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Pacific Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has welcomed Tonga Language Week 2015.

Tongan language, culture and heritage have had a significant impact on New Zealand’s history and identity as a Pacific nation.

They will be celebrated all week with cultural events, including a function at Parliament tonight.

The theme of this year’s Tonga Language Week is Fakakoloa ‘o Aotearoa ‘aki ‘a e faiva ‘a e Tonga – Enriching Aotearoa with our Tongan Arts.

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today attended the launch of Secure Online Learning for prisoners at Rimutaka Prison.

Secure Online Learning (SOL) will be implemented nationwide after a successful six-month pilot with young prisoners at Christchurch Men’s Prison.

It allows carefully selected prisoners to securely access 12 educational websites. No other websites are available to them.

SOL will replace paper based-assessment and learning processes which are prone to inaccuracies.

Justice Minister Amy Adams and Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga have today released the draft Terms of Reference for the Government Inquiry into the handling of the Tony Robertson case.

The draft Terms of Reference focus on:

Pacific Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has welcomed Cook Islands Language Week.

The theme is “to tatou reo tupuna e korona ia no to tatou matakeinanga” – our language is a crowning glory of our community.

The theme of the language week, which began yesterday, reflects the contribution the Cook Islands language and culture make to New Zealand’s society.

“When you are in the community you understand the Pacific influence in New Zealand’s culture,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has announced that an independent review will be carried out of Corrections’ monitoring of Tony Robertson following his release from prison in 2013.

“I have decided the family of Blessie Gotingco and the public need some independent assurance about Corrections’ part in the handling of the Robertson case,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says he supports Corrections’ decision to take over the management of Mt Eden Corrections Facility.  

“The safety and security of staff and prisoners is paramount,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

“Following a new allegation yesterday, I am pleased that Corrections chief executive Ray Smith has made the decision that Corrections will take over the running of the facility for the immediate future. 

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga was this afternoon advised of fresh allegations involving Mt Eden Corrections Facility.

These allegations have been outlined in a media statement from the Department of Corrections.

“I expect to receive advice from Corrections Chief Executive Ray Smith about the options available to address the situation,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

“I will not be making any further comment until I have received and considered this advice.” 

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today made it clear to Serco managers that he expects safety and security at Mt Eden Corrections Facility to be a top priority.

Mr Lotu-Iiga met Serco's director of operations Scott McNairn and managing director Paul Mahoney today to discuss recent incidents and allegations at Mt Eden Prison. 

“I have made my concerns clear to both Serco and the Department of Corrections, and have laid out my expectations going forward,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga and his Australian state and territory counterparts have agreed to develop better processes for sharing Corrections information across borders about deported offenders.

The issue of deported offenders was discussed at the recent Corrective Services Ministers conference held in Darwin.

Over the last few days, video footage has emerged which apparently shows prisoners at Mt Eden Corrections Facility fighting and engaging in other activities that are banned inside New Zealand prison facilities.

An internal investigation into these events is being carried out by Serco, which runs the remand facility.  Police have also been advised and may conduct their own investigation.

More than 1000 people a week are now using the telephone interpreter service Language Line, Ethnic Communities Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says.

Over the last year, almost 56,500 phone calls were made to access Language Line, which allows non-English speakers to communicate with organisations across the public, private and not for profit sectors confidentially and free of charge.

A former government minister and a former TVNZ reporter are among the new faces in the council that advises Pacific Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga.

Nine Pacific professionals and leaders have been selected to sit on the Pacific Peoples Advisory Council for a three-year term from July 1. They replace the former council of 11 members, whose term has ended.

The new council will focus on education, employment, entrepreneurship and economic development issues.

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga will meet his Australian state counterparts this week to discuss how current policies and practices are working in the Australasian prison system.

Mr Lotu-Iiga will attend the three-day Corrective Services Ministers conference in Darwin from today.

He will join state Corrections and Justice ministers to discuss how policies and practices such as working prisons and vocational and education training are creating positive change in prisons in both countries.

An assessment tool for use in the residential aged care sector has been rolled out across the country, Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says.

The project has trained 2511 registered nurses in the use of the interRAI Long Term Care Facilities assessment.

The standardised assessment tool is designed to improve the care of older people in residential care facilities, with nurses able to create tailor-made care plans for residents.

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga will visit a Samoan prison today to see first-hand how New Zealand Corrections staff are working to help create an independent and effective prison service in the Pacific nation.

New Zealand Corrections staff have been training and working alongside their Samoan counterparts in local prisons since its government decided in January this year to separate its police and prison services.

The new structure will mean the services will have separate reporting lines but will continue to share a minister.

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today officially opened the refurbished North Shore Community Corrections site in Glenfield.

The refurbishment of the site is part of a five-year nationwide programme to make Community Corrections sites more secure and better equipped to help offenders turn their lives around.

Mr Lotu-Iiga says the improvements to the North Shore site will benefit staff, visitors and community-based offenders who report there.

Pacific Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga will travel to Tonga today to attend the coronation of King Tupou VI.

Mr Lotu-Iiga will attend the coronation in Nuku’alofa tomorrow as part of a New Zealand delegation that includes Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae, Labour leader Andrew Little, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters and Māori Party co-leader Marama Fox.

King Tupou VI succeeded his older brother King Tupou V following the latter’s death in 2012.

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today helped celebrate the return of 8500ha of Crown land to Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

Some of the land on the Tongariro/Rangipō Prison site will continue to be used by Corrections to help rehabilitate prisoners.  This includes about 700ha for a training farm for prisoners to hone their farming skills, giving them real work opportunities on release.

The sale of the land to Ngāti Tūwharetoa was finalised today at a ceremony at Rongomai Marae near Taupō.

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today officially opened the refurbished Taupō Community Corrections site.

Mr Lotu-Iiga says the improvements will benefit staff, visitors and community-based offenders who report there.

One of the key features of the refurbishment is the reception counter which has anti-climb features and is overlooked by staff in the open plan work area for increased visibility and security. 

Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today officially opened the refurbished Te Awamutu Community Corrections site.

Mr Lotu-Iiga says the improvements will benefit staff, visitors and the community-based offenders who report there.

One of the key features of the refurbishment is the reception counter which has anti-climb features and is overlooked by staff in an open plan work area for increased visibility and security.

On-body cameras for frontline Corrections staff are being rolled out at the same time as new lightweight stab-resistant body armour, Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga has announced.

The body armour is designed to have the camera mounted on it.

The introduction of 1000 on-body cameras across all prisons, beginning in Arohata Prison near Wellington, follows successful trials in two prisons last year. Results suggest the cameras reduced disruptive incidents by 15-20 per cent compared with the year before.

Customs Minister Nicky Wagner says Customs has destroyed over 2.5 tonnes of abandoned tobacco and collected $1.35 million in additional duty and taxes since the drop in tobacco duty free limits last November.

“People seem to be learning about the change. The amount of tobacco abandoned at airports by those not wanting to pay duty is dropping from the 100 kilograms Customs was initially collecting every week,” Ms Wagner says.

The volunteers behind a project to improve the lives of Cook Islanders living in Auckland have been recognised for their work this National Volunteer Week.

“I congratulate the Takitumu Cultural and Arts Society on the successful completion of their community development scheme project,” says Pacific Peoples Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga.

The Takitumu Cultural and Arts Society’s three-year project aimed to improve outcomes for Auckland’s Cook Islands population.

Ramadan has begun and Ethnic Communities Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga wishes all Muslims in New Zealand the best for the holy month.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is regarded as the time in which the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. To mark this event, Muslims around the world fast for a month.