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State Services Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman and Women’s Affairs Minister Jo Goodhew welcomed the release of a new survey showing positive progress for women in the public sector.

The State Services Commission has today released its 2012 Human Resources Capability Survey which has recorded in increase in the number of women appointed to senior leadership roles.

“At just over 42 per cent, we now have the highest percentage of women in senior leadership positions since the HRC survey began,” Mrs Goodhew said.

Minister of Defence Dr Jonathan Coleman and Chief of Army Major General Tim Keating today visited Kiwi troops at North Camp in the Sinai Peninsula.

"It was a great opportunity to talk with our 28 strong Kiwi contingent who form part of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) deployment that helps maintain peace between Israel and Egypt in the Sinai," said Dr Coleman.

"Our people are doing an excellent job as drivers, trainers and key operational planning personnel who contribute a huge amount to the MFO," he said.

The Defence Minister is travelling to Egypt to attend the 70th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of El Alamein.

Dr Coleman will join a contingent of veterans attending the commemorations of a battle significant for the 2nd New Zealand Division during its World War Two North African campaign.

The Minister will also use the trip to visit the New Zealand contingent serving with the Multinational Force and Observers group (MFO) in the Sinai.

He will also hold talks with the Director General of the MFO, David Satterfield.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman expresses the Government’s condolences to the family of Private Michael Ross, after Police and Navy divers located his body in Lake Moawhango yesterday.

Private Ross was an experienced serviceman who had served his country well both in New Zealand and in Timor Leste.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman has been in Afghanistan over the past few days to visit the New Zealand Defence Force Provincial Reconstruction Team, as well as to hold talks with officials in Bamyan and Kabul.

“The visit was an opportunity to offer support to the PRT for the important work it has been performing in providing security to the Province,” said Dr Coleman.

Defence Minister, Jonathan Coleman, says the newly appointed Secretary of Defence will bring valuable skills and experience to the job.

The State Services Commissioner announced today that Helene Quilter will take over as Secretary of Defence on December 1st 2012.

“I am very pleased with Helene Quilter’s appointment. She is well qualified for the job. Ms Quilter is currently Deputy Commissioner at the State Services Commission were she played a leadership role with the central agency team responsible for Defence White Paper reforms,” said Dr Coleman.

The Defence Minister is welcoming the pay rise announced for New Zealand Defence Force staff today.

The Chief of the Defence Force, Lieutenant General Rhys Jones, announced to Defence Force employees that $45 million has been allocated for pay rises.

The Defence Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman has announced the United States Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, will visit New Zealand towards the end of next week.

It will be the first visit to New Zealand by a United States Secretary of Defense in 30 years.

“The New Zealand government is looking forward to hosting Secretary Panetta. His visit is a reflection of the excellent state of the relationship between our two countries,” said Dr Coleman.

Defence Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman and Singapore’s Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen have held their first bilateral talks in Parliament today.

Dr Ng is in Wellington on his first official visit to New Zealand as Singapore’s Minister for Defence.

During their meeting, Dr Coleman and Dr Ng discussed a wide range of defence and security issues, and reaffirmed the close and longstanding defence relationship between New Zealand and Singapore.

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully and Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman today confirmed Cabinet has agreed the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) will be withdrawn from Bamyan province in Afghanistan by the end of April 2013.

The Ministers say the announcement is the culmination of months of planning and is part of an orderly and sequenced International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) plan for transition.

The size of the core public service has reduced by 555 positions in the six months to June, which is 574 positions below the “cap”, the State Services Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman has announced.

“The government pledged to cap the size of the core public service during the 2011 election campaign to 36,475 and Cabinet set it at that figure in March 2012,” said Dr Coleman.

The State Sector and Public Finance Reform Bill has today been introduced in parliament, says State Services Minister Jonathan Coleman.

“This is an omnibus bill which amends the State Sector, Public Finance and Crown Entities Acts to provide the legislative grunt to deliver better public services,” he said.

“The amendments create a range of public sector management tools to foster an innovative, efficient public sector to deliver better identified results for New Zealanders,” he said.

Another milestone in the upgrade of the Ohakea air base was reached today with the Defence Minister opening the new $43 million aircraft maintenance workshop.

