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The government has agreed to prepare an order in council changing Christchurch City Council’s annual planning and accountability responsibilities, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Local Government Minister Rodney Hide announced today.

"The primary goal of this order in council will be to condense the public consultation period for the council's draft 2011/12 annual plan so they can focus on getting on with the recovery process in Canterbury," Mr Brownlee said.

Associate Minister of Education Rodney Hide today announced the three high quality private consortia, shortlisted by the Ministry of Education, for the first school property public private partnership (PPP) in New Zealand

Expressions of interest were called for in April and, following a robust selection process, the following consortia have been selected to proceed to the next stage of the tendering process.

Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide today welcomed Auckland Council’s announcement that rates across the region will rise by only 3.7 per cent - down from a projected average increase of 9.3 per cent under the old eight council structure.

“This below inflation rate increase was achieved through $81 million in efficiencies and savings, and is greater than the conservative estimate of $48 million identified by the Auckland Transition Agency in its planning document,” Mr Hide said.

Speech to New Zealand Community Boards Conference; Energy Events Centre, Government Gardens, Queens Drive, Rotorua; May 6 2011

LGNZ Chief Executive Eugene Bowen, Chair of the New Zealand Community Boards Executive Committee Mike Cohen, Mayors, Councillors, Community Board Members, ladies and gentlemen - good afternoon and thank you for inviting me to speak today at your seventh Community Boards’ Conference.

Associate Minister of Education Rodney Hide today announced the allocation of $22.8 million in funding under the ‘Success For All – Every School, Every Child’ initiative to upgrade existing special schools and satellite units, and create new satellites around the country. 

The Government’s Review of Expenditure on Policy Advice identifies several significant issues with the cost, quality and management of policy advice and makes 36 recommendations to address them.

The review, announced last year, will help the Government’s wider programme to control growth in the costs of public sector back office functions and deliver better frontline public services, Finance Minister Bill English says.

However, it does not recommend specific cuts to policy advice spending.

Minister for Regulatory Reform Rodney Hide and Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Phil Heatley today announced the removal of 176 unnecessary regulations from the law books.

Minister for Regulatory Reform Rodney Hide says previous Governments did not pay enough attention to the quality of the stock of regulations.

“Many unnecessary regulations were allowed to remain on the law books and legislation has not been updated to keep up with the times,” Mr Hide said.

Education Minister Anne Tolley and Associate Education Minister Rodney Hide have today officially opened a new $6.3 million special education facility in Lower Hutt.

Kimi Ora School, which has relocated from Thorndon, has been specifically designed to meet the needs of students with physical disabilities.

“Students, families, specialists and teachers will all benefit from the new facilities which include a hydrotherapy pool, sensory room, and state of the art learning and therapy spaces,” says Mrs Tolley.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you this morning.  It’s always a pleasure to be amongst the people who create the wealth in this community. 

If New Zealand is going to close the income gap with Australia, we’re going to need a lot more of you!

My topic for today is regulation – why it matters, and what the Government is doing about it. 

Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide today released a Cabinet paper setting out the purpose, framework, timing and terms of reference for the ‘Smarter Government, Stronger Communities: Towards Better Local Government and Public Services’ comprehensive review of local government. 

The Government intends to commission two new schools in Hobsonville that will be designed, financed, built and maintained under a public-private partnership, Infrastructure Minister Bill English, Education Minister Anne Tolley and Associate Education Minister Rodney Hide announced today.

The Government will now seek formal expressions of interest from market participants for new primary and secondary schools at Hobsonville Point, north-west of Auckland. Subject to satisfactory bids, the schools will be the first built in New Zealand under a PPP.

Minister for Regulatory Reform Rodney Hide today released the Cabinet paper and minutes relating to the adoption of Regulatory Standards Bill – formerly the Regulatory Responsibility Bill – drafted by the Regulatory Responsibility Taskforce in 2009 and adopted by the Government last month.

The new Productivity Commission's first two inquiries will be into housing affordability and international freight services – two areas that affect New Zealand's international competitiveness, Finance Minister Bill English and Regulatory Reform Minister Rodney Hide say.

