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New Zealanders will have an extra $438 million a year in their pockets through ACC motor vehicle levy cuts that kick in today, says ACC Minister Nikki Kaye.

“From today, the average motor vehicle levy, including the annual licence levy and petrol levy, will fall from around $330 to $195,” says Ms Kaye.

“All car owners will receive annual licence levy cuts of between $40 and $130 for petrol cars, and between $80 and $170 for diesel cars.

“The ACC petrol levy also falls to 6.9 cents per litre from today, down from 9.9 cents per litre.

From today all New Zealand children aged under 13 will be eligible to access free GP visits at any time of the day or night seven days a week, as well as free prescriptions.

“We want to support families in giving their children the best possible start in life. We are making it easier for families to get the medical attention their child needs,” says Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman.

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye and Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss say car owners can now visit the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) RightCar website to see the reduced ACC levy they’ll pay from 1 July, when ACC introduces risk rating.

“From 1 July, all car owners will pay a reduced ACC annual licence levy,” says Ms Kaye.

“Levies will also reflect how safe a car is in a crash, and the RightCar site makes it easy to see the specific levy that will apply to your vehicle.

The Minister of Civil Defence, Nikki Kaye, has thanked communities and agencies in the Wellington and Bay of Plenty regions for the way they’ve responded to flooding, landslides and a tornado.

The Wellington region, including the Kapiti Coast and Hutt Valley, received torrential rain for much of yesterday, and last night a tornado struck Mount Maunganui.

“The Wellington region in particular faced significant disruption, and it was heart-warming to see how people reached out to support each other, for example by opening their homes to stranded commuters.

Budget 2015 will signal ACC is on track to provide further levy cuts of around $375 million in 2016/17 and $120 million in 2017/18, says ACC Minister Nikki Kaye.

“These indicative levy cuts represent a total saving for New Zealanders of around $500 million, and will be spread across the motor vehicle, work and earners accounts,” says Ms Kaye.

“The cuts are based on current financial projections and a funding direction which sees each of these accounts heading towards a solvency band of between 100 and 110 per cent.

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye today launched a new set of guidelines to reduce the risk of injuries to home carers.

Speaking at the Home and Community Health Association (HCHA) conference in Auckland, Ms Kaye said the aim of the guidelines, Supporting people to move at home – Practical tips and techniques for carer and support workers, is to reduce injuries that happen when moving and lifting people.

“Carers will often go the extra mile to assist their clients, who are often family members, but this can end up compromising their own health.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and ACC Minister Nikki Kaye say the Greens have got it wrong on free under 13s doctor visits.

“We expect levels of uptake by general practices of the free under 13s scheme to be similar to uptake of the under 6s scheme,” says Dr Coleman.

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye has welcomed the publication of details about risk rating, which will see car owners pay much lower and fairer levies from 1 July.

“Information is now available on ACC’s website, so car owners can see what levy they’ll pay for a specific vehicle.

“A tool will also be available on the rightcar website in the near future, which will let you key in your registration number and see what levy you will pay.”

The levy cuts that take effect today are a further sign of the sound financial management of ACC under this government, says ACC Minister Nikki Kaye.

“These cuts are possible because the ACC scheme is now essentially fully funded, which means it has enough money invested to meet the future costs of all current claims.

“This is a far cry from six years ago, when we inherited a scheme that saw the gap between its assets and liabilities grow by $4.8 billion in one year alone.”

ACC’s latest quarterly report highlights the impact of short-term volatilities on the ACC scheme’s financial position, says ACC Minister Nikki Kaye.

“The overall financial position of the scheme has improved over the past few years and it is now essentially fully funded.

“However, the quarterly report to 31 December 2014 confirms what the government has been saying about volatile discount rates and their effect on the scheme’s overall liabilities.”

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye has welcomed the $4 million investment in motorcycle safety initiatives in 2015/16 advised by the Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council.

The council represents the motorcycling community, and advises ACC on safety initiatives that will make motorcycling safer on New Zealand roads.

“Part of this investment will go towards re-engineering identified high-risk routes in urban and rural areas.

“The aim is to help reduce the number and severity of motorcyclist injuries resulting from poor road design, maintenance or surface condition.

ACC Minister Nikki Kaye welcomes ACC’s new support package for people who’ve experienced sexual abuse or assault.

“It’s clear to me ACC has listened to feedback from clients, families, counsellors and others, and their input is reflected in the more flexible, wider range of support now being offered,” says Ms Kaye.

“ACC has come a long way in the last few years and I’m encouraged things are heading in the right direction.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and ACC Minister Nikki Kaye have confirmed ACC’s commitment to free under 13s doctor visits.

“Free doctors’ visits and prescriptions for children aged under six will be extended to children aged under 13 from 1 July 2015,” says Dr Coleman.

“ACC will provide an additional $27.5 million over the next three years,” says Ms Kaye.

Everything’s on-track for a significant reduction in ACC motor vehicle levies from 1 July, says ACC Minister Nikki Kaye, who has decided how levies for new cars will be calculated.

“From 1 July 2015, the average motor vehicle levy, including the annual licence levy and petrol levy, will reduce from $330 to $195.

“This reflects the improved financial position of ACC’s Motor Vehicle Account, and will return around $438 million to levy payers.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and ACC Minister Nikki Kaye say consultation starts today on ACC support towards free kids’ doctors’ visits.

“From July next year, children aged 13 years and under will be able to access free doctors’ visits and prescriptions,” says Dr Coleman.

“This will make healthcare more accessible, take pressure off busy hospital emergency departments and improve the wellbeing of our children.”

Minister for ACC Nikki Kaye today welcomed the release of the Accident Compensation Corporation’s Annual Report, which shows its financial performance is improving.

ACC has achieved a surplus of $2.1billion - $300 million ahead of budget.

Levies will be reduced in 2015, and more reductions are expected from 2016, as the three levy accounts are now fully funded.

“I have written to the ACC Board to acknowledge this result. The Annual Report shows ACC is making good progress.