The Air Force Maintenance Support Squadron workshops will house 140 staff in two main buildings and three small ancillary buildings, with a foot print of nearly 13 thousand square metres.

New Zealanders are increasingly satisfied with the frontline public services they receive according to the latest Kiwis Count survey released today by State Services Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman.

The State Services Commission’s Kiwis Count survey, which measures satisfaction with 42 frequently-used public services, revealed an overall increase in the service quality score.

New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel will withdraw from Syria this week as the United Nations Supervision Mission (UNSMIS) ends, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully and Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman announced today.

“The UN Security Council’s mandate for the mission expired on 19 August. The UN has indicated it will have all international military observers, including all NZDF personnel, out of Syria by 23 August,” Mr McCully says.

Defence Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman says the death of three New Zealand Defence Force staff in Bamyan will come as a deep shock to the nation.

“My immediate thoughts are with the families of these three NZDF soldiers who lost their lives, and the wider NZDF community. It comes as a significant blow after the other casualties our Defence Force suffered on August 4th,” said Dr Coleman.

“The government expresses its sorrow on the deaths of these three soldiers who lost their lives while on active service in Bamyan.”

Defence Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman announced today that New Zealander Major-General Warren Whiting has been extended as the Force Commander of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai to March 2014.

“Major-General Whiting has done an exemplary job leading the MFO during a time of unprecedented change in Egypt and the wider region,” said Dr Coleman.

“The importance of the work of the MFO in supporting stability and peace efforts and the leadership of Major-General Whiting is highly valued.”

The new Medal Repository at the National Army Museum in Waiouru has been opened today by the Defence Minister, Dr Jonathan Coleman.

“This new Medal Repository is world-class and displays the medal collection in a fitting, accessible and secure way,” said Dr Coleman.

“It is a tangible memorial to the brave men and woman who served the country in times of war and at the same time tells the stories of the medal recipients,” he said.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman has offered his condolences to the families of two New Zealand Defence Force soldiers killed in action in Bamyan overnight.

A further six NZDF soldiers were wounded in a clash with insurgents in the North Eastern area of the province, which also involved local security forces.

"The NZDF was responding to local security forces coming under attack and it developed into a serious incident," said Dr Coleman.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman has announced the NZ Defence Force and Fulton Hogan have signed a deal to help accommodate workers involved in the Christchurch earthquake rebuild.

The NZDF has signed a lease agreement with Fulton Hogan for 42 empty defence houses next to the Burnham Military Camp.

Both organisations have been searching for solutions to the shortage of accommodation to house workers and their families who have relocated to Christchurch to work on the rebuild.

The Minister of Defence has extended his condolences over the death of a New Zealand Defence Force sailor in the Cook Islands.

Able Seaman Combat Specialist William Delamare died in Rarotonga early this morning in a scooter accident while on leave. His ship HMNZS Otago was visiting Rarotonga.

“I wish to extend my condolences to friends and loved ones of William Delamare and also to his crewmates on the Otago,” said Dr Coleman.

“The tragic loss of this young life will be a big shock to all those close to William Delamare.”

The Government intends to introduce a package of legislative changes to help the public sector achieve better results for New Zealanders, Deputy Prime Minister Bill English and State Services Minister Jonathan Coleman say.

As indicated in the Budget last month, the Government has started consulting other parties on changes to the State Sector, Public Finance and Crown Entities Acts as part of its Better Public Services reforms.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman and US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta today signed the Washington Declaration, a new defence cooperation arrangement, at the Pentagon in Washington DC.

“New Zealand’s relationship with the US has advanced significantly in the last three years, with the signing of the Wellington Declaration in 2010 and Prime Minister John Key’s visit to Washington last year,” Dr Coleman says.

The Minister of Defence is attending the 11th Shangri-La Dialogue being held in Singapore this weekend.

The dialogue has developed into the most prominent meeting for defence ministers, defence officials and security sector experts in the Asia-Pacific region.

Twenty eight countries, including the United States, China, and the United Kingdom are attending this weekend’s summit.

“The dialogue will offer a unique opportunity to meet with a number of my ministerial counterparts, and to discuss key security issues facing the region,” said Dr Coleman