Guidelines for company directors on leading and managing health and safety in their workplaces have been launched by Labour Minister Simon Bridges.

Health and safety guidelines for directors launched

Guidelines for company directors on leading and managing health and safety in their workplaces have been launched by Labour Minister Simon Bridges.

“This is an important milestone in addressing both the recommendations of the Pike River Royal Commission and the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health & Safety which sought guidance for directors on their responsibilities,” says Mr Bridges.

The guidelines provide directors with advice on how they can influence health and safety performance in their organisations, their roles and responsibilities, diagnostic questions and actions, a checklist and case studies.

“These guidelines are an essential tool for every company director. Directors should be in no doubt that workplace health and safety is a business priority and they must actively lead it,” Mr Bridges says.

“This is an important step towards achieving the urgent step change in health and safety that the Independent Taskforce believes we need. Everyone has a responsibility to make sure that objective is achieved, and soon.

“I want to acknowledge the leadership of the Institute of Directors in helping to develop the guidelines, jointly with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and employer and employee representatives. I thank them for their commitment to promoting this initiative to members,” Mr Bridges says.
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May 20 (BusinessDesk) – The government’s enthusiasm for mining does not run to leaving ” very concessionary” tax treatment rules for mining company expenses in place, with Revenue Minister Peter Dunne tabling new legislation to raise around …

NZ targets $30M extra tax from mining tax changes

By Pattrick Smellie

May 20 (BusinessDesk) – The government’s enthusiasm for mining does not run to leaving ” very concessionary” tax treatment rules for mining company expenses in place, with Revenue Minister Peter Dunne tabling new legislation to raise around $30 million a year in extra tax from miners.

A regulatory impact statement accompanying the new legislation, tabled in Parliament this afternoon, shows the mining industry is concerned the decision will make New Zealand less attractive to international mining investors.

However, an analyst with the mining lobbyist Straterra, Bernie Napp, welcomed the government’s decision to allow accumulated tax losses to be carried over when a mining operation changes ownership.

Most other companies lose access to accumulated tax losses, which can be offset against future income, during an ownership change. The ongoing concession to miners appears to recognise that many mining prospects are worked up and then sold to companies with the necessary expertise and capital to develop the mine.

The proposals relate to some 200 New Zealand companies in the gold, silver and ironsands, and could be expected to have an impact on new would-be offshore miners such as Chatham Rock Phosphate, which will be the first company to seek a mining licence under new rules governing mining in New Zealand’s 200 mile exclusive economic zone.

The argument for changing mining’s special treatment is the same as that mounted for other sectors over recent decades: that a low rate, broad-based tax system, which treats investments equally, is preferable to a more complex, concessionary tax system, which may lead to higher tax rates being applied across the economy as a whole.

The Inland Revenue Department says it considers “sector-specific rules will provide a more orthodox tax treatment to the sector (by removing the concessionary treatment), while still providing certainty and catering for some distinctive features of the sector.”

In particular, officials have accepted that spending on a mine falls into several phases: prospecting, exploration, development, mining, and rehabilitation.

The new rules will also require expenditure to deducted over the “life of the mine”, with special treatments allowed to deal with the fact that a mine’s working life can be uncertain when mining begins. A mine will have a maximum life for expenditure deductibility and depreciation purposes of 25 years.

The mining industry argued officials misunderstood the arguments about capital allocation. The question was not whether investment funds went to mining or another New Zealand industry, but whether funds available for mining were invested in New Zealand or elsewhere, said Napp.

However, the IRD concluded that “even if tax settings are a consideration when investing into a certain jurisdiction, they will – provided the rules are not actively discriminatory – be relatively insignificant compared to other factors.”

(BusinessDesk)

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Budget 2013 | Holdup on Meat Exports to China | Family Carers.

Prime Minister John Key said the National Government’s 5th budget aimed at continuing to build a  competitive economy and helping families while maintaining fiscal discipline. It included $900 million in new spending.

Given the global financial crisis, the Christchurch earthquake, and inherited debt there had been a remarkable turnaround for the country from when National were elected to where the country was now, he said.

