Key Notes: Christchurch and Samoa
3 August
2012
Key Notes: Christchurch and Samoa
Blueprint for Christchurch city centre
We're committed to doing what it takes to help Christchurch rebuild and recover so I was delighted to unveil the blueprint for a new city centre with Gerry Brownlee in Christchurch this week.
The blueprint
will see a new compact and vibrant Christchurch city centre
with plenty of green spaces. It is built on the foundation
of ideas provided by those who live, work and play there,
and adapted to ensure the city can be accessed and enjoyed
by all who visit.
In this video I talk about the rebuilding of my old hometown - Christchurch - and my visit to Samoa marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship.
As always, I'm very interested in your responses.
Gift of education marks 50 years of friendship
New Zealand has close links with our
Pacific neighbours based on friendship, trust, mutual
respect, family and historical ties, and a shared Polynesian
heritage.
This week I led a delegation of political
leaders, church leaders, sports and business people, as well
as academics, to Samoa to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of
Friendship between our two countries.
During the
visit I was pleased to announce funding of around $5 million to give
years 9 to 11 state secondary school students in Samoa
access to fee-free education.
In
brief
Transport:
On Thursday I marked a milestone in this country's biggest roading
project - the $1.4 billion Waterview Connection in
Auckland - by breaking the ground for twin 2.4km long
tunnels to improve travel times for transport operators,
businesses, commuters, and tourists.
This Road of National Significance will help deliver on one of the National-led Government's priorities for this term - to continue building a more competitive and productive economy.
Education: This Government has an unrelenting focus on raising achievement for all our students.
We took another step towards this on Thursday,
announcing the framework for the New Zealand Charter school
model to be known as Partnership Schools or Kura Hourua.
Partnership schools will help lift achievement in low-decile
areas and disadvantaged communities.
Did you
miss these important stories?
Zero fees doctors' visits for 93% of under
sixes
More apprentices, better results from
Industry Training
White Paper for Vulnerable Children
Better economic performance through better
regulation
Family Court reforms put children
first
Ultra-fast broadband exceeds year one
target
From my diary
Today I'm
out and about in West Auckland with Waitakere MP Paula
Bennett visiting various businesses and schools.
Yesterday, I hosted an hour-long programme on RadioLive, which
included interviews with Sir David Frost, former Australian
prime minister John Howard, and Wellington chef Al Brown.
Regards,
John Key
Prime
Minister
www.johnkey.co.nz
ENDS