Latest Parliament Headlines
Whanau must step up to help prevent child abuse
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 4:23 pm | The Maori Party
The Maori Party is urging extended whanau to step in when they know child abuse is going on in their extended families. The Government has released a framework for legislation to protect vulnerable children and to support the Children’s Action ... More >>
Wairarapa doctors sharing info for better care
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 4:13 pm | New Zealand Government
A new system to share patients’ health information electronically is helping doctors, nurses and pharmacists in the Wairarapa make better decisions about patient treatment and care. More >>
Funding for C Company 28 Māori Battalion Memorial House
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 4:01 pm | New Zealand Government
The government is pleased to be contributing $500,000 towards the construction of a C Company 28 Māori Battalion Memorial House on land adjacent to the Tairawhiti Museum, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Christopher Finlayson announced today. More >>
Public silenced on oil well consents
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 3:04 pm | Green Party
The Gisborne District Council is wrong to deny residents a say on the first proposed oil well in the district, the Green Party said today. “An international corporation should not be allowed to apply for consents to drill an oil well on the East Coast ... More >>
Government must stand up for athletes’ rights
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 2:24 pm | New Zealand Labour Party
The Government must condemn Russia’s new anti-gay legislation and move to ensure New Zealand athletes and supporters will be safe during next year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, Labour’s Sport and Recreation spokesperson Trevor Mallard says. More >>
Government ignoring poverty, again
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 1:15 pm | Green Party
It remains to be seen if announcements today will better protect children, but the National Government is forgoing an opportunity to really help kids by ignoring the elephant in the room, which is poverty, Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei says. More >>
Care Needed with Child Abuse Policy
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 12:59 pm | United Future NZ Party
UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne is wary of plans to ban suspected child abusers from being near children for up to 10 years. More >>
Protecting kids the number one priority
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 12:44 pm | New Zealand Labour Party
Moves by the Government to strengthen child protection laws offer a platform for some robust discussion on how to better look after vulnerable Kiwi kids, Labour’s acting Social Development spokesperson Annette King says. More >>
Bold legislation will protect children
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 12:38 pm | New Zealand Government
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is introducing legislation with sweeping changes to protect vulnerable children and help them thrive. More than fifty children have died in the last five years because of extreme abuse; we know many of their ... More >>
Dunne Welcomes UnitedFuture’s Re-Registration
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 12:07 pm | United Future NZ Party
United Future leader Peter Dunne has welcomed the Electoral Commission’s decision to re-register United Future as a political party. More >>
Last of Wellington’s state houses made warmer
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 11:49 am | New Zealand Government
Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today visited one of the last state houses in the Wellington region to receive insulation under Housing New Zealand’s nationwide Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme. More >>
Asset sales cash to pay for MRP loyalty shares
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 11:47 am | New Zealand Labour Party
Over $40 million raised from the sale of Mighty River Power will pay for the loyalty shares given to investors, says Labour’s SOEs spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove. More >>
Jibber jabber can’t hide the facts
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 11:03 am | New Zealand Labour Party
A flurry of statements from Health Minister Tony Ryall suggesting DHBs are collecting dud statistics is hardly reassuring for the country’s emergency department or for patients, Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King says. More >>
Government blows $8.63 million on MBIE fiasco
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 8:59 am | New Zealand Labour Party
National has spent $8.63 million in the last year on its botched restructure of the country's Health and Safety Inspectorate, leaving a dangerously under-resourced front line in its wake, says Darien Fenton, Labour's Health and Safety spokesperson. More >>
