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A further 80 schools will be covered by the expansion of Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) when students return to classrooms from this week.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett announced the expansion of SWiS to all decile 1-3 schools last year, with coverage planned to increase from 285 to 673 schools.

There will be 35 new full time social workers starting the 2013 school year at primary schools in Kaipara, Greater Auckland and the South Island.

Construction contract disputes will be dealt with faster and more cost effectively under proposed amendments to the Construction Contracts Act, which were introduced in Parliament today.

Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson says the proposed changes, which include streamlining the disputes process and introducing greater accountability, are part of a package of building law reforms aimed at making improvements to the building sector’s accountability and productivity.

The number of adults receiving cochlear implants for severe or profound hearing loss is to triple this financial year thanks to an additional $2.6 million of one-off funding.

A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is severely hard of hearing or profoundly deaf.

“At least 60 adults will receive cochlear implants this financial year – annual funding typically allows for 20 cochlear implants for adults,” says Health Minister Tony Ryall.

More New Zealanders are choosing to interact with government agencies online says Internal Affairs Minister Chris Tremain.

Figures released today show 32.4 per cent of New Zealanders used secure online government services during the July to September quarter, up from 29.9 per cent when measurements started in June.

Prime Minister John Key has announced the election of National’s new whips following the National Party Caucus this morning.

Mr Key says the new senior whip will be MP for Taupo, Louise Upston.

Louise Upston has been promoted to senior whip from junior whip after Mr Key announced last week that Michael Woodhouse will be a Minister outside Cabinet.

The new junior whip will be MP for Hamilton West, Tim Macindoe.

MP for Botany, Jami-Lee Ross, has also been appointed to the newly-created position of third whip.

The Major Events Development Fund will invest $1.5 million on each of two Volvo Ocean Race Auckland stopovers to be held in 2015 and 2018 following an announcement today by Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce.

The funding will assist with event delivery and to leverage a broad range of immediate and longer-term benefits from the stop-overs.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today released a proposal from New Zealand Post seeking to allow greater flexibility in the postal services it provides.

"During the last 10 years mail volumes have dropped considerably, with 265 million fewer items being posted each year compared to 2002. Within five years, mail volumes are forecast to be nearly half what they were in 2002," Ms Adams says.

Prime Minister John Key today congratulated Sir Anand Satyanand on his appointment as Commonwealth Foundation Chair.

Sir Anand’s two-year appointment was announced today in London by Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma.

“As a former Governor-General with an impressive record of public service, Sir Anand is well qualified for this role,” says Mr Key. “Sir Anand will be the first New Zealander to hold the position.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says Green Party Finance Spokesman Russel Norman’s plan to raid the National Land Transport Fund to pay for his “Rent to Buy Housing Scheme”, shows a complete lack of knowledge of public finance in New Zealand.

“Mr Norman seems unaware that roading funding is collected from road users through fuel taxes, user charges and fees. That money is then dedicated to the National Land Transport Fund, to pay for road policing, public transport and road maintenance.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says while Labour rehashes its own underwhelming policies from last year, the Government continues to make a real difference.

“Labour is a bit late with its scheme to effectively pay the Unemployment Benefit to employers to take on beneficiaries, when the National Government has been helping beneficiaries into work through job subsidies for years.”

The new flexible, business-focused Job Streams was announced last June and prior to that there was Job Opportunities and Community Max.

A new visa rule coming into effect today will help ensure New Zealanders are first in line for job vacancies created during the Canterbury rebuild, says Immigration Minister Nathan Guy.

“The new rule means visa applications to fill most jobs in Canterbury won’t be processed until a check has been done to ensure there are no suitable New Zealanders to fill the vacancy,” says Mr Guy.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the Earthquake Commission’s Fletcher EQR-managed Canterbury Home Repair Programme has passed the billion dollar mark and is well on the way to completing 31,000 jobs.

“Every major work programme takes a period of months to ramp up to full capacity, with sourcing of contractors, training, securing of supply chains and in this case the logistics of evaluating the damage to so many homes,” Mr Brownlee says.

