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Finance Minister Bill English has paid tribute to distinguished businessman Sir Richard Carter, who died last week.

“Sir Richard was one of New Zealand’s most highly respected business leaders and I was saddened to hear of his death,” Mr English says.

“He made a significant contribution to New Zealand business and the flow of tributes in recent days confirms the high regard in which he was held by colleagues.”

The Government’s business migration scheme has attracted $416 million of potential investment capital that is poised to flow into the economy, Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman announced today.

‘’We developed a policy package that makes New Zealand very attractive to business migrants, and they’re staking their confidence in New Zealand at a time of difficult international financial conditions,’’ Dr Coleman says.

Education Minister Anne Tolley will travel to London for the Education World Forum 2011 and the British Education Training and Technology (BETT) expo.

Mrs Tolley will attend the Education World Forum 2011 on 10-12 January and the BETT expo on 12-15 January.

She is a keynote speaker at the Forum and will present flagship New Zealand initiatives such as the Youth Guarantee, Trades Academies and National Standards.

Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples says Sir Tamati Reedy’s New Year honour is a fitting tribute to his life of service to the nation.

“Sir Tamati combines the strength of a rural Ngati Porou East Coast background with an outstanding academic career, which he has devoted to the advancement of Maori in education, public administration, iwi development and Maori-Crown relationships,” said Dr Sharples.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett welcomes an arrangement allowing New Zealand families to apply to adopt Russian children.

In July ICANZ (Inter Country Adoption New Zealand) received a permit from Russia to operate an adoption programme.

Since then, Government officials from both countries have met to clarify how the adoption process will work.

“There are New Zealand families waiting to be able to adopt a child from overseas and for them, this will be welcome news,” says Ms Bennett.

Research, Science and Technology Minister Wayne Mapp has announced the membership of the two new boards that will decide funding for science and innovation.

The Science Board and the Innovation Board will be associated with the new Ministry of Science and Innovation. The Science Board will allocate science funding to research organisations. The Innovation Board will make funding decisions related to business-facing programmes.

“These boards will be key players in the Government’s reforms to improve the science and innovation system,” the Minister said.

New Zealand will send a Civil Defence emergency response team to Queensland to assist Australia in its response to the devastating floods, Foreign Minister Murray McCully said today.

The deployment comes after a phone conversation between the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers.

"During that conversation it was agreed that a small team from New Zealand would make a valuable contribution to the recovery effort," Mr McCully said.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce says while he’s pleased the 2010 road toll is an improvement on that of 2009 there’s no room for complacency on our roads.

The provisional 2010 toll of 373 compares to 385 in 2009 and 366 in 2008.

Provisional data for 2010 indicates that alcohol was a factor in 33 per cent of fatal crashes, with speed being a factor in 29 per cent of fatal crashes.

Mr Joyce says the 2010 road toll is the second lowest in the last 50 years. It is the third year in a row that we have had less than 400 deaths.

NZ-Hong Kong trade agreement in force today Trade Minister Tim Groser announced that the New Zealand-Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEP) has entered into force as of today.

"I am pleased to confirm that Hong Kong and New Zealand have both completed the necessary legislative measures and that the CEP has come into force," = said Mr Groser.