Public Works Act acquisitions made fairer
Tuesday, 13 August 2013, 8:49 am | New Zealand Government
Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson today announced the Public Works Act 1981 will be amended to make land acquisition and compensation fairer and more efficient. More >>
Health Minister congratulates Capital and Coast ED
Monday, 12 August 2013, 5:25 pm | New Zealand Government
Capital and Coast DHB is to be congratulated for its performance on faster, better care for patients in emergency departments says Health Minister Tony Ryall. More >>
$680,000 healthy start for Taranaki families
Monday, 12 August 2013, 5:06 pm | New Zealand Government
The Government is investing $680,000 to encourage Taranaki Mums to eat and exercise well during and after pregnancy, giving their babies a healthy start. More >>
King suffers amnesia over her long ED waits crisis
Monday, 12 August 2013, 5:01 pm | New Zealand Government
Annette King has forgotten that she endorsed a major report that slammed Labour on emergency department (ED) waiting times, says Associate Health Minister Jo Goodhew. More >>
Government Releases Education Report Card
Monday, 12 August 2013, 4:57 pm | New Zealand Government
Education Minister Hekia Parata says releasing comprehensive data on how New Zealand children are doing at school is an important part of this Government’s approach to raising the achievement of all our kids in education. More >>
Funding available for WWI commemorations
Monday, 12 August 2013, 3:24 pm | New Zealand National Party
A total of $17 million is being made available to local communities to be part of New Zealand’s World War centenary commemorations which commence next year. Coromandel MP Scott Simpson is encouraging local organisations to submit applications for the ... More >>
Infant Formula Update 7
Monday, 12 August 2013, 3:06 pm | New Zealand Government
Health Minister Tony Ryall and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye confirm that Nutricia has today narrowed the scope of the recall for infant formula. More >>
Defence Backdown Too Late to Reverse Damage
Monday, 12 August 2013, 2:45 pm | New Zealand Labour Party
An embarrassing backdown by the Government on further budget cuts to the Defence Force comes too late to reverse the serious damage caused to our armed services, Labour’s Defence spokesperson Phil Goff says. More >>
National's big plan to reverse its own cuts
Monday, 12 August 2013, 2:17 pm | New Zealand Labour Party
National's new found enthusiasm for the Welcome Home Loan scheme would be more convincing if it hadn't previously slashed the scheme’s funding by two-thirds, and halved the number of Kiwis who could use it to buy a first home, says Labour Leader David ... More >>
Launch of Rail Safety Week 2013
Monday, 12 August 2013, 2:06 pm | New Zealand Government
Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to speak this morning at the launch of Rail Safety Week. This year the focus for Rail Safety Week is encouraging pedestrians to be safe around train tracks. More >>
Rio Tinto’s power bill cut. Kiwis’ bills keep rising
Monday, 12 August 2013, 2:04 pm | New Zealand Labour Party
Meridian’s Government-sponsored Tiwai Point deal has given Rio Tinto a cut of tens of millions of dollars in electricity prices every year, while power bills keep increasing for Kiwi families, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson David Parker. More >>
Meridian’s profits highlight case against asset sales
Monday, 12 August 2013, 12:22 pm | Green Party
Meridian Energy’s $295 million annual profit highlights the economic ineptitude of National’s asset sales programme and the need to reform the electricity market, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today. More >>
RMA Changes Must Not Impact on Recreational Fishery
Monday, 12 August 2013, 11:31 am | United Future NZ Party
UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne says freshwater recreation groups will be looking very closely at the government’s proposed changes to the Resource Management Act to ensure there is no reduction in current levels of protection for freshwater fisheries. More >>
Tsunami warning and response strengthened
Monday, 12 August 2013, 11:25 am | New Zealand Government
Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye today opened an international workshop to train Pacific Island countries and consult on planned new Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) information products. More >>
Kiwisaver Not the Way to Go For Home Ownership
Monday, 12 August 2013, 10:22 am | United Future NZ Party
United Future leader Peter Dunne does not support the National Party’s proposal to extend the home ownership provisions of Kiwisaver, saying that it weakens the focus of the retirement saving scheme. More >>
Ministers welcome collaboration between MCH agencies
Monday, 12 August 2013, 9:55 am | New Zealand Government
Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage Christopher Finlayson and Broadcasting Minister Craig Foss have welcomed collaboration that will lead to greater efficiencies and savings for Crown entities NZ On Air, the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) and ... More >>
Shorter time in ED not always good news
Monday, 12 August 2013, 9:04 am | New Zealand Labour Party
Shorter time in ED not always good news Tony Ryall’s latest ‘ good news’ - that people are staying for shorter periods in emergency departments – will be of no comfort to those patients being packed off home in the early hours of the morning, ... More >>
Immediate pardon constitutionally unsound
Monday, 12 August 2013, 8:56 am | New Zealand Government
Justice Minister Judith Collins says reports suggesting the Government could issue an immediate pardon to Mr Teina Pora are wrong. "There would need to be a thorough evaluation of Mr Pora's application for the Royal prerogative of mercy, and that ... More >>
Psychoactive substances being intercepted
Monday, 12 August 2013, 8:52 am | New Zealand Government
Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says a crackdown on the importation of psychoactive substances shows targeted efforts by Customs are paying off. Since the start of 2012, there have been more than 320 interceptions of Class C Analogue drugs intercepted ... More >>
National’s housing policy just poly filler
Sunday, 11 August 2013, 2:50 pm | Green Party
11 August 2013 National’s housing policy just poly filler in face of crisis National’s just released housing policy throws a bit of money at first home buyers but does nothing to address New Zealand’s wider housing affordability crisis, the Green ... More >>
National needs to deal with the real barriers to home owners
Sunday, 11 August 2013, 2:49 pm | New Zealand Labour Party
David SHEARER Labour Leader 11 August 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT National needs to deal with the real barriers to home ownership More >>
Package to better support first home buyers
Sunday, 11 August 2013, 12:43 pm | New Zealand Government
Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today welcomed the Government’s decision to double the number of KiwiSaver deposit subsidies and treble the number of Welcome Home Loans to support first home buyers. More >>
Package to aid first home buyers announced
Sunday, 11 August 2013, 12:40 pm | New Zealand Government
Prime Minister John Key has today announced changes to KiwiSaver and the Welcome Home Loans scheme to beef up the assistance the Government gives to first home buyers. More >>
Speech to National Party Annual Conference Nelson
Sunday, 11 August 2013, 12:32 pm | New Zealand Government
Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow National Party members, it’s wonderful to be here with you today. It’s a privilege to be the leader of the National Party. Our Party is in great heart. More >>
Faster emergency care for Kiwi families
Sunday, 11 August 2013, 11:38 am | New Zealand Government
Health Minister Tony Ryall says public health services are providing New Zealanders with emergency healthcare faster than ever before. More >>
EDs miss triage times as hospitals buckle
Sunday, 11 August 2013, 10:53 am | New Zealand Labour Party
Few hospitals are meeting Government benchmarks for emergency department treatment, with rising numbers of urgent cases not being seen by a doctor within recommended times, says Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King. More >>
Creating Healthier and More Affordable Homes for Kiwis
Sunday, 11 August 2013, 10:39 am | New Zealand Government
Housing policy is one of the great challenges of our time. It matters because for most kiwi families the equity in their home is their greatest asset. It matters because old, cold and mouldy homes compound into health problems. More >>
NZ First Speech: Dunedin South
Saturday, 10 August 2013, 1:34 pm | New Zealand First Party
Tonight’s meeting is an opportunity to focus on the importance of regional New Zealand. More >>
NZ updates Tonga travel advisory
Saturday, 10 August 2013, 12:47 pm | New Zealand Government
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has posted an updated travel advisory in relation to Real Tonga airline now the recently acquired MA-60 aircraft is in service. More >>
RMA changes risk further damage to NZ’s reputation
Saturday, 10 August 2013, 12:27 pm | Green Party
National’s push to weaken our environmental laws while the world is watching our response to the botulism scare is economic sabotage, the Green Party said today. More >>
NZ helps protect lagoon water quality in the Cook Islands
Saturday, 10 August 2013, 12:08 pm | New Zealand Government
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully announced New Zealand will invest significantly in an on-going programme to upgrade residential sanitation infrastructure in the Cook Islands during a visit to Muri lagoon in Rarotonga today. More >>
