Corrections Minister Louise Upston today acknowledged the nearly 250 nurses, team leaders and health centre managers who deliver primary health services to prisoners behind the wire every day.

Each year International Nurses Day is celebrated on 12 May - the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. It recognises the contribution made by nurses around the world.

New Zealand Corrections nurses carry out more than 100,000 consultations with prisoners every year.

“It is important that we acknowledge the work of Corrections nurses to improve prisoners’ wellbeing,” says Ms Upston.

“Prison nurses have complex workloads and work in a unique and challenging environment that is quite different from the world outside the wire.”

Corrections nurses have a significant impact on the lives of prisoners. The healthcare provided by prison nurses helps them better engage in education, rehabilitation programmes, and employment opportunities and ultimately reduces their risk of reoffending.

“Their patients typically have higher health and mental health needs than the rest of the community, and these nurses are often the first healthcare professionals that prisoners have seen in some time,” Ms Upston says.

The theme of International Nurses Day this year is Nurses: A Voice to Lead, Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Associate Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Louise Upston has welcomed the passing of the Education (Update) Amendment Bill today.

The Education Act has been updated to streamline the way government careers services and information are provided. As a result of a Government review of the careers system, Careers New Zealand is being disestablished and staff and functions will transfer to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) on 1 July 2017.

“This is a positive step towards an improved careers system that will strengthen connections between education and employers, reduce fragmentation and duplication across government agencies and make pathways into further study and work clearer,” Ms Upston says.

“A refocused careers service within the TEC will make use of the commission’s ability to work with tertiary providers and employers so they co-ordinate with schools on the skill needs of the labour market.

“Students and their families can expect to have access to better and more consistent careers services and information as well as a continually expanding and improving suite of online tools,” Ms Upston says.

Employers will benefit from stronger connections with schools and tertiary providers and a more direct link to the skills pipeline, and careers education that links teaching and learning to the application of skills, knowledge and competencies in the labour market.

Associate Minister of Education Louise Upston has today officially opened Rangiora High School’s new $14.9 million facilities.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the redevelopment of Rangiora High School to support the delivery of innovative teaching and meet the future needs of its community,” Ms Upston says.

Rangiora High School experienced growth for several years prior to a sudden increase in student numbers associated with the Christchurch earthquakes. It also had a large number of relocatable classrooms that were reaching the end of their lifespan.

This project provides the school 26 new innovative teaching spaces that replace ageing facilities and extend the school’s overall capacity.

“A priority for this Government is investing in a targeted way to deliver the types of environments that support young people to learn and achieve,” Ms Upston says.

“A key focus in recent years has been addressing complex property issues for schools in areas of growth. To get the best return on our investment we have used a programme of major redevelopments to help schools address highly complex property issues, modernise aging infrastructure, and extend accommodation in line with projected growth.

“This approach delivers cost efficiencies, reduces disruptions to school activities, and considers the long-term needs of the school,” Ms Upston says.

Corrections Minister Louise Upston has welcomed 40 new Corrections officers who have completed training.

The recruits graduated at a ceremony in Wellington yesterday and will now return to prison sites across the country.

“As a Corrections officer or offender employment instructor, these men and women can be a positive role model for many prisoners and help motivate them to turn away from a life of crime,” says Ms Upston.

The Minister’s Excellence Award was presented to Ieremia (Jerry) Teofilo of Mt Eden Corrections Facility in recognition of the leadership, professionalism and all around excellence he displayed throughout training.

“I am delighted to welcome Jerry to the team at Corrections,” says Ms Upston. “His enthusiasm, positivity and passion is highly valued by his fellow colleagues and the prisoners whose lives he has the opportunity to influence.”

“I am grateful that these men and women from all backgrounds, ethnicities and walks of life, have chosen to work with Corrections,” says Ms Upston.

Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Louise Upston have welcomed the latest apprenticeship figures, which show an increase of 6800, nearly 19 per cent, since 2012.

