Te Uru Rākau and Ngāti Hine Forestry Trust have signed a joint venture to plant and manage about 3,600 hectares of pine trees in the far North, Forestry Minister Shane Jones has today announced.

A taskforce is being set up to deal with the impact of the Chinese Government’s ban on the import of many recycling materials, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced today.

First it was the fuel taxes, now the Government is hiking the tax on household waste as another example of breaking the ‘no new tax’ pledge, says the Taxpayers’ Union. This morning on Radio NZ’s Morning Report, Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage said that the Government will be increasing the New Zealand Waste Levy. “This is another broken promise that will fall on households paying for rubbish, ratepayers, and Kiwi businesses who have waste to landfill,” says Jordan Williams, spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Union. “Those in construction will be particularly hard hit. Despite most construction waste being inert,…

Finance Minister Grant Robertson says Budget 2018 is the foundation of what will be a trilogy of packages to introduce a new way of measuring New Zealand's success and transform the economy to face 21st Century challenges

The Taxpayers’ Union is fuming that Minister for Research, Science and Innovation Megan Woods has broken her word and capitulated to Callaghan Innovation’s pressure to keep its precious corporate welfare grant schemes, rather than phasing them out in favour of the new R&D tax credit.

New figures released today by Council of Trade Unions Economist Dr Bill Rosenberg and the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Director of Policy Lyndon Keene show the health funding gap since 2009/2010 has grown to $2.7 billion. This amount would be needed in Thursday’s Budget to fund services to the same level they were supported in 2010, and pay for new initiatives.

PM Jacinda Ardern has revealed that Deputy PM Winston Peters will take charge as Acting Prime Minister while she is on maternity leave.  Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has released details of how the running of the country works when she goes on maternity leave and hands the rein to deputy Winston Peters.  In effect, it will be no different to any other time the prime minister is out of the country which automatically renders Peters acting prime minister. But the extended length of time - six weeks Ardern was hoping to take off after giving birth to her first child…

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters reaffirmed the Coalition Government’s commitment to restoring lost capacity in New Zealand’s Foreign Service today, announcing a significant increase in funding for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

An inclusive and comprehensive review of dairy industry legislation will help our biggest export sector get in shape for the future, says Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor. The Government has released the terms of reference for a review of the 17-year-old Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001 (DIRA), which regulates Fonterra to protect the long-term interests of farmers, consumers and the wider economy. “The Ministry for Primary Industries will consult widely throughout the review, including surveys and formal consultation later in the year and I encourage you all to get involved and have your say,” says Damien O’Connor. “The review will…

Our ability to negotiate the best trade deals in the interests of all New Zealanders will be strengthened by a significant funding boost for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker said. “This is an investment in the jobs and businesses that rely on exports. Facing threats of increasing barriers, New Zealand needs to fight harder than ever for open and free trade,” David Parker said. Economists at MFAT estimate more than 620,000 workers, one in four, derive their livelihoods from exports. “Those exports ensure we can earn the income that allows us…

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has unveiled a nearly $1 billion boost for the Government’s foreign policy and international aid budget, arguing the funding is crucial for our security after a decade of underfunding writes Sam Sachdeva for Newsroom.