The Ministers also announced the appointments of Sally Davenport and Graham Scott as commissioners, working alongside New Zealand Productivity Commission chairman Murray Sherwin.

Ministers will initially refer two topics for inquiry to the Productivity Commission:

Associate Minister of Education Rodney Hide today thanked retiring Secretary for Education Karen Sewell for the enormous contribution she has made during the 45 years she has worked in the sector, and paid tribute to her dedication and commitment to the education of New Zealand children.

"In the short time that I have had the opportunity to work with Karen I have been able to see firsthand the commitment and passion that she has brought to the role of Secretary of Education," Mr Hide said.

Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide today tabled the final report of the Auckland Transition Agency (ATA) in Parliament which details the work the agency did to form the new single Auckland Council.

“This report is an important historical document, and details the change management process used by the ATA for the biggest change process that local government in New Zealand has ever seen," Mr Hide said.

A Bill setting up a new local government funding agency is expected to be introduced to Parliament shortly, according to Finance Minister Bill English and Local Government Minister Rodney Hide.

“The agency will lower the overall cost of borrowing for all councils by allowing a co-operative approach to raising finance,” Mr Hide said. “It is estimated the agency could save local authorities collectively around $25 million a year.”

Regulatory Reform Minister Rodney Hide will today introduce a Bill to Parliament to provide greater transparency and accountability for the quality of laws and regulations in New Zealand. 

“New Zealand has a problem with too much regulation, and too much bad regulation.  These regulations impose real costs on our businesses, and unnecessary burdens on individuals,” Mr Hide said. 

Minister of Local Government and Chair of the Cabinet Committee for Implementation of Auckland Governance Reforms Rodney Hide today released papers setting out the Government’s aspirations for Auckland, in support of the Auckland Council’s public consultation phase for the development of its first spatial plan.

Seaweek Patron Bunny McDiarmid, my fellow MPs, Auckland Councillors, ladies and gentlemen; good evening and thank you for your kind invitation to launch Seaweek 2011.

Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley, who is also Minister of Housing, sends his apologies for not being able to attend the launch tonight.

Due to the tragic events of last week, he is busy in Wellington organising housing solutions for those made homeless by last Tuesday’s earthquake.

Hon Rodney Hide opening address to SOLGM Shared Services in Local Government Conference; Brentwood Hotel, Kilbirnie, Wellington; Monday, February 14 2011.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you this morning at your Shared Services in Local Government conference.  I would like to thank SOLGM for organising this event and, in particular, Western Bay of Plenty District Council Chief Executive and Conference Chair Glenn Snelgrove for bringing us all together.  It is great to be here. 

Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide today met with Australia’s Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government Hon Simon Crean to discuss developments in local government both in New Zealand and Australia. 

"Minister Crean was very interested in my work on Auckland Governance and also in what may happen in relation to the structure of local government in the rest of New Zealand," Mr Hide said.

It will now be easier for parents and schools to access information on providers of gifted and talented education following the launch of a redesigned website today, Associate Minister of Education Rodney Hide said.  

“The Ministry of Education’s 'Gifted and Talented Online' website provides a central place for best practice, research and smart tools for building the capability of gifted and talented students, Mr Hide said.

Minister for Regulatory Reform Rodney Hide today announced the Regulatory Reform (Revocations) Order 2010 which will clean up red tape and get outdated regulations off the books.

“Through regulation, government has the power to affect the lives of every New Zealander.  We need to use that power responsibly and ensure that only necessary and useful regulations are in force,” Mr Hide said.

“I asked all government departments to have a hard look at the regulations in their area, and tell me which ones should go.

Minister for Regulatory Reform Rodney Hide introduced into the House a Bill designed to slash red tape and make life easier for businesses.

The Regulatory Reform Bill proposes amendments to 13 Acts, removing duplication, getting rid of unnecessary requirements, and clearing up inconsistencies.

"Last year, I wrote to all Ministers asking them to identify laws in their area that were creating a burden on business and could be changed," Mr Hide said.  

"Ministers responded with proposed changes that will save businesses millions.