“We now have over 43,000 New Zealanders engaged in an apprenticeship, with most of those in the construction and engineering sectors,” says Mr Goldsmith.

“We are in the middle of the New Zealand’s biggest ever building boom, the rapid scaling-up of construction in Auckland will result in around $17 billion of new construction in 2018,” says Mr Goldsmith.

The Government has invested $14.4 million in industry training as part of Budget 2016, along with a further $9.6 million for Māori and Pasifika Trades Training, over four years.

“The Government is investing to meet the skills challenge, but we need support from parents, teachers, careers advisors, and businesses if we are to meet our target of 50,000 apprentices by 2020.”

The Occupation Outlook, published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE), projects strong job prospects for qualified trades workers over the next few years. This is due in part to construction activity in Auckland and nationally.

“Trade apprenticeships are not just an alternative career choice for young people, they are critical for our economic growth. The Occupation Outlook is a fantastic resource for young people considering their future careers,” Ms Upston says.

“Our Government has set an ambitious target of 50,000 people to be training in apprenticeships by 2020 and we are working with industry training organisations on an action plan to achieve that.”

Corrections has completed a programme to equip all its prisons with secure computer suites that allow prisoners access to online learning tools, Corrections Minister Louise Upston says.

“With new Secure Online Learning (SOL) suites being opened at Mt Eden Corrections Facility, Waikeria and Invercargill Prisons, all Corrections prisons now have access to these secure, controlled and monitored learning environments,” says Ms Upston.

The SOL suites give prison-based learners access to secure computer suites and online tools that allows them to engage in education, life skills, employment and reintegration-focused training.

“Online learning appeals to many people who have had difficulties engaging in traditional educational methods and is especially appealing to the younger prison population,” says Ms Upston.

“Using these learning tools also allows prisoners to develop basic IT skills, something valued by many employers and training providers.”

Up to nine prisoners can use a suite at any one time and access pre-approved applications and websites to use the online learning tools. All prisoners using SOL are supervised while they learn and have to pass a rigorous selection process. A secure IT solution ensures they cannot navigate away from the sites that they have been authorised to use.

The SOL project was announced in August 2015 after a two-year pilot at Christchurch Men’s Prison and has been progressively implemented across the Corrections estate.

"This project has already proven successful with around 1200 learners using the current suites in 2016,” says Ms Upston.

Further work to come includes the introduction of fingerprint technology to ensure safer and more secure prisoner logins, a separate literacy and numeracy assessment portal to encourage the wider use of online assessment tools and Microsoft Excel, Power Point and Publisher. The number of pre-approved websites will also increase from 11 to more than 20.

“Education is key to prisoners’ reintegration and motivating them to make a positive change to their lives,” says Ms Upston.

“I’m delighted we’re able to provide prisoners with more opportunities to further their education and develop positive study habits and confidence.”

Corrections Minister Louise Upston is hosting an event in Hamilton tomorrow aimed at getting more employers onboard to give jobs to skilled, motivated and work-ready offenders.

The event, the first of a series to be held around the country in coming months, will give some of New Zealand’s biggest employers the chance to hear about the work Corrections is doing to provide offenders with education, training and job skills.

Corrections signed up its 100th employer to offer prisoners jobs earlier this month but more are needed to provide men and women steady work and a regular income when they leave prison.

“Too many prisoners are unemployed when they enter prison. Some have never had a job. Yet we know that people who find stable employment on leaving prison are less likely to end up back in the justice system. Having a job is crucial to reducing reoffending,” Ms Upston says.

“The benefits of linking employers with offenders are many – we have a skills shortage that many of these men and women can fill and we will reduce our reoffending rates and prison muster if they don’t return to prison.”

Corrections helps offenders to find employment through a range of education programmes, skills and work training and employment opportunities to make them more employable on their release.

“We want to ensure the people who come under Corrections management and care leave with more skills than when they arrived,” Ms Upston says.

Corrections employs full-time education tutors who support 4769 prisoners and deliver education and employment training programmes including horticulture, manufacturing, construction, painting and hospitality. 