Key stacks deck, plays cute with RMA
Saturday, 10 August 2013, 12:04 pm | New Zealand Labour Party
Prime Minister John Key is up to his usual trick of trying to emphasise a positive while at the same time disguising the truly negative impact of changes National is making to the Resource Management Act, says Labour’s Environment spokesperson Maryan ... More >>
RMA Framework needs close scrutiny - Māori Party
Saturday, 10 August 2013, 12:00 pm | The Maori Party
Māori Party Co-leaders Tariana Turia and Te Ururoa Flavell have expressed a cautious response to the Resource Management changes announced by National this morning. More >>
Resource Management Act Reform - Speech
Saturday, 10 August 2013, 11:52 am | New Zealand Government
There is no doubt that the Resource Management Act is a critical piece of legislation. More >>
Major reform of resource management system
Saturday, 10 August 2013, 11:49 am | New Zealand Government
Environment Minister Amy Adams has today unveiled the next phase of the Government’s plan to revamp the resource management system. More >>
Inquiry must be truly independent
Friday, 9 August 2013, 4:54 pm | New Zealand Labour Party
Announcements today that Fonterra and the Ministry for Primary Industries will conduct their own inquiries into potential contamination of baby formula will not satisfy concerned Kiwis, farmers and international consumers that the botulism scare has ... More >>
Government welcomes King Salmon decision
Friday, 9 August 2013, 4:37 pm | New Zealand Government
Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy have welcomed the High Court’s decision to dismiss two appeals on the Board of Inquiry’s approval for New Zealand King Salmon to develop new marine farms in the Marlborough ... More >>
Infant Formula Update 6
Friday, 9 August 2013, 4:33 pm | Tony Ryall and Nikki Kaye
Health Minister Tony Ryall and Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye say the Ministries of Education, Primary Industries (MPI) and Health are assisting Palmerston North Girls’ High School with information about potentially contaminated whey protein ... More >>
Decision more than bad optics
Friday, 9 August 2013, 2:17 pm | New Zealand Labour Party
News that Callaghan Innovation is to narrow its focus to assist successful businesses with near-market-ready products, raises questions about the research and development body’s actual commitment to innovation, says Labour’s Associate Science and Innovation ... More >>
Increased pension portability to Realm countries
Friday, 9 August 2013, 1:52 pm | New Zealand Government
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully today joined Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna in Rarotonga to announce improved pension portability for those looking to retire to the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau from New Zealand. More >>
Public Health Priorities Must Change
Friday, 9 August 2013, 1:24 pm | New Zealand First Party
Public health costs in New Zealand are set to soar unless we seriously target obesity says New Zealand First. University of Otago researchers have found that obesity and excess body weight are set to overtake smoking as the major cause of declining health ... More >>
Maori Party: Honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Friday, 9 August 2013, 12:58 pm | The Maori Party
The Maori Party is calling on New Zealanders to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, as we celebrate the International Day of World Indigenous Peoples (August 9). More >>
Bowel cancer pilot making a difference
Friday, 9 August 2013, 12:50 pm | New Zealand Government
The latest data from the Waitemata DHB bowel screening pilot shows in the first 15 months of the pilot, cancers had been detected in 75 people. Around 60 per cent of cancers detected have been found at an early stage when they can be more successfully ... More >>
Households facing Government imposed copper tax
Friday, 9 August 2013, 12:39 pm | New Zealand Labour Party
Almost 80 per cent of New Zealand households will be hit with what is effectively a copper tax as Amy Adams provides a corporate welfare hand-out to Chorus, Labour’s Communications and IT Spokesperson Clare Curran says. More >>
End the double talk Nathan Guy
Friday, 9 August 2013, 12:20 pm | New Zealand Labour Party
Fisheries Minister Nathan Guy must listen to Labour and the recreational fishing community and take unfair snapper cuts for Kiwi fishermen off the table, Labour fisheries spokesperson David Cunliffe said today. More >>
National sets poor example for women leadership roles
Friday, 9 August 2013, 11:45 am | Green Party
9 August 2013 National sets poor example for women leadership roles The number of women on state appointed boards has declined under this National Government, the Green Party said today. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs today released their latest ... More >>
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