John Key.

The targets are:

Minister of Internal Affairs Chris Tremain says a new mobi site launched today by the Department of Internal Affairs will make it easier to complain about text (TXT) spam.

A mobi site is a web site easily accessible for mobile/smart phones and other hand-held devices. The code has been available for some years but, before the mobi site, a user had to go through the Department’s website to complete details.

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain confirmed today that New Zealand’s founding document, the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, will be relocated from its current home in the Archives New Zealand building to the newly refurbished National Library building in Wellington.

The nine Tiriti o Waitangi sheets have been on permanent display in the Constitution Suite at the Archives New Zealand building on Mulgrave Street since 1991, and will be relocated to Molesworth Street in 2013.

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain announced today that the Department of Internal Affairs has signed a three year agreement with Microsoft which will reduce future licensing costs by up to $119 million.

The agreement, negotiated by the Department of Internal Affairs, will provide a range of products to government agencies on desktop and office productivity software like Windows and Office, and enterprise software like Windows Server, Exchange and SQL Server Database.

Minister for Disability Issues Hon Tariana Turia, and Internal Affairs Minister Hon Chris Tremain are encouraging marae to utilise an excellent resource for enhancing accessibility on the marae, Te Whakaāheitanga Marae Kua Wātea te Huarahi.

This marae accessibility toolkit was put together by people from CCS Disability Action Waikato, Community Waikato, Hauraki Maori Trust Board, and Waikato District Health Board.

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain says a computer infrastructure deal signed off by the Department of Internal Affairs will save taxpayers up to $250 million over the next ten years.

The Department of Internal Affairs today confirmed IBM as the third member of the Government Infrastructure as a Service supplier panel. IBM joins Datacom and Revera Ltd who were awarded contracts in October 2011.

Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain has applauded the work of the Department of Internal Affairs censorship team for its latest worldwide sting tracking offenders trading in images of child sexual abuse.

Rural public libraries to get UFB boost

Public access to broadband has received a big boost, with 183 rural public libraries included in the Rural Broadband Initiative, Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams and Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain have announced.

Ultra-fast broadband (UFB) will be available at libraries throughout the country, including in Winton, Waimate, Darfield, Hokitika, Te Kuiti, Opotiki and Ngaruawahia.

Ms Adams says having UFB available at rural libraries will make a big difference to local communities.

A $10 million state-of-the-art extension to the Fire Service’s National Training Centre in Rotorua was officially opened today by Internal Affairs Minister Amy Adams.

Ms Adams says the facilities will meet firefighters’ training needs well into the future.

“Firefighters are an integral part of our community and during a crisis we rely on them to protect and help us. We need to ensure our firefighters have access to the best training possible.

Investigators tackling the trading of child sexual abuse photos on the Internet will now find it easier to detect objectionable images, Internal Affairs Minister Amy Adams says.

Internal Affairs’ Censorship Compliance Unit has been working with Microsoft on the development of PhotoDNA, world-class technology designed to identify and remove images that exploit or endanger children.

The technology will allow investigators to detect and process objectionable images more efficiently as well as re-examine the methods they use to review the images.

Internal Affairs Minister Amy Adams has welcomed the first reading of a bill that will make it easier for people to verify their identities to government agencies.

The Electronic Identity Verification Bill will provide people using the Internet with the option of an easy and secure way to verify their identities to access a range of services from government agencies.

The service works in combination with the igovt log-on service, which allows people to use one log-on to access secure online services across multiple government agencies.