Last year, around 9000 offenders were involved in employment-related activities and 4628 achieved qualifications, a 25 per cent increase on 2015.

Corrections also has initiatives aimed at supporting employers to take on offenders. The Employment Support Service provides job placement and up to six months in-work support to help former prisoners get and keep their jobs. Offender recruitment consultants work with offenders and employers around the country.

“Corrections does the work to find the right person for the job, and employers gain a skilled employee,” Ms Upston says.

“Employers can help make a positive difference by giving someone a job – a difference to the lives of offenders, their whanau, and their communities.”

Corrections Minister Louise Upston today congratulated one of the largest cohorts of frontline officers ever welcomed to Corrections.

Another 122 new Corrections officers and offender employment instructors will soon be working at prisons throughout the country after graduating from a 12-week training course.

Today’s graduation brings the total number of new officers employed as part of Corrections’ recruitment campaign to more than 350. The aim is to attract 600 new frontline staff by September this year.

Ms Upston was pleased to see such a large group graduating and joining the department’s efforts to keep New Zealand communities safe.

“It’s heartening to see so many men and women willing to step up to this very challenging job. Our officers are committed and passionate about giving prisoners the support and encouragement they need to turn their lives around.”

Leon Haiu, who will work at Tongariro Prison, was presented with the Minister’s Excellence Award.  Mr Haiu was recognised for his leadership qualities, hunger for learning, his proactive approach and desire to be a positive influence in people’s lives.

Before joining Corrections, Mr Haiu spent 15 years working in Turangi as a community and youth support worker.

Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston has welcomed new forecasts showing forestry export revenue set to rise further over the next two financial years.

The Ministry for Primary Industries’ first quarterly update of its Situation Outlook for Primary Industries shows forestry export revenue is forecast to rise 5.8 per cent to $5.4 billion for the year ending June 2017, and a further 8.8 per cent to $5.9 billion in the year to June 2018.

“Rising log exports are behind this positive forecast, with a strong demand from China due to its expanding housing market. This, combined with low shipping costs, has driven harvesting to record levels,” Ms Upston says.

“Increased building activity in Auckland and Christchurch are also driving domestic consumption of sawn timber, up 7 per cent in the year to September 2016, which is great news for the forestry sector.”

The annual harvest reached a new record in 2016, pushed up by higher log prices, with the supply of harvestable wood set to increase over the next five years.

“Forestry is our third highest export-earner and an important industry for our regions. This Government is encouraging more planting through the Afforestation Grants Scheme which has $19.5 million to establish 15,000ha of new forests between 2015 and 2020.

“Not only is the planting of new forests good for the sector, but it helps with erosion control, carbon sequestration, and the better use of marginal land,” Ms Upston says.

Associate Primaries Industries Minister Louise Upston has welcomed new forecasts showing forestry export revenue set to rise further over the next two financial years.

The Ministry for Primary Industries’ first quarterly update of its Situation Outlook for Primary Industries shows forestry export revenue is forecast to rise 5.8 per cent to $5.4 billion for the year ending June 2017, and a further 8.8 per cent to $5.9 billion in the year to June 2018.

“Rising log exports are behind this positive forecast, with a strong demand from China due to its expanding housing market. This, combined with low shipping costs, has driven harvesting to record levels,” Ms Upston says.

“Increased building activity in Auckland and Christchurch are also driving domestic consumption of sawn timber, up 7 per cent in the year to September 2016, which is great news for the forestry sector.”

The annual harvest reached a new record in 2016, pushed up by higher log prices, with the supply of harvestable wood set to increase over the next five years.

“Forestry is our third highest export-earner and an important industry for our regions. This Government is encouraging more planting through the Afforestation Grants Scheme which has $19.5 million to establish 15,000ha of new forests between 2015 and 2020.

“Not only is the planting of new forests good for the sector, but it helps with erosion control, carbon sequestration and the better use of marginal land,” Ms Upston says.