Articles for category: Politics

NZ Government

Reo Māori the ‘beating heart’ of Aotearoa New Zealand

From private business to the Paris Olympics, reo Māori is growing with the success of New Zealanders, says Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka. “I’m joining New Zealanders across the country in celebrating this year’s Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week, which has a big range of events running from 14 ...

NZ Government

Need and value at forefront of public service delivery

New Cabinet policy directives will ensure public agencies prioritise public services on the basis of need and award Government contracts on the basis of public value, Minister for the Public Service Nicola Willis says. “Cabinet Office has today issued a circular to central government organisations setting out the Government’s expectations for needs-based service provision. The ...

NZ Government

Minister to attend Police Ministers Council Meeting

Police Minister Mark Mitchell will join with Australian Police Ministers and Commissioners at the Police Ministers Council meeting (PMC) today in Melbourne. “The council is an opportunity to come together to discuss a range of issues, gain valuable insights on areas of common interest, and different approaches towards law enforcement challenges across our countries,” Mr ...

NZ Government

New Bill to crack down on youth vaping

The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping.  “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping remains a real concern for ...

NZ Government

Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do so for the benefit of ...

NZ Government

Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups

Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency Response, and Remedial Measures) Bill, ...

NZ Government

Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it

The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be achieved on a visit to ...

NZ Government

Targeted supports to accelerate reading

The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children learn to read and set ...

CTU

Millions Wasted on Treaty Principles Bill

Calculations undertaken by the NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi show that the Government will have wasted millions of dollars to take the already failed Treaty Principles Bill forward. “This Bill is already dead, yet it keeps taking investment away from bigger priorities for New Zealand. Overall, the Bill and its process is estimated to have cost ...