Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne today welcomed the Government Administration Select Committee report on 10 year adult passports and the proposed implementation date of 30 November 2015.
“I’m delighted that the Committee has considered public submissions on the Passports Amendment Bill (No 2) so promptly and endorsed the recommended implementation date.
More than 6,000 people in small communities around New Zealand are set to benefit from improved drinking-water supplies thanks to the latest round of Government subsidies. This was the final funding round for the drinking-water subsidy scheme, a ten-year programme aiming to help small, disadvantaged communities establish or improve their drinking-water supplies.
Minister of Internal Affairs Peter Dunne says Secured Signing’s use of the RealMe verified identity service will give people using e-signatures an easy and reliable way to assure identity.
“Secured Signing enables people to sign documents electronically, RealMe verified identity enables you to prove who you are online. Used together, the two services will mean greater convenience and assurance for people who are asked to sign documents.
A clear message for change to the way our fire services are structured has emerged following the extensive consultation around the government’s Fire Service Review discussion document. While it is evident communities value the work of our fire services, they also want them to be fit for purpose in 21st century New Zealand.
Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne today announced the appointment of Jared Mullen as the Deputy Chief Censor of Film and Literature for a three-year term.
“Mr Mullen brings experience in organisational change management and a good understanding of the role of the Deputy Chief Censor and the Classification Office. His senior management experience in the public sector will be of great benefit to the Classification Office.”
Internal Affairs Minister Hon Peter Dunne is praising the sixteen firefighters from New Zealand’s rural fire authorities that deploy to Canada tonight to help contain raging wildfires in the state of Alberta.
The deployment follows a formal request received from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre last week.
“This latest international deployment further highlights how well regarded our firefighters are on a global scale,” Mr Dunne said.
Internal Affairs Minister and Presiding Member of the Lottery Grants Board, Hon Peter Dunne today announced $180 million of Lottery funding is being made available to support communities throughout New Zealand.
Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders are using online services, Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne said today.
"Kiwis are doing more of their government transactions digitally; by March this year, an average of 45.8 per cent of measured government service transactions were completed digitally – up from 30.4 per cent when measurement started in June 2012”, says Mr Dunne.
Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne is welcoming today’s release of the fourth annual Perioperative Mortality Review Committee’s (POMRC) report.
Additional operative procedures have been added to the report for the first time: coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG), percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PCTA), bariatric surgery and severe postoperative infections.
Associate Minister of Health Hon Peter Dunne has today approved on compassionate grounds the one-off use of Elixinol, a cannabidiol (CBD) product from the United States to be administered by clinicians treating Wellington patient Alex Renton.
The Minister said that “despite the absence of clinical evidence supporting the efficacy of CBD in patients with Mr Renton’s condition status epilepticus, my decision relies on the dire circumstances and extreme severity of Mr Renton’s individual case”.
Minister of Internal Affairs Peter Dunne says thousands of New Zealand online passport renewal applicants now have an easy, fast way to get a RealMe verified identity and access a range of online services.
“With a tick of the box, New Zealanders can verify their identity with RealMe when they renew an adult passport online and already more than 1200 customers have done so, more than half of those eligible, since the launch of the service at the weekend.
Proposals to improve support for volunteer, paid and rural firefighters and to ensure fire services meet community expectations are open for public feedback.
Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne has released the Fire Services Review Discussion Document and is calling for submissions over the next six weeks.
Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne is concerned at the use of untested and unapproved black-market psychoactive substances in the Auckland area, following recent reports of adverse reactions.
Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) test results suggest the substance in question may be MDMB-CHMICA, previously unknown in New Zealand, but responsible for numerous serious adverse effects reported overseas.
Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne says the Government has listened to New Zealanders and adult passports will again be valid for 10 years, once required law changes are made.
“The 10-year validity period gives greater convenience to most adult passport holders, as they will need to renew their passport less frequently. This will also result in a reduction in the annual price of an adult passport for New Zealanders. The 10-year adult passport price will cost $180 (including GST), an average saving of more than $90 over the 10-year validity period.
The Budget confirms $6.1 million in operating funding over the next four years and $13 million of capital funding from the Future Investment Fund to rebuild Archives New Zealand’s Christchurch facility in Wigram, Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne says.
Construction is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2016.
“The Archives project is good news for the people of Christchurch and a clear signal of the Government’s intent to keep the Christchurch rebuild on-track,” Mr Dunne says.
A critical lifeline for one of New Zealand’s most remote communities is to be completely rebuilt as a result of new funding in Budget 2015, Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne says.
The Waitangi Wharf on the Chatham Islands will be replaced in a three-year construction project costing up to $52 million in capital funding from 2015/16 to 2017/18, sourced from the Future Investment Fund.
Associate Conservation Minister Peter Dunne is urging the hunting community to keep gun safety at the forefront of their minds following two tragic fatal incidents during the weekend. The first involving a teen in the Bay of Plenty and the second a young man in the Central North Island were both the result of the (accidental) discharge of their weapons.
