Search

Monday, 1 August, will mark an important milestone in work being progressed to build stronger relationships between communities and government.

Prime Minister, John Key, and Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Tariana Turia, will join with a wide variety of community and government representatives, Ministers and MPs in Parliament’s Grand Hall to sign and celebrate the Kia Tūtahi Standing Together Relationship Accord.

The Deaf, deaf-blind, speech and hearing-impaired community will soon benefit from an expanded range of communication services, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Steven Joyce, announced today.

New services to be progressively introduced from late this year will include captioned telephony, which allows people to read live captions of spoken phone conversations. People will also be able to contact the relay contact centre by mobile phone, and use a prepaid calling card to make international calls by Internet relay.

The Musical Island Boys Barbershop Quartet from Wellington took the first non-English song to the International Open Barbershop Championships held this past week in Kansas City, Missouri taking out second place – an achievement to be truly proud of, says Acting Minister of Pacific Island Affairs Tariana Turia.

Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment, Hon Tariana Turia, says good progress is being made to implement the New Zealand Carers' Strategy and Five Year Action Plan.

“Carers are doing New Zealand a great service in supporting the person they care for in their daily life and enabling them to stay closely connected to their family and community. 

Our nation is indeed fortunate that despite the presssure they are under,  carers demonstrate such enduring commitment and resilience in supporting others”.

Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Tariana Turia has announced three appointments to the Board of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, each for a period of six years from 1 July 2011.

"I am delighted with the calibre of the appointees, who each bring unique skills which will strengthen the Board membership" said Minister Turia. "I know that the Trust members look forward to welcoming Fiona Tregonning and Len Cook to the Board, and to benefit from the continuing expertise of Bruce Robertson".

The Crown has paid $250,000 to settle an injustice created in 1997, when the Karanga Te Kere Whānau Trust lands near Taumarunui were not included in the Māori Reserved Land Amendment Act.

The ex-gratia payment recognises that, because of the 1955 Māori Reserved Land Act, the Trust over time received less than fair market rents for their lands in Taumarunui.

Health Minister Tony Ryall and Associate Minister for Health Tariana Turia says that Budget 2011 sees the Government put an extra $130 million into disability support services over four years.

Mr Ryall says, "An extra $8.5 million a year extra is going into residential support services with some of that to help deal with increasing numbers of people being supported in these facilities.

"Home and community services, for activities like showering, getting dressed, preparing a meal, and house work, is to receive another $6.6 million a year.

A strengthened relationship between government and the community is the aim of a document to be signed at Parliament on 1 August.

The Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Tariana Turia, said the Kia Tutahi Standing Together Relationship Accord sets clear expectations about how government agencies and communities will work together.

Disabilities Minister Tariana Turia is bemused by comments made from Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni following the social services select committee hearing into Vote Social Development.

“From the negative tone of her release, I wondered if Ms Sepuloni had attended a completely different meeting” said Mrs Turia.    “The focus of my presentation was the appropriation for promoting positive outcomes for disabled persons”.

Community organisations directly responding to the needs of families and whānau experiencing family violence will receive most of the funding under the Family Centred Services Fund announced by Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment, Tariana Turia today.

Minster Turia said that in the 2011/2012 year, over $9.250 million will go to frontline services directly working with families and whānau.  This includes services funded under the previous Family Violence Whanau Ora Fund.    

Minister of Disability Issues Minister, Tariana Turia, has commended the initiative and the leadership of Nelson advocates for people with disabilities in placing the issue of accessibility on the agenda.

“’It was really positive to see the range of submissions presented by the Accessibility for All advocates, and others working on behalf of disabled persons to the Nelson City Council in their annual plan hearings” said Mrs Turia. 

Budget 2011 delivers $7.3 million of reprioritised funding over four years to drive more effective, more efficient services for sexual and reproductive health.   

“This will deliver improved sexual and reproductive health for New Zealanders,” says Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia.

Associate Minister of Health, Hon Tariana Turia, has welcomed the latest  Year 10 (14-15 year olds) smoking prevalence data for 2010 released by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

”The overall results are pleasing – in particular that daily smoking by Year 10 students is down to 5.5%”.