New Zealand meat products being blocked for distribution in China was for “technical” reasons. The Chinese had been provided with information which they were working through, with the issue hopefully being resolved this week, he said.

QUESTIONS

The PM said part of the reason for the delay was because the organization in New Zealand that issued export certificates had changed its name. There had also been procedural changes on the Chinese side with a more “robust” approach to counterfeit meat.

“In the end we will need to go away and have a look at what went wrong and why it took a little longer.”

New Zealand exports to 160 countries and from time to time these issues present themselves, he said.

The Ministry of Primary industries had advised the Chinese of the name change, but clearly there had been a problem and now the main issue was to work through it, he said.

The PM was asked if he could confirm Meat Industry Association figures that there had been hundreds of tonnes of meat worth tens of millions of dollars held up for weeks.

The PM replied he could not confirm how much meat was being held or how long it had been blocked.

The PM didn’t think that the Chinese action was protectionist, or that it would affect New Zealand’s export relationship with China.

The PM was asked if parts of the Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill which passed through parliament under urgency over the weekend were constitutional. The bill set rules around paying people to provide care for family members with disabilities.

The PM said he believed the bill was legal and constitutionally correct. It was a challenging to know where to draw the line between family and state responsibility. Parents had a duty to look after their children but there was not an expectation that parents should continue to care for their disabled child once they reached adulthood. In those situations it was appropriate for the crown to pay for the parents for caregiving.

The PM was asked if he had any qualms about pushing the matter through parliament under urgency as it extinguished peoples legal right to take court action.

He said that would always be a matter of debate but that the government had drawn a line in fairest place they could. Other parties could campaign on a platform of changing that law.

The PM was asked why a proposed departure tax of $35 on departing travellers was dropped.

He said he was initially attracted to the idea as it would provide more money to promote new Zealand, but a “less disruptive” way of financing that marketing had been found.

The PM was asked how he felt about MP’s bringing babies into the house.

He said it as up to the speaker to decided what was appropriate in the house, and the party whips to decide which members were allowed leave to care for their children. The house sitting schedule had become increasingly family friendly.

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Building a 21st Century Body for the Education Profession is welcomed by New Zealand Kindergartens Chief Executive Clare Wells. A strong profession is key to quality teaching and leadership in education.MEDIA RELEASE

20 May 2013

Strengthening the teaching profession – a welcome move

Building a 21st Century Body for the Education Profession is welcomed by New Zealand Kindergartens Chief Executive Clare Wells. “A strong profession is key to quality teaching and leadership in education.”

Teachers complete a high level teacher education qualification and undertake an induction programme for at least two years before becoming a registered teacher. “The teaching profession demands standards are met – and rightly so. We should expect nothing less” said Clare Wells. “We welcome the opportunity to contribute to discussion on strengthening the profession.”

The paper sets out a range of proposals some of which are worrying.

“All registered teachers are required to hold an initial qualification which is being proposed at a post graduate level for teachers in schools. “This would create a two tier system within the profession – that’s not helpful and would be a backward step. If the government is serious about lifting achievement, all teachers need to meet the same standards regardless of where they teach” said Clare Wells.

“Almost a quarter of registered teachers teach in early childhood education. Every teacher within the NZK network is 100% qualified and registered” Clare Wells said. “They are the hallmark of kindergarten and we will be looking to see teachers in early childhood services maintain the same professional status as their colleagues in schools.”

“Another proposal is to allow people other than those with a teacher education qualification to have an ‘authority to educate.’ It seems this is more about who is employed in a school or early childhood service rather than a matter for the teachers’ professional body” said Clare Wells. “Having a broad category for unqualified staff seems at odds with the brief of a professional body.”

“The Teachers Council (NZTC) is the only government organisation that views all qualified teachers as part of a single teaching profession regardless of where they teach and the age of the students they teach. For the early childhood education (ECE) sector, this means the standards required of teachers in ECE are no less than for teachers in schools, maintaining the integrity of the profession and status of qualified teachers in ECE settings. Ensuring equity of status and standards for early childhood education teachers and primary and secondary teachers is of critical importance to maintaining high quality early childhood education services and New Zealand’s position as a global leader in education” Clare Wells said.

