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Hon Bill English

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10 May, 2012

Greater certainty for covered bond investors

A new legislative framework for the issuance of covered bonds by New Zealand registered banks will provide greater clarity for investors and depositors, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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9 May, 2012

Finance Minister welcomes income study

Finance Minister Bill English has welcomed a report from University of Otago researchers, which analyses changes in income and deprivation between 2002 and 2009.

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8 May, 2012

Disciplined Budget will rein in deficit

The Budget later this month will confirm the path back to surplus in 2014/15, despite lower than forecast tax revenue in the Government financial statements in the nine months to 31 March, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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26 April, 2012

Government to strengthen fiscal responsibility

The Government intends to strengthen the Public Finance Act so there are more checks and balances on ministers’ spending decisions and their long-term effects, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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26 April, 2012

Budget 2012 will confirm surplus in 2014/15

Budget 2012 will set out balanced decisions to ensure the Government remains on track to surplus in 2014/15, Finance Minister Bill English confirmed today.

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24 April, 2012

Govt receives international freight report

The Government has received the Productivity Commission's final report on international freight services and will provide a thorough response once it has considered it in detail, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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19 April, 2012

Australian investment and jobs good for NZ

The increasing number of Australian companies investing and creating jobs in New Zealand is good for the economy and will help increase incomes, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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16 April, 2012

More spending, borrowing – when will Labour learn?

Labour continues to make expensive spending promises it could not afford without borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars more from overseas lenders, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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13 April, 2012

Chinese senior leader to visit New Zealand

The fourth-ranked Chinese leader, Jia Qinglin, will arrive in New Zealand on Sunday for a four day visit to celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

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13 April, 2012

Vietnamese deputy leader to visit

Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will visit New Zealand for bilateral and business meetings over the next few days.

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11 April, 2012

Trade, investment focus of Leadership Forum

Acting Prime Minister Bill English will lead New Zealand’s ministerial delegation to the annual Australian New Zealand Leadership Forum in Sydney, which starts tomorrow.

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11 April, 2012

Govt receives housing affordability report

The Government has received the Productivity Commission's final report on housing affordability and will provide a thorough response once it has considered it in detail, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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7 April, 2012

Acting PM pays tribute to Sir Peter Tapsell

Acting Prime Minister Bill English has paid tribute to Sir Peter Tapsell, who passed away in Ruatoria on Thursday night.

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5 April, 2012

Hong Kong CE to visit NZ exporters

Acting Prime Minister Bill English has announced that Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang will visit New Zealand exporters as well as meet our Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade next week.

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5 April, 2012

Govt welcomes completion of AMI sale

The sale of AMI Insurance to IAG, completed today, will provide certainty for policyholders, strengthen the Canterbury insurance market and reduce the likely cost to the Crown, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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4 April, 2012

Crown accounts reflect extra earthquake costs

An updated valuation of estimated Canterbury earthquake costs – including $450 million relating to the quake on 23 December 2011 – are reflected in the Government’s accounts for the eight months to 29 February.

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3 April, 2012

Govt plan strikes the right balance, says IMF

Finance Minister Bill English has welcomed the International Monetary Fund’s assessment of the Government’s plan to return to surplus by 2014/15.

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28 March, 2012

Govt closes livestock tax loophole

The Government has tightened livestock tax rules to prevent farmers who change valuation schemes receiving an unintended tax break, Finance Minister Bill English and Revenue Minister Peter Dunne announced today.

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24 March, 2012

Govt pays tribute to Sir Paul Callaghan

Acting Prime Minister Bill English and Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce say they are deeply saddened by the news that Sir Paul Callaghan has died in Wellington.

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22 March, 2012

NZ well placed despite lower than expected GDP

The economy grew by less than expected in the December quarter, but annual growth of 1.8 per cent still leaves New Zealand reasonably well placed compared to many other countries, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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15 March, 2012

Challenging results set for next three-five years

The 10 results set by the Prime Minister for the public sector over the next three to five years focus on some of the biggest challenges facing New Zealand, Finance Minister Bill English and State Services Minister Jonathan Coleman say.

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13 March, 2012

Business success at heart of Govt growth plan

The Government will focus on six key areas over the next three years to help companies grow and to build a more productive and competitive economy, Finance Minister Bill English and Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce say.

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9 March, 2012

Government announces new appointments

The Government has appointed board members to two new Crown companies - Southern Response Earthquake Services Ltd and Crown Asset Management Ltd – and reappointed Reserve Bank chairman, Arthur Grimes.

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8 March, 2012

Next steps for new public-private prison at Wiri

A new public-private partnership (PPP) prison at Wiri, South Auckland, will provide improved facilities, better services and a tighter focus on results, Finance Minister Bill English and Corrections Minister Anne Tolley say.

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7 March, 2012

Room for improvement in state sector back office

A report benchmarking the administrative and support functions of state sector agencies shows they are starting to control their back office costs, but there is room for improvement, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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7 March, 2012

First Ministerial Committee on Poverty meeting

The Ministerial Committee on Poverty met for the first time last night, with ministers reaffirming their focus on providing opportunity for low income New Zealanders and getting better results from spending on social services.

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6 March, 2012

Lower tax revenue reinforces need for discipline

Lower than forecast tax revenue in the seven months to 31 January, reinforces the need for the Government to responsibly manage its spending, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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5 March, 2012

Govt introduces public share offer legislation

The Government will today introduce legislation supporting its mixed ownership programme, which will help get on top of debt and pay for priority new public assets like modern schools and hospitals.

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29 February, 2012

Finance Minister to deliver Budget on 24 May

The Government will deliver Budget 2012 on Thursday, 24 May, Finance Minister Bill English announced today.

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23 February, 2012

Running up $5-$7b more debt not the answer

Opponents of the Government’s mixed ownership programme need to explain to New Zealanders why it would be better to borrow an extra $5 billion to $7 billion from overseas lenders, Finance Minister Bill English says.

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