Commemorations to mark one of New Zealand’s darkest days will be held in New Zealand and Belgium this month to remember the Battle of Passchendaele. Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry says the commemorative programme reflects on New Zealand’s involvement in the fighting around Passchendaele between 1 and 18 October 1917. “Passchendaele on 12 October 1917 is still known as one of the greatest disasters in New Zealand’s history – when 843 men died in a single day. This devastating loss of life remains the highest one-day death toll suffered by New Zealand forces overseas,” Ms Barry says. “During…

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed the latest progress report of the Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord project, showing dairy farmers have now fenced off over 97 per cent of waterways. “The Water Accord is a voluntary project led by the industry to improve farming practices and water quality. This Year Three update shows a range of targets have been achieved, including stock exclusion from 26,197 km of measured waterways which is the equivalent of Auckland to Chicago and back again,” says Mr Guy. “99.4 per cent of regular stock crossing points on dairy farms now have bridges or culverts…

Foreign Minister Murray McCully travels to New York tomorrow for UN Security Council meetings. “This will be my final visit to New York during our two years on the United Nations Security Council,” Mr McCully says. “We are focused on working right up to the last day and while in New York I will participate in the quarterly Open Debate on the Middle East, which will include a briefing from outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and a Ministerial-level debate on Non-Proliferation hosted by the new Foreign Minister of Spain. “I will also meet with incoming UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and…

Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Steven Joyce and Social Development Minister Anne Tolley have today announced two new Auckland jobs and skills hubs as part of the latest update of the Skilled and Safe Workplaces chapter of the Business Growth Agenda. “I am pleased to announce new jobs and skills hubs at both the Wynyard Quarter and Tamaki, which will give young people a pathway to employment in the construction sector, as well as on-site numeracy, literacy and practical skills training,” Mr Joyce says. “The New Zealand economy is growing strongly, unemployment is down and we have the…

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce yesterday announced $183 million in funding for work-based training in 2017, as the Government announces a new target to have 50,000 people to be training in apprenticeships by 2020. “This funding is an additional $10 million on 2016 and more funding for industry training than in any of the previous five years. At the moment we have 42,000 people in apprenticeships and apprenticeship type training, this funding will add around 1,400 places next year and get us well on our way to our goal of 50,000.’’ The target has been set as…

The vegetable industry has become the twelfth industry partner to join the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) biosecurity partnership, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced today. “It’s great to have Vegetables New Zealand Incorporated signed up and working with the Ministry for Primary Industries and other industry partners,” says Mr Guy. “It means we can work together on managing and responding to the most important biosecurity risks. “Biosecurity is my number one priority as Minister and as the recent Biosecurity 2025 consultation document outlines, it is a shared responsibility requiring everyone’s input and expertise.” The signing of the agreement was…

Tertiary Education Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says the Labour Party has completely missed the mark with its idea of marshalling young people into a new make work scheme. "Labour has completely mis-read the current job market in New Zealand. The problem is not finding enough work for young people, it’s finding enough young people and skilling them up for the work that is already there. "It makes no sense to have a make-work scheme competing with Kiwi businesses for young talent when the biggest concern of employers around the country right now is finding enough young people to…

Paul Helm, Chief Government Accountant The Financial Statements of the Government of New Zealand for the three months ended 30 September 2016 were released by the Treasury today. The statements are compared against forecasts based on the 2016 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) published on 26 May 2016. The results for the three months to the end of September show an operating balance before gains and losses (OBEGAL) surplus of $222 million which was $725 million better than forecast largely due to higher than forecast core Crown tax revenue. Core Crown tax revenue at $17.3 billion, was $523 million…

Prime Minister John Key has today announced the President of the Republic of Hungary, János Áder, will visit New Zealand from November 13-16. “I am delighted to welcome the President in his first official visit to New Zealand,” says Mr Key. “His visit comes on the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution. This is a significant occasion in our shared history as New Zealand welcomed 1,100 refugees from Hungary at the time who then went on to contribute so much to New Zealand life. "Hungary is an important partner in New Zealand's efforts to develop even closer relations with the…

Minister of Trade Todd McClay has welcomed the second reading of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) Amendment Bill in Parliament today. “TPP is our biggest trade deal to date, and presents a huge opportunity for our economy, adding an estimated $2.7 billion a year to New Zealand’s GDP once it has been fully phased in,” says Mr McClay. TPP is designed to create a level, transparent, and predictable playing field for trade within the Asia Pacific region. The TPP Amendment Bill includes changes to New Zealand law that will allow New Zealand to ratify the Agreement. “TPP sets high standards…

New Zealand’s top researchers have been awarded $65.2 million in Marsden Fund grants in the 2016 funding round, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today. The $65.2 million allocation is the largest single funding round in the history of the Marsden Fund. 117 successful proposals will be funded over the next three years and they include a diverse range of topics from vaccine delivery, to youth justice, to the marine carbon cycle. The Marsden Fund supports excellence in science, engineering, maths, social sciences and humanities by providing grants for investigator-initiated research. It is highly sought after by New Zealand…