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Building a 21 st Century Body for the Education Profession is welcomed by New Zealand Kindergartens Chief Executive Clare Wells. A strong profession is key to quality teaching and leadership in education.Strengthening the Teaching Profession – A Welcome Move

Building a 21st Century Body for the Education Profession is welcomed by New Zealand Kindergartens Chief Executive Clare Wells. “A strong profession is key to quality teaching and leadership in education.”

Teachers complete a high level teacher education qualification and undertake an induction programme for at least two years before becoming a registered teacher. “The teaching profession demands standards are met – and rightly so. We should expect nothing less” said Clare Wells. “We welcome the opportunity to contribute to discussion on strengthening the profession.”

The paper sets out a range of proposals some of which are worrying.

“All registered teachers are required to hold an initial qualification which is being proposed at a post graduate level for teachers in schools. “This would create a two tier system within the profession – that’s not helpful and would be a backward step. If the government is serious about lifting achievement, all teachers need to meet the same standards regardless of where they teach” said Clare Wells.

“Almost a quarter of registered teachers teach in early childhood education. Every teacher within the NZK network is 100% qualified and registered” Clare Wells said. “They are the hallmark of kindergarten and we will be looking to see teachers in early childhood services maintain the same professional status as their colleagues in schools.”

“Another proposal is to allow people other than those with a teacher education qualification to have an ‘authority to educate.’ It seems this is more about who is employed in a school or early childhood service rather than a matter for the teachers’ professional body” said Clare Wells. “Having a broad category for unqualified staff seems at odds with the brief of a professional body.”

“The Teachers Council (NZTC) is the only government organisation that views all qualified teachers as part of a single teaching profession regardless of where they teach and the age of the students they teach. For the early childhood education (ECE) sector, this means the standards required of teachers in ECE are no less than for teachers in schools, maintaining the integrity of the profession and status of qualified teachers in ECE settings. Ensuring equity of status and standards for early childhood education teachers and primary and secondary teachers is of critical importance to maintaining high quality early childhood education services and New Zealand’s position as a global leader in education” Clare Wells said.

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Maori Television is still looking for talented young New Zealanders to take part in MATARIKI MAGIC , a two-hour show that will be screened LIVE from the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau on June 22.MEDIA RELEASE
Monday May 20, 2013
Maori Television is Looking for New Zealand’s Future Stars

Maori Television is still looking for talented young New Zealanders to take part in MATARIKI MAGIC, a two-hour show that will be screened LIVE from the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau on June 22.

Hosted by Matai Smith, Stacey Morrison and Northland teen Ezekiel Raui, MATARIKI MAGIC is a celebration of New Zealand’s future stars who are aged 18 or younger.

We are on the hunt for talented young people from all walks of life who are working hard at a young age and have a passion and commitment to achieve their dreams, whether they are a budding entrepreneur, artist, sports star, musician or scientist.

MATARIKI MAGIC will feature 10 of the country’s rising stars as well as performances by Kiwi acts including musician Don McGlashan, boy band Titanium and the Bubblegum Dance Crew.

What are you waiting for? If you know someone with exceptional talent in your family, at your school, next door or in the wider community, email us today at matarikimagic@maoritelevision.com.

We need the following details: Age, address and phone number, a photo, personal profile and, where possible, accompanying video.

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The New Zealand Industry Training Organisation (NZITO) is the standard setting body for occupational health and safety training registered on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.20 May 2013
Press Release
The New Zealand Industry Training Organisation
Subject: Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety Recommendations

The New Zealand Industry Training Organisation (NZITO) is the standard setting body for occupational health and safety training registered on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.

NZITO have thoroughly reviewed the Taskforce’s reports and welcome the recommendations released at the end of April. We are now awaiting the Government’s response.

We note that one recommendation aligns with work that has progressed in the Targeted Review of Qualifications across the OHS training and education. Whilst the review is on hold awaiting formal engagement with the new OHS agency, the proposed qualification structure could be a component part of the pathway to the professional registration of OHS practitioners.

