Families with children at risk of rheumatic fever will be fast-tracked to the top of the waiting list for state housing to reduce their risk of contracting the preventable disease, Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

“This important change to the criteria for state housing will give priority to families at risk of rheumatic fever and help the Government achieve its health goal of a two-thirds reduction in incidence rates by 2017,” he says.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has joined in celebrations with social workers in Wellington today to mark National Social Workers Day.

“Social work is an incredibly demanding and difficult area, and social workers do a superb job supporting vulnerable children and families,” Mrs Bennett said.

“I also want to acknowledge and thank all social workers who work with district health boards, schools, non-government organisations, and other organisations. Their contributions are significant.”

Outstanding arrest warrants are being cleared through a policy to sanction beneficiaries who are on the run from Police.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says this imaginative policy has already seen 161 arrest warrants cleared within six weeks of operation.

“Arrest warrants don’t just go away by themselves; they have to be dealt with and by prompting action through the benefit system, that’s happening faster.”

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith tonight announced at the Habitat for Humanity Annual Conference in Auckland that Community Housing Aotearoa will receive $452,000 of funding over the next two years.

“Community Housing Aotearoa is the representative body that binds our community social housing sector together. It plays an important role in aiding the development and representation of community social housing providers, as well as contributing to policy development, sector training, and research,” Dr Smith says.

The Government has finalised a whiteware purchasing agreement which will provide a good deal for both beneficiaries and taxpayers.

“In this year’s Budget I announced we would work to get better value for beneficiaries and taxpayers in the way we help people purchase fridges, freezers and washing machines,” Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said.

Hardship grants are available to beneficiaries and people on low incomes to purchase whiteware products. These grants have to be repaid.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett was delighted to get unanimous support from Parliament for the Vulnerable Children Bill at first reading.

“This legislation is part of the wider Children’s Action Plan, with more than 30 initiatives to prevent child abuse and improve the lives of our most vulnerable children,” says Mrs Bennett.

“I’ve deliberately kept politics out of this and I’m delighted Opposition parties have found a way to support this work in exactly the same vein.”

The Government is considering options contained in an independent report to strengthen the Child, Youth and Family complaints process.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has asked officials to investigate a recommendation to expand the capability of the Children’s Commissioner to assume a greater independent monitoring role of CYF.

“I commissioned an independent report to investigate whether any changes to the complaints system are needed to ensure independence.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today joined with Prime Minister John Key to officially open the Rangers Park temporary accommodation village in Christchurch’s eastern suburbs.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today welcomed Auckland Council’s unanimous support for the Auckland Housing Accord to urgently increase the supply and affordability of housing in Auckland.

“Today’s adoption of the Accord and notification of the draft Unitary Plan by Auckland Council maintains the momentum for our housing supply reforms,” Dr Smith says.

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith say there will be great benefits for the Canterbury rebuild, following the official opening of the Rolleston Working Prison Construction Yard by Prime Minister John Key.

A partnership between Corrections and Housing New Zealand will see prisoners and community offenders’ refurbish 150 earthquake-damaged red zones houses over the next five years.

More than 400 offenders will gain training in construction skills such as carpentry, plastering, painting and decorating, and roofing and joinery.

The Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill passed its third reading in Parliament today 63 votes to 56 and will come into effect Monday 16 September.

“This new law will deliver tens of thousands of new homes. The increased land supply will help take the pressure off the over-heated Auckland housing market and help the economic recovery. It will enable tens of thousands of kiwi families to realise the dream of owning their own home,” Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Changes to the living alone payment coming into effect today will ensure better support for superannuitants and veterans’ pensioners who live alone.

When a superannuitant or veterans’ pensioner suffers the loss of a spouse or partner and now lives alone, they are entitled to the living alone payment to help with the costs of running their household.

“We know it’s tougher living alone when you can no longer share basic household costs like groceries or the power bill,” Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said.

A mobile app designed to encourage young fathers to interact with their children has been launched today by Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

The ‘Peekaboo’ app, developed by Plunket, Vodafone and the Ministry of Social Development, is available in English and Te Reo and will be free for download from both the Apple and Android stores from September 1.

“Launched to coincide with Father’s Day, the app is a homegrown, educational tool that brings parents and their young children together,” Mrs Bennett said.

Thousands of New Zealanders have come off welfare and into work thanks to the Government’s Job Streams wage subsidy employment package.

“Introduced a year ago, Job Streams offers beneficiaries a flexible pathway into work through two distinct initiatives - Flexi-Wage subsidies and Skills for Industry training programmes,” Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said.

“The simple, work-targeted focus is making a real difference for Jobseekers.”

Hundreds of beneficiaries are taking up the new work bonus payment by leaving welfare to take up work opportunities.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says this incentive payment is for beneficiaries who go into work despite having no work expectation on them.

It means instead of the benefit simply stopping, it is phased out incrementally so people keep a proportion of it as they transition to a wage.

“In the last two weeks of July alone, 239 people took advantage of the work bonus payment as they proactively found jobs,” says Mrs Bennett.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today welcomed Parliament’s passing 63 votes to 57 of the second reading of the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill.

“This bill confronts land supply shortages in cities like Auckland and will see central and local government working closely together to free up thousands of new sections for housing developments,” Dr Smith says.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has announced measures to better support children as they move out of State care and into independence.

“While on my U.S Eisenhower fellowship, I was impressed with savings accounts set up for children in care and saw an opportunity with KiwiSaver.”

“New Zealand children in care generally don’t have family who can sign them up to Kiwisaver, but being enrolled will help them later in life and send a message that their future matters,” says Mrs Bennett.

Housing New Zealand’s firm line on criminal offending and dishonesty has freed up 1000 houses since the Government changed its policy in 2008, Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today in releasing the figures for 2012/13.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today announced the appointment of Dr Allan Freeth as chair, and Ian Kearney and Jeff Meltzer as members of the board of Housing New Zealand.

“Dr Allan Freeth is an astute businessman with a social conscience which is exactly the type of person we need at the helm of the country’s largest landlord,” Dr Smith says.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today officially opened nine two and three bedroom affordable social houses to be rented to low and middle income families in Nelson.

“The Brook development of nine houses at Waimarama Crescent is the Nelson Tasman Housing Trust’s fourth scheme and second to be completed this year. It increases its portfolio of affordable rental housing in the region to 32 homes,” Dr Smith says.

The Government has decided on changes to the Local Government Act to rein in council development contributions to improve housing affordability.

“We are going to narrow the charges councils can put on new sections, provide an independent objections process and encourage direct provision of necessary infrastructure to get costs down,” Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Local Government Minister Chris Tremain say.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today turned the sod to mark the beginning of construction of at least 260 new homes as part of the Northern Glen Innes redevelopment project.

“This project involves redeveloping an area that had 156 old, cold and at the end of their economic life state houses on large quarter acre sections to build at least 260 new modern, warm, dry and safe homes. The project also involves modernising another 40 state houses in Glen Innes and exterior upgrades to a further 276 across Tāmaki,” Dr Smith says.

Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today visited one of the last state houses in the Wellington region to receive insulation under Housing New Zealand’s nationwide Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme.

“This two-bedroom property in Avalon, Lower Hutt is receiving blown ceiling insulation and under-floor insulation to make it warmer and drier for its tenant,” Dr Smith says.