04 October 2013
Key Notes
In this issue:

Safe at home and in our communities
UN General Assembly speech
Meeting PM Tony Abbott
The APEC Leaders' meeting
The East Asia Summit.

We all deserve to feel safe at home and in our communities. Since National came into Government, we've been focused on building a safer New Zealand. This includes putting in place a comprehensive plan aimed at preventing crime, and reducing the impact of crime by making our justice system more effective.

It's pleasing to see our hard work is paying off. Numbers released this week show that levels of reported crime have dropped by 17.4 per cent in the past three years. This is an encouraging trend, and a reflection of the great job our Police are doing.

As the Government, we're supporting the Police so they can direct their efforts to where they're needed most. We've delivered more officers, who spend more time on the frontline, and in the last year, foot patrols were up 70 per cent.

We've also ensured our frontline officers are equipped with the resources they need to do their jobs. New technology like smartphones and tablets mean they have access to important, up-to-the-minute information wherever they are. Now instead of spending time back at the station on paperwork, they can spend more time out on the streets where crime happens.

So long as there's crime in New Zealand, there's still more that we can do. But I'm proud of our accomplishments so far.

My speech at the UN General Assembly

Last week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, I delivered a statement on behalf of New Zealand. Watch the following video to hear about it:

From my diary

After arriving home from New York last weekend, it was straight back to work this week. On Wednesday I made a day trip to Canberra to meet with Tony Abbott, who was recently elected the new Prime Minister of Australia. Our two countries enjoy a close and unique relationship and this meeting was a great opportunity to discuss our many areas of mutual interest.

This Sunday I'll be leaving to attend two major meetings of Asia-Pacific leaders. My first stop will be Bali where this year's APEC Leaders' meeting is being held. From there, I'm off to Brunei for the East Asia Summit.

At these events, I expect to discuss a wide range of political, security and economic topics with other world leaders. I will fill you in on how the week goes, and share with you some of my photos when I'm back in New Zealand.
Regards,
John Key
Prime Minister

© Scoop Media

Trial Over 'Anonymous' Donations: John Banks Resigns As Minister

ACT Leader John Banks today confirmed that he has stood down from his Ministerial positions following today’s decision at the Auckland District Court.

“Last week I indicated to the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff that I would offer my resignation should the matter relating to my 2010 Mayoral Electoral return be committed to trial,” Mr Banks said...

“I intend to continue in my role as ACT Leader and MP for Epsom, and ACT will continue to support National on matters of confidence and supply. More>>