There are a large number of other recommendations that will impact on the training and education sectors which we will be focusing on as and when the formal response from Government is announced and the new OHS agency has been formed with the capability to engage on such matters. These include suggestions to embed OHS in all level 1-6 vocational training; targeting literacy and numeracy towards at risk groups; a question around where the standard setting role should be posited, and more active engagement from the regulator in setting Approved Codes of Practice.

We congratulate the Taskforce for its comprehensive consultation and well considered recommendations.

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New Zealand First wants the Government to respond to the stark, unpalatable fact that Pacific people are over-represented in unemployment and low-skilled, low-paid jobs.A Hand Up For Pacific Island Students Needed

New Zealand First wants the Government to respond to the stark, unpalatable fact that Pacific people are over-represented in unemployment and low-skilled, low-paid jobs.

Spokesperson for Pacific Affairs Asenati Lole-Taylor is responding to the Salvation Army report released today listing the challenges and achievements of Pacific people in New Zealand titled: More Than Churches, Rugby and Festivals.

“Pacific people make up the majority in low socio-economic areas and are most vulnerable to the current cost of living in New Zealand.

“The report highlights a huge income gap where there has been an average income increase of just $2 in five years for Pacific adults, compared with $54 for everyone else.

“Pacific people also have the highest unemployment rate of more than 15 per cent.”

Mrs Lole-Taylor acknowledged that the Budget announced $43 million into trade training schemes for Pacific people but pointed out they also needed other areas of educational encouragement.

“The number attending university is on par with the national population. These students should not be neglected and like all New Zealanders, they should be given every chance of a career when they finish university study.

ENDS

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Labours Associate Disarmament spokesperson and President of Parliamentarians for Global Action, Ross Robertson, welcomes Indonesias increased support for the Rome Statute progressed by a delegation to Jakarta last week.Delegation Makes Progress Toward Rome Statute

Labour’s Associate Disarmament spokesperson and President of Parliamentarians for Global Action, Ross Robertson, welcomes Indonesia’s increased support for the Rome Statute progressed by a delegation to Jakarta last week.

The aim of the delegation was to encourage Indonesia to prioritise the passing of legislation that would ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“We received a warm welcome from the Speaker of Indonesia, met with the Minister of Defence, officials from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, NGOs and the Diplomatic Community,” Ross Robertson said.

“At these meetings we reinforced the role of the ICC as a safeguard against future mass atrocities. I am pleased to announce that Indonesian politicians are making progress by uniting forces, across party lines, in support of the ICC.

“We welcome the commitment of the Minister of Defence, Hon Purnomo Yusgiantoro, to continue to work with Indonesia’s allies to ensure accession to the Rome Statute is accompanied by the correct interpretation of the Court’s mandate and jurisdiction.

“What we don’t want to see is a nation signing up to the Statute if there is scope for its purpose and function to be misunderstood.

“PGA is committed to work with all UN Members States and, in particular, the 122 States that are already parties to the Rome Statute, in order to support the process of Indonesia’s accession,” Ross Robertson said.

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Three lucky secondary school students are to work with three of New Zealands best professional authors in order to hone their writing skills and develop their craft.NZSA  2013 Youth Mentorships Announced

Three lucky secondary school students are to work with three of New Zealand’s best professional authors in order to hone their writing skills and develop their craft.

The  2013 recipients are Charlotte Steel from Dunedin, Harriet Sanders of Christchurch, and Arden Driver-Burgess from Thames.

The NZSA Youth Mentoring Programme is offered to three secondary school students (15-18) every year nationally and the mentorships are hotly contested.

Selection panel convenor, author Fleur Beale, said the selection process was very difficult this year because the quality of applications was so high.

“Many of the writing samples were assured, polished and mature.  We’d have very much liked to have more mentorships to award and think it’s clear that the future of writing in New Zealand is in good hands.”

The Youth Mentorships are offered by the NZSA every year with the intent of fostering and developing emerging writing talent with the support of established authors. The NZSA has run a highly successful mentoring programme for writers since 1999 and it is sponsored by Creative New Zealand.

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