Focusing on how we value, nurture, and protect our children

The Government will start a national discussion on how best to protect vulnerable and at-risk children by releasing a Green Paper in August this year.

The Green Paper will focus on infants to 18-year-olds, with a special focus on under-fives. Particular issues will include information sharing, tracking at-risk children, mandatory reporting of child abuse, and the “whānau first” policy.

A six-month public consultation period will follow the release. All New Zealanders will have the chance to discuss and respond to the issues and solutions raised.

The Green Paper will then form the basis of a formal policy document, including a Children’s Action Plan, to be released in August next year.

More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/green-paper-puts-priority-children

Rural Broadband Initiative underway

The Government has completed negotiations for our Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), which will deliver vastly improved broadband speeds and mobile phone services to rural New Zealand.

About half of rural homes cope with dial-up, and just 20 per cent have broadband. The Government’s initiative, (in partnership with Telecom and Vodafone), will see that jump to 86 per cent. It will also deliver ultra-fast broadband to 95 per cent of rural schools, meaning 97 per cent of all New Zealand schools will have access to speeds of at least 100 Mbps.

The new rural network will be achieved through the extension of Telecom’s existing fibre network and Vodafone building new cell phone towers and upgrading technology on existing infrastructure.

Competitors will be able to access rural broadband infrastructure and offer competitive prices to rural broadband customers.

National is working hard to build a better-connected, digitally-enabled, productive and growing economy and the Rural Broadband Initiative will ensure our rural communities do not miss out on the promise of the digital age.

More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/rural-broadband-initiative-underway

Immunisation week puts spotlight on children’s health

Immunisation week starts on 23 April, highlighting the importance of protecting children against diseases such as whooping cough, measles, and diphtheria.

More children under two are being immunised than ever before. Last year, a record 87 per cent of two-year-olds were immunised. Compared with 2008, 6000 extra two-year-olds now have protection from preventable diseases.

According to the Ministry of Health, the number of Maori children who are fully immunised at the age of two has jumped to 85 per cent, and 91 per cent of Pacific children are now being immunised.

Immunising children under two is free. National has highlighted immunisation as one of our six health targets, and we’re getting great results.

More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/feature/health-targets-update

Putting victims at the centre of the justice system

The Government has announced reforms to give extra support to victims of crime. This is the result of public consultation since December 2009 on the document “A Focus on Victims of Crime: A Review of Victims’ Rights”.

A Victims Centre will be established within the Ministry of Justice to oversee victims’ services. The Centre will develop a new Victims Code to help victims understand their rights, the services available to them, and the complaints process.

Other changes include reforming Victim Impact Statements, changing the Victim Notification System, introducing new accountability requirements and complaints processes, and a wider use of restorative justice. A Victims of Crime Reform Bill will be introduced by mid-2011.

More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/enhancements-will-empower-victims-crime

Employment opportunities for thousands of young people

More than 10,000 young people have been given employment opportunities with National’s Job Opportunities Package. Māori and Pacific youth make up over one third of this number, with more than 3500 placed in Job Ops positions to date. Of the more than 4500 young people who have completed their Job Ops programme, around 90 per cent are not on a benefit. We know that more than 70 per cent of these young people are still working. Job Ops provides employers with a $5000 subsidy for employing an unskilled 16- to 24-year old. A real difference has been made in these young people's lives, helping them learn new skills and stay connected to the labour market. More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/ten-thousand-young-people-job

Government tackles unaffordable legal aid costs

We can’t keep ignoring the significant cost pressures the legal aid system is facing. That’s why National is taking steps to get costs under control. The legal aid bill has grown 55 per cent in the last three years to $172 million in 2009/10. Left unchecked, the bill for legal aid services could blow out by $402 million over the next five years. We expect to reduce spending by $138 million over four years, starting in 2011/12. National remains committed to ensuring access to justice for those who need it. Changes to eligibility will not affect cases involving vulnerable parties, the care and protection of children or serious criminal matters. More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/proposals-tackle-unaffordable-growth-legal-aid

Measures to further protect children introduced

The National-led Government is making changes to further protect children from assault, neglect, and ill-treatment. These changes will be made through the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2) which was introduced to Parliament this week. Failure to protect a child or vulnerable adult from the risk of death, grievous bodily harm, or sexual assault will be a new offence under the bill. This will make sure household members who fail to tell authorities about abuse are held to account. The bill will also double the maximum penalty for cruelty to a child, and extend a legal duty on parents and caregivers to take reasonable steps to protect a child or vulnerable adult from injury. Children are among our most vulnerable members of society and they deserve special protection. More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/govt-fast-tracks-moves-further-protect-children

