Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Steven Joyce and Social Development Minister Anne Tolley have today announced two new Auckland jobs and skills hubs as part of the latest update of the Skilled and Safe Workplaces chapter of the Business Growth Agenda.

“I am pleased to announce new jobs and skills hubs at both the Wynyard Quarter and Tamaki, which will give young people a pathway to employment in the construction sector, as well as on-site numeracy, literacy and practical skills training,” Mr Joyce says.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today welcomed a report which shows the economic value of New Zealand’s international education industry rose to $4.28 billion last year.

This is a 50 per cent increase from $2.85 billion when the sector was last formally measured in 2014, and places international education (onshore and offshore delivery) as New Zealand’s fourth largest export industry, overtaking wood at $3.82 billion.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce has today opened applications for the establishment of a new genomics research platform with funding of up to $5 million per year for seven years.

“Genomics is an increasingly important component of both basic and targeted research, and underpins much current activity across the life sciences including the primary, health and environmental sectors,” Mr Joyce says.

Tertiary Education Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says the Labour Party has completely missed the mark with its idea of marshalling young people into a new make work scheme.

"Labour has completely mis-read the current job market in New Zealand. The problem is not finding enough work for young people, it’s finding enough young people and skilling them up for the work that is already there.

New Zealand has been ranked first in the world in the 2016 Legatum Institute’s Global Prosperity Index, up from fourth position last year.

The index ranks 149 countries according to their performance across eight equally weighted categories. This year New Zealand ranked first for economic quality, first for social capital, second for business environment, second for governance and third for personal freedom.

New Zealand’s top researchers have been awarded $65.2 million in Marsden Fund grants in the 2016 funding round, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

The $65.2 million allocation is the largest single funding round in the history of the Marsden Fund. 117 successful proposals will be funded over the next three years and they include a diverse range of topics from vaccine delivery, to youth justice, to the marine carbon cycle. 

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today welcomed a drop in the unemployment rate to 4.9 per cent, the lowest rate since December 2008.

The latest Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) shows 35,000 more jobs over the past three months and 3,000 fewer unemployed. Over the past year an additional 144,000 people are in work.

“The Government’s comprehensive economic plan is working for families, as we see more jobs and higher wages helping people get ahead,” says Mr Joyce.

An information exchange agreement with the Australian Tax Office (ATO) has carried out its first match, locating 10,400 student loan borrowers living across the Tasman.

Inland Revenue last week sent an initial list of 104,000 names of New Zealand borrowers who are living overseas to the ATO. Those names matched with the contact details of 10,400 people living in Australia.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce has today announced that the New Zealand Research Institute of Viticulture and Oenology (NZRIVO) has been selected to become the first new Regional Research Institute.

“The NZRIVO, which will be based in Marlborough, will undertake new research activity and collaborate with other domestic and international research institutions to support the growth and continuing success of New Zealand’s wine and viticulture industry,” says Mr Joyce.

New Zealand has been ranked the top country in the world for doing business in the World Bank’s 2017 Doing Business Report - up one place from last year and up from third in 2014.

The report, which examines regulations that enhance or constrain business activity, assesses 190 countries and ranks them according on the impacts of their regulatory environment on business.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced three appointments to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ).

Charles Finny has been reappointed at Chair, while Karen Rolleston and Linda Sissons are newly appointed board members.

Prime Minister’s Business Scholarships for 2016 were awarded today to nine New Zealand senior executives.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce says the scholarships provide a unique opportunity for some of our very best up and coming executives to expand their international expertise and to help New Zealand businesses to grow and develop on the world stage.

New Zealand’s leading 200 hi-tech companies have reached combined annual revenues of $9.4 billion – up 12 per cent in just one year, according to the annual Technology Investment Network’s TIN 100 report released today.

“This year’s TIN 100 report tells an impressive story of innovation, growth and exporting success in New Zealand’s technology sector,” Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce says.

A Bill that will clarify and update statutory provisions in a range of micro-economic legislation has today passed its first reading in Parliament, Economic Development Steven Joyce says.

The cognate Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill now splits into three separate omnibus Bills that contain amendments to 20 Acts administered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce has welcomed the first reading of the Outer Space and High Altitude Activities Bill in Parliament today.

“This Bill is a significant milestone for the development of a New Zealand-based space industry. Space is now a global multi-billion dollar industry and this Bill is New Zealand’s passport to be part of that industry,” Mr Joyce says.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce has today announced New Zealand will contribute $4 million to a four-year dairy development partnership with Peru.

“The New Zealand Peru Dairy Support Project will use our expertise to improve the profitability of up to 90,000 dairy farmers in the Peruvian Sierra,” Mr Joyce says.

“The project will focus on assisting Peruvian farmers with New Zealand technologies to improve milk and cheese production, handling and processing practices, and more effective research and extension.

Associate Finance Minister Steven Joyce will attend this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) annual meeting of Finance Ministers, in Lima, Peru.

This is the 23rd APEC Finance Ministers Meeting and there are several policy initiatives that will be discussed, including the APEC Financial Institutions, dealing with SMEs initiative and the Financial Infrastructure Development Network.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce has today announced the creation of a new freshwater institute between NIWA and the University of Waikato.

Te Waiora, Joint Institute for Freshwater Management (NIWA and the University of Waikato) will be on the university’s Hamilton campus and involve iwi, national and international partners.

Callaghan Innovation will run three new accelerator programmes to help develop early-stage start-up businesses in 2017, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today.

The three programmes will focus on the financial technology, digital technology and energy sectors, and are being funded from the $3 million for new accelerators set aside in the Innovative New Zealand package in Budget 2017.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Māori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell today announced that applications are open for the Māori Digital Technology Development Fund which will support greater participation by Māori in New Zealand’s digital technology industries.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today announced the High-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge is investing $3 million in its Consumer Insights and Science of Food research programmes.

“The research into high-value nutrition is hugely important in moving our food production from volume to value”, Mr Joyce says.  “These projects will help product development that brings maximum returns for New Zealand food exporters.”

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce has announced that applications are now open for the 2017 Endeavour Fund with a series of roadshows to be held this week for potential applicants.

“The Endeavour Fund is New Zealand’s biggest contestable scientific research fund”, Mr Joyce says. “$209 million in research funding was allocated in the just-completed 2016 round, and a similar amount will be invested in the 2017 round.

A new dairy research and demonstration farm being developed in Southland will ensure the local dairy sector continually has access to the latest science and innovation, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce says.

The Southern Dairy Hub is being funded by AgResearch, DairyNZ and the Southern Dairy Development Trust, which represents the region’s dairy farmers.

The investment recognises the scale and importance of dairying in the Southern region and aims to address the unique significant localised issues faced by Southland dairy farmers.

Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today announced that applications are open for the third round of the Unlocking Curious Minds contestable science fund.

“The Curious Minds fund supports innovative projects aimed at exciting and engaging young people, in particular those who have limited opportunities to get involved with science and technology,” Mr Joyce says. “We need more young people to develop an interest in STEM subjects like science and engineering, to meet the skill needs of our 21st century world.”