“Six weeks over summer to think about new policy, and Labour comes up with precisely nothing,” Deputy Prime Minister Bill English says.

“The Labour leader’s speech today was full off last year’s slogans and no new policy.

“He says that he wants to be hands-on, and yet opposes every hands-on move National is making to encourage investment and growth. On top of that, Labour still hasn’t apologised for their wasteful policies the last time they got their hands on the economy.

Changes to New Zealand’s warrant of fitness system, which will see annual inspections for cars registered after 2000, will save motorists time and money and will also focus on road safety, says Associate Transport Minister Simon Bridges.

The key changes to the warrant of fitness system (WoF) include:

Ladies and Gentlemen

I hope you all had a good Christmas break and that you’re starting 2013 eager and energised.

I know I am.

And I know the Government is, because there are a lot of things to get done this year.

We have a re-energised team of Ministers, which I announced earlier this week.

And we have a very busy agenda.

Whether it’s welfare reform, law and order, education, the rebuild of Christchurch, or continuing our improvements in public services, it’s full steam ahead.

The Government is to boost the number of people in apprenticeships by combining all apprenticeships into a single nationwide scheme and providing new financial incentives for employers and workers to take up more apprenticeships, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says.

The new industry training initiatives were today announced by Prime Minister John Key in a speech to the North Harbour Club in Auckland.

The Government is pressing ahead with a wide range of measures to build a more productive and competitive economy, Prime Minister John Key says.

“New Zealand has to be a magnet for investment,” he said in a speech to the North Harbour Club in Auckland today.

“That’s investment by individuals and small businesses, as well as big businesses; and it’s investment by people from overseas as well as Kiwis. The more investment we get, the more jobs will be created.”

Firm control of the Government’s expenses and an improvement in revenue has kept the Crown’s financial position broadly on track with forecasts in the five months to 30 November, Finance Minister Bill English says.

“Compared to the first five months of the previous financial year, we have made good progress in moving towards our target of getting back to surplus by 2014/15,” he says.

Prime Minister John Key will meet the 100 participants in this year's Prime Minister's Youth Programme at a dinner in Auckland tonight.

The group of 14- to 17-year-olds from South and West Auckland were chosen to take part in the week-long programme of challenging, fun activities in recognition of making positive, life-changing choices.

Youth Affairs Minister Paula Bennett also attended the celebration dinner at the Ellerslie Events Centre with the Prime Minister, along with business leaders, celebrities and community leaders.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says a 40 tonne boulder that crashed through a house in the Port Hills last night is a graphic illustration of the ongoing unpredictability of the damaged land.

“This very vividly vindicates the time and effort spent establishing the risk of rock roll on the Port Hills,” Mr Brownlee says.

The giant boulder lodged under the Finnarsby Place house after crashing through the deck.

“This property is in the red zone and is now Crown-owned,” Mr Brownlee says.

Realisation of a commemorative park alongside the National War Memorial in Wellington is a step closer with the opening of a new road diversion tomorrow to free up Buckle Street for the construction of a new underpass.

The National War Memorial Park will be developed in time for Anzac Day 2015.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee says diverting traffic off the main Buckle Street alignment will allow crews to begin work excavating the underpass.  The underpass is scheduled to be completed in late 2014.

Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says Christchurch businesspeople anxious to return to the CBD are understandably frustrated but should be heartened by the $145 million of consents issued over the past 10 months for construction projects inside the four avenues.

“This is a great vote of confidence from land owners that the Christchurch CBD has a healthy future, and I know those developing buildings will be equally anxious to give tenants a chance to move in,” Mr Brownlee says.

Health Minister Tony Ryall says 22 decile 3 secondary schools will be providing new school based health services this term.

“As part of the Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project, over 8,000 more secondary school students will be able to see a registered nurse or access other health services at school if they need it,” Mr Ryall says.

The National-led government already funds around $5.6 million per year for a school nursing service in 135 decile one and two secondary schools, alternative education facilities and teen parent units.