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Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today announced a new training programme to help small businesses take advantage of the Government’s ultra-fast broadband and rural broadband programmes.

A Digital Enablement Training programme will be rolled out across New Zealand in the coming months.

The programme includes workshops to examine how UFB, RBI and other new technologies will impact on companies and identifies the opportunities it presents.

Environment Minister Amy Adams says a programme to encourage the recycling of unwanted televisions and raise investment in New Zealand’s electronic recycling capacity has today been launched in more than 20 North Island towns and cities.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has marked the 100,000th television to be collected for recycling under the Government’s TV Takeback programme by taking her own worn-out television to a recycling facility.

The TV TakeBack programme aims to divert televisions from going to landfill in an initiative that involves the Government partnering with a range of councils, recyclers and retailers to provide a nationwide network of subsidised options.

Ms Adams says recycling 100,000 televisions is good news for the environment.

President Peter, Prime Minister, Board members, colleagues and most importantly, delegates. Good morning.

There is no doubt that the Resource Management Act is a critical piece of legislation.

It must protect our natural environment and the qualities we hold dear as New Zealanders, while encouraging a successful economy and enabling a vibrant built environment.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has today unveiled the next phase of the Government’s plan to revamp the resource management system.

Fundamentally, the reforms are about providing greater certainty for communities to plan for, and meet, their area’s needs in a way that reduces the unacceptable costs and delays that have become the norm.

“It must be remembered that the RMA is not just about environmental protection, it is also our planning law.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today released the year two report on the Government’s ultra-fast broadband and rural broadband programmes, which shows the target for both initiatives has been exceeded.

The report shows that fibre was rolled out to more than 129,000 end users in 28 towns and cities across New Zealand during the last three months of the financial year.

This brings the total number of end users that can now connect to the Government’s Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) network to more than 300,000.

Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here to talk to you on the second day of the EDS conference.

I would like to acknowledge Dr Jan Wright, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, who has just spoken to you about her perspectives on environmental reporting.

I would also like to acknowledge the many other distinguished speakers and environmental thought leaders that are among us today.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has today announced that the Government will legislate for independent environmental reporting that will enhance New Zealanders’ understanding about the state of our environment.

The Government will this year introduce an Environmental Reporting Bill that mandates the provision of comprehensive environmental information for New Zealanders in a way that is easy to understand, independent and relevant.

Good morning. I am pleased to welcome you all to Parliament today for an event that reflects our shared interest in the telecommunications market in New Zealand.

It is no surprise to anyone here this morning that technological advances are expanding markets and increasing demand for data and bandwidth at a dramatic rate. New Zealanders increasingly have expectations of instant and high-quality connectivity wherever they go.

In what seems like the blink of an eye, technology has become an integral part of our day-to-day lives.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today released a discussion document that formally begins a review of the telecommunications regulatory framework.

The Government announced in February that the review required under the Telecommunications Act 2001 would start this year.

The first phase of the review will focus on the fundamental relationship between pricing for the legacy copper network and pricing for the new fibre network during the transition period until 2020.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has today announced that an application for the Basin Bridge proposal will be decided by an independent Board of Inquiry.

The application by the New Zealand Transport Agency relates to a two-lane, one-way bridge on the northern side of the Basin Reserve that includes a segregated walking and cycling pathway. The proposal is part of the Wellington Northern Corridor Road of National Significance.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has congratulated eight New Zealand organisations which have been selected as finalists in the global World Summit Awards for creativity and innovation in ICT.

Covering categories ranging from entertainment and commerce to health and education, the awards are an opportunity to showcase New Zealand projects that are at the forefront of new media and e-content creation.

Environment Minister Amy Adams says the release of two environmental water reports paint an encouraging picture of our waterways but also underline the need for the Government’s freshwater reforms.

The Ministry for the Environment has today released indicator reports on river conditions and swimming suitability.

The river condition indicator is based on data that was collected across more than 300 regional council and NIWA-monitored sites over a ten year period (2000-2010), out of the tens of thousands of waterways across New Zealand.

An in-depth report into the performance of New Zealand’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector was released today by Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams.

The ICT Report makes a number of findings about the New Zealand ICT sector including:

Environment Minister Amy Adams has today announced a new appointment and two reappointments to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Board.

“I am pleased to announce that Andrew von Dadelszen has been appointed to the EPA Board. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be extremely beneficial,” Ms Adams says.

“Mr von Dadelszen has held diverse governance and leadership roles in the private and public sector, and has more than 30 years’ business experience.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith have today announced the members of an independent Board of Inquiry to consider the Tukituki Catchment Proposal.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith today confirmed the Government’s commitment to clean-up an old gold mining site polluted with arsenic at Waiuta on the West Coast.

“Testing at this old mine site in the Victoria Forest Park has identified very high levels of arsenic in the soil and water that poses a risk to people and the environment. The site has been fully fenced but we need to get on and clean-up the contamination to protect the wider environment,” Dr Smith says.

Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the second day of the Valuing Nature conference.

Yesterday you heard about the economics of nature and valuing nature at a local level.  Today the focus is on natural capital in a national context and in business.

This is particularly pertinent to me in the environment portfolio, where I am leading work to take a good, hard look at the way we manage our natural resources.

Environment Minister Amy Adams and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy have today announced that the Government has finalised the first stage of an action plan to improve water quality and the way freshwater is managed.

The Government released a discussion document in March based on the recommendations of the Land and Water Forum and which gave effect to their core recommendations.

The document outlined a clear path of reform ahead that will be addressed through a comprehensive and measured approach, starting this year.

Good morning. It is a pleasure to be invited to speak here this morning.

I would like to begin by acknowledging InternetNZ for organising this event, and for their on-going work in ensuring that key issues affecting the development of our digital future continue to be prominently and actively debated.

Can I also pass on my congratulations to newly-appointed chief executive Jordan Carter.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today released a discussion document on possible changes to the Telecommunications Service Obligations (TSO).

The TSO regulatory framework established under the Telecommunications Act 2001 provides for basic telecommunications services to be available and affordable. Under the Act, a review of the TSO is required to take place before the end of 2013.

Environment Minister Amy Adams has today announced that a new law to enable the comprehensive environmental management of activities in New Zealand’s vast exclusive economic zone is now in effect.

The Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act fills an important gap in the environmental management regime.

A Bill that will help deliver a system that supports better planning decisions and creates a streamlined process for the first Auckland Unitary Plan has passed its second reading in Parliament tonight.

Environment Minister Amy Adams says the Resource Management Reform Bill 2012 is part of a resource management reform package that will see further reforms introduced later this year.

The key features of the 2012 Bill are:

I move that the Resource Management Reform Bill 2012 now be read a second time.

I would first like to thank the chair and members of the Local Government and Environment Select Committee for their work on this Bill.

I would also like to thank everyone who took the time to make a submission to the Committee. The Committee received 234 submissions to the Bill, and heard 147 oral submissions in hearings in both Wellington and Auckland.