A public discussion document about the sustainability of community funding from pub and club gaming machines is now available, Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne said today.

“Earlier this year I announced a review of class 4 gambling and the release of a public discussion document gives the public a chance to have their say.

“The release of the discussion document is the next step in the Government’s review of the class 4 gambling sector, which operates “pokie” machines in non-casino venues”, says Mr Dunne.

Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne is going the distance to acknowledge some of New Zealand’s most far-flung volunteers.

The Minister will visit the Chatham Islands this week and will celebrate National Volunteer Week with the local volunteer fire brigade.

“In a small island community like the Chathams, volunteers are crucial,” Mr Dunne said.

The Minister will also talk with the local volunteers about the merger next year of New Zealand’s urban and rural fire services into a new organisation, Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne has welcomed improvements to New Zealand’s passport service which will allow parents to renew their children’s passports online, and also allow adults who have never had a passport to apply online using their RealMe verified identity.

The uptake of RealMe, the secure consent based identity verification service that allows people to prove who they are online continues to rise. More than 160,000 verified identities have now been issued since RealMe went live in July 2013.

The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has had budget confirmed of $13.0 million operating funding over the next four years, and $3.4 million capital funding to continue developing its information and data portfolio.

The work DIA do is central to making it easier for New Zealanders and New Zealand businesses to access trusted government information and data clearly and simply, Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne says.

Internal Affairs Minister, Hon Peter Dunne, has congratulated the seven members of the New Zealand Fire Service community who all received the Queen’s Service Medal in the Queen’s 90th Birthday Honours List.

“Their citations reveal decades of service not just to their local fire brigades but also their wider communities. The much deserved recognition by Her Majesty

is a very fitting way to acknowledge their years of dedicated service.”  

Minister for Internal Affairs Hon Peter Dunne and Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga are welcoming new initiatives that make open government data more accessible than ever before.

“It is important we continue to improve online access to government data so anyone can use it to develop new products and share with others. Data has little value if it is not used,” Minister Dunne says.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has released an updated three-year strategy to prevent and minimise the harm that can result from gambling.

"The latest plan aims to build on the work done in more recent years which has resulted in a reduction in risk factors for gambling harm.

“For example the number of adults engaging in multiple forms of gambling has reduced, as has the number of adults participating in monthly EGM gambling.

Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne today announced a new appointment and three reappointments to the Archives Council.

The Archives Council has a statutory role to provide the Minister with independent advice on archives and recordkeeping matters.

Dr Aroha Harris, Dr Gillian Oliver and David Reeves have been reappointed for a further term, starting on 30 May 2016. The new member is Sandra (Sandi) Beatie and she will also be starting on 30 May 2016.

They will join current members Anna Blackman, Dr Angela Wanhalla and Thomas Norcliffe.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has welcomed expert clinical support of the Government’s approach to prescribing cannabis-based products from medical specialists and the New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA).

Mr Dunne instructed Ministry of Health officials in March to undertake a targeted consultation with a range of medical specialists and the NZMA to determine whether the guidelines used to assess applications for prescribing cannabis-based products were still fit for purpose.

The reclassification of a series of drugs posing a serious health risk to young people continues to progress and has been welcomed by Associate Minister of Health, Hon Peter Dunne.

“The impact of the NBOMe family of drugs, particularly on young people, can be devastating and the pending change in classification with appropriate, stiffer penalties available sends a clear signal of the wider community’s condemnation of these substances”, says Mr Dunne

The Government has agreed to a new payments system for venues hosting pokie machines in bars and pubs, Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne said today.

The new commission-based system will be much simpler. Each venue will be paid up to 1.28 per cent of weekly gaming machine turnover. Total annual payments for each venue must not exceed 16 per cent of a venue’s gross gaming machine proceeds (GMP) excluding GST.

Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne today announced funding of $303 million over five years to combine urban and rural fire services into one organisation from mid-2017.   

“The name of the new organisation – Fire and Emergency New Zealand – reflects the wide range of services that our firefighters provide for their communities, including callouts to road accidents and natural disasters,” Mr Dunne said.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne is travelling to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem (UNGASS), which takes place over 19-21 April.

“Major themes of the UNGASS meeting are likely to include the death penalty, new psychoactive substances and the impact of technology,” says Mr Dunne.

DHBs rather than local authorities will decide on which community water supplies are fluoridated under proposed changes announced today by Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne.

“New Zealand has high rates of preventable tooth decay and increasing access to fluoridated water will improve oral health, and mean fewer costly trips to the dentist for more New Zealanders,” says Dr Coleman.

A number of decisions affecting the class 4 gambling sector have been made by the Government, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Peter Dunne said today. They include cancelling further increases to the minimum rate of return that gaming machine societies must make to local communities through grant funding.

Internal Affairs Minister Hon Peter Dunne today announced 32 appointments across 15 Lottery Distribution Committees. There are 13 new members and 19 reappointments.

“Distribution committees fund a range of great projects and programmes and make a major contribution to communities up and down the country. The appointees bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and community connections, and will help ensure the committees continue to be well-placed to do their work.”

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has today approved the use of a non-pharmaceutical grade cannabis-based product, following an application from the patient’s treating consultant.

The product applied for, Aceso Calm Spray, has been chosen for its low THC content to treat a severe case of Tourette’s Syndrome. While Sativex has previously been shown to be efficacious in treating the condition, the Aceso product has been chosen due to its reduced psychoactive side effects.

Associate Minister of Health, Hon Peter Dunne, has welcomed the publication of the report by CBG Health Research on older people’s oral health. The report, which has been released on the Ministry of Health website, investigates the oral health status of older people living in rest homes and those receiving home-based services in the community.

“The release of the report is very timely. The Ministry of Health has been consulting on the Health of Older People Strategy and this report makes a very useful contribution to that process.

Internal Affairs Minister Hon Peter Dunne today announced the appointment of Dr Rachael Ka’ai-Mahuta to the Library and Information Advisory Commission (LIAC).

“I am appointing Dr Ka’ai-Mahuta to fill the current vacancy on LIAC. Dr Ka’ai-Mahuta will bring matauranga Māori and a strong understanding of the issues around language and culture revitalisation. I believe her skills and experience will be of great value to LIAC.

Minister of Internal Affairs Peter Dunne today announced the release of a Proposals Paper in the second stage of the review of public access to birth, death, marriage, civil union, and name change (BDM) records.

The Proposals Paper responds to 80 submissions received on the January 2015 Discussion Paper, which launched the review the rules governing access to BDM records.