“While that is only a very small decline from 2009 (0.1%) I think we have to focus on the positive – that is, that it is still a decline, no matter how minimal” said Mrs Turia.

Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Tariana Turia is today announcing that she has secured additional funding of $3.3 million over three years for community-based initiatives to increase digital literacy and connection.

Associate Minister of Health, Hon Tariana Turia, is suggesting that New Zealanders have much to be proud of this World Smokefree Day (Tuesday 31 May 2011).

Mrs Turia has recently returned from Moscow, where she was invited to be a keynote speaker at the World Health Organisation Global Forum: Addressing the Challenges of Non-communicable Diseases.

Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Tariana Turia today announced a new initiative to support community-led development.

The announcement was made on Radio Waatea this morning.

“Community-led development puts communities at the centre of funding decisions and it allows the Government opportunity to invest in communities in a holistic way, rather than merely funding individual organisations and projects. It empowers local communities to generate local solutions to local problems.

The Government will invest an additional $30 million in Whanau Ora over the next four years, including $11.25 million in the coming year, Whanau Ora Minister Tariana Turia says.

The funding includes $25 million allocated in Budget 2011 and, subject to final Cabinet approval, another $5 million of reprioritised Māori Potential funding from within Vote Māori Affairs.

“The funding will maintain the momentum created by the Whanau Ora approach, with opportunities to extend coverage across the country,” Mrs Turia says.

Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia today announced a $12 million programme to reduce the rates of rheumatic fever in more vulnerable communities.

“This is an entirely preventable disease that can have serious consequences for children during childhood and throughout their lifetime. A simple sore throat can lead to permanent heart damage,” Mrs Turia says.

“The rates of rheumatic fever are now 14 times higher in New Zealand than in any other OECD country and we simply must do something about that.

Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia is shocked that a tobacco company would claim ‘it is not hard to quit smoking’.

The statement was made by the head of a major international tobacco company at its annual shareholder meeting.

“Make no mistake tobacco is a highly addictive substance that is claiming the lives of approximately 5000 New Zealanders every year and that alone should horrify tobacco companies.

“Tobacco casts a long shadow of death and disease that has touched almost every household in New Zealand,” says Mrs Turia.

The Government will invest $4 million over the next four years in Be. Accessible, Disability Issues Minister Tariana Turia says.

“Be. Accessible is an exciting and innovative social change campaign that aims to influence the attitudes and behaviours of New Zealanders so we can each play our part in creating a truly accessible nation.

“It will inspire and enable businesses, individuals and organisations to step up to the economic and social opportunity to improve accessibility for people with disabilities,” Mrs Turia says.

Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia is leading a New Zealand delegation to the First Global Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-communicable Diseases being held in Moscow from 28 - 29 April 2011.

Non-communicable diseases include obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes.

“They're called non-communicable because they can't be passed from one person to another but the rates of these diseases are increasing and having a major impact on health systems worldwide,” says Mrs Turia.

Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Tariana Turia is congratulating the Maori Wardens for all the work they have done in Christchurch since the February 22 earthquake.

Maori Wardens who have travelled from outside Christchurch to assist with the response to the earthquake will now be returning home.

“Watene Maori (Maori Wardens) travelled from throughout New Zealand to assist in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake and are just some of the many unsung heroes who helped to alleviate the pain of those who were suffering.

Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia is welcoming the Australian Government’s decision to legislate for the plain packaging of tobacco products.

In response to the Maori Affairs Select Committee enquiry into tobacco the New Zealand Government has already announced that it would monitor progress on Australia’s proposal to legislate for plain packaging of tobacco products and explore the option of New Zealand making similar moves in alignment with Australia.

Applications for funding under the 2011/12 Maori Provider Development Scheme are now being invited.

“Each year the Maori Provider Development Scheme invests in activities that build whanau capability, strengthen whanau connections, support the development of whanau leadership and enhance best outcomes for whanau.

“It also supports activities which aid the development of a highly skilled Maori health workforce and assists providers to improve their infrastructure, develop their workforce, achieve service integration and improve the quality of services.