$8.5 billion government bill to rebuild Christchurch

The Government expects to spend about $8.5 billion over the next four or five years to help rebuild Christchurch. The earthquakes do not fundamentally change our economic situation or the Government’s programme. They simply make the task of returning to surplus a little more difficult. Latest estimates put the direct cost to the Government at about $5.5 billion, which will be fully provided for in the Budget on 19 May. About $3 billion of this relates to our share of local government infrastructure, roads, insurance excesses on schools and hospitals, temporary housing, and land remediation agreed after the September quake, demolition costs in the CBD, ACC costs, and the business support package. The remaining $2.5 billion is expected costs of decisions we have yet to make – the biggest cost is likely to be remediation of land damage from the February quake. The direct cost to EQC of meeting residential property damage will be at least $3 billion, making a total direct cost to Government of about $8.5 billion. We need to get the rebuild underway quickly. This means borrowing more in the short term. The Budget will clearly set out the Government’s plan to return to surplus, so we can start paying off this debt. More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/govt-spend-85b-rebuilding-christchurch

CERA legislation an important step

Rebuilding Christchurch after the devastating earthquakes on 4 September and 22 February is one of the Government’s main priorities. The Government will spend about $8.5 billion over the next few years to help rebuild Christchurch, and the job requires a centralised response. The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) will lead the recovery, which must be effective, timely, and coordinated. This week Parliament passed the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bill, which gives powers to CERA and the responsible Minister. A parliamentary committee heard submissions in Christchurch from local organisations. Christchurch City Council and other stakeholders have been closely consulted, and are very supportive of the new structure. The Government will continue to support Canterbury over the coming weeks, months, and years. This legislation represents an important step towards restoring the social, economic, cultural, and environmental well-being of Canterbury. More information: http://www.cera.govt.nz/

Reforms improve legal aid

The Legal Services Act was passed earlier this week, paving the way for big improvements to New Zealand's legal aid system. The Act is part of the National-led Government’s response to Dame Margaret Bazley’s report on the legal aid system. The report identified system-wide failings and called for urgent action to restore trust and confidence in legal aid. The new Act provides for more efficient and cost-effective legal aid services. We will soon announce measures for better management of the Government’s spending on legal aid. These changes will focus on the long-term financial sustainability of the legal aid system. More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/parliament-passes-legal-aid-reforms

New schools to be built under Public-Private Partnership

The Government will commission two new schools in Hobsonville, northwest Auckland, under a public-private partnership model. A new primary school is scheduled to open at the start of 2013, and a secondary school at the start of 2014. For each school the private sector partner will be responsible for financing, designing, building, and maintaining the property for 25 years. They will also carry the risk around time-consuming and expensive problems like leaky buildings. Schools and Boards of Trustees will be able to focus on teaching and learning, without the added responsibility of managing the property. Boards of Trustees will be in charge of governance and day-to-day running of the schools. More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/hobsonville-schools-ppp-will-bring-wider-benefits

More doctors and nurses throughout New Zealand

The National-led Government has seen more than 1000 extra nurses and 500 extra doctors added to our health work force. Our voluntary bonding scheme has attracted 1400 medical, nurse, and midwifery graduates into specialities and locations where we need more of them. This year nurses who choose to work in mental health and aged care will have priority under the scheme. We are focusing on keeping our health professionals by offering more opportunities for clinical leadership and research. Vacancy rates in hospitals and nursing vacancies are at an all-time low, and hospital staff turnover has fallen dramatically. There are also more general practitioners working in primary care than at any other time. More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/health-workforce-nz-seminar-speech-notes

Benefit numbers down

nThe number of New Zealanders on a benefit fell by 12,531, or 3.6 per cent, last month. This is on top of a drop of nearly 10,000 in February. Unemployment Benefit figures have fallen below 60,000 for the first time in 11 months. Encouragingly, the number of young people on the Unemployment Benefit has fallen by 4 per cent over the past year. This is higher than the overall decrease in the Unemployment Benefit. However, benefit numbers are expected to increase as a result of the 22 February earthquake. The Government’s Earthquake Support Package is currently supporting Cantabrians who have lost their jobs, so benefit numbers are not yet reflecting the earthquake. More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/benefit-numbers-not-yet-reflecting-earthquake

Support for AMI policyholders

The Government is providing a back-up financial support package for AMI Insurance to give certainty to tens of thousands of policyholders, and to ensure an orderly rebuild of Christchurch in the aftermath of the two earthquakes. It was the Government’s judgment that a support package was necessary to give certainty to policyholders that their claims would be covered. This applies to all AMI policyholders – not just those in Christchurch where AMI has about 35 per cent of the residential insurance market. The support package would be a last resort if AMI’s own reserves have been exhausted. If the package is called on, the Government would invest up to $500 million of equity in AMI, with the right to take ownership and assume control of the company if it needs to. The alternative of doing nothing would potentially leave thousands of AMI policyholders without the insurance cover and financial resources needed to rebuild. More information: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/back-financial-support-ami-policyholders