New Zealand’s inaugural Motorcycle Awareness month, which begins today, is an opportunity to increase awareness around the risks for motorcyclists on our roads, ACC Minister Michael Woodhouse says.

“Motorcycle safety is one of the four priorities of the Government’s Safer Journeys Action Plan 2016 -2020,” Mr Woodhouse says.

“Over the past decade, motorcycle travel has increased by 60 per cent, which is why we are committed to raising awareness through Motorcycle Awareness month.

“Motorcyclists should use this month to think about how they can sharpen their skills to not only lower their risk of harm, but also to ensure they make the most on their time of the bike.

 “Last year, sadly 52 people lost their lives in motorcycle accidents. Motorcycle Awareness month will play an important role in helping to reduce that number by bringing safety to the forefront of all road users’ minds.”

As part of Motorcycle Awareness month, ACC will be running a number of initiatives to help motorcyclists stay safe and improve their ride. These include:

A Get Ride Ready campaign in conjunction with local councils which guides riders through actions to enable them to make the most of summer riding. ACC’s motorcycle safety programme Ride Forever is sponsoring this year’s Motorcycle Show in Auckland over September 16 -17. The Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council’s Ride and Decide summit programme. This incorporates a number of events bringing together motorcyclists and road safety agencies to share insights and knowledge. This will result in a joint commitment to improve the safety of motorcyclists.

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse today announced details of a new Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship category to complement the annual refugee quota.

“When the Government announced an increase to the refugee quota last year, we also committed to piloting a Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship category,” Mr Woodhouse says.

“Today’s announcement delivers on that commitment and provides an alternative form of admission for refugees wanting to resettle in New Zealand.”

The key objectives of the category include:

Providing an opportunity for community organisation to be actively engaged in refugee resettlement, and in doing so, to build local communities that welcome refugees. Enabling sponsored refugees to quickly become independent and self-sufficient in New Zealand. Providing an alternative form of admission for refugees to complement our annual refugee quota.

Applicants will need to have a basic understanding of English, have a minimum of three years’ work experience (or a qualification requiring at least two years’ tertiary study), have an acceptable standard of health and be aged between 18 and 45.

"An initial pilot of the category will test the objectives of the category by providing for 25 refugees to be nominated by sponsoring community organisations on the basis they can achieve self-sufficiency and participate in society quickly,” Mr Woodhouse says. 

“This is an excellent opportunity for community organisations to take the lead in providing resettlement options for some refugees and further demonstrates the Government’s commitment to fulfilling our international humanitarian obligations to provide support and protection to refugees.”

A call for expressions of interest from potential sponsoring community organisations will be made by Immigration New Zealand in October this year with successful organisations decided before the end of the year. The first refugees are expected to arrive in New Zealand by June next year.

National will progressively extend Paid Parental Leave to 22 weeks as part of its Parents and Newborns Package designed to support families to grow and stay healthy, while also putting more money into their pockets.

“National will share the dividends of a growing economy, with more support for families with newborns in a new package made possible only by the improving government finances,” Women Spokesperson Paula Bennett says.

National’s Parents and Newborns Package will: 

• Progressively extend Paid Parental Leave to 22 weeks over two years, with an initial step of 2 weeks on 1 July 2018 followed by a further two weeks on 1 July 2019

• Add flexibility to Paid Parental Leave, by allowing both parents to take some of the 22 weeks off at the same time so they can be at home with their baby together

• Support women to take care of their own health by offering them one free dental course during pregnancy and up to their baby’s first birthday

• Give more families a chance to have a baby by providing a third free IVF cycle, and speeding up access to fertility treatment for eligible couples

Mrs Bennett says this package which make a huge difference for thousands of families during a vital stage in their lives.

“National’s Parents and Newborns package recognises the role of both parents, and allows families to have the flexibility that suits their circumstances. It is good for parents, good for their baby and will help support women in the workforce,” Mrs Bennett says.

Workplace Relations and Safety Spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says National has always wanted to increase Paid Parental Leave in a responsible way.

“We’ve already increased it to 18 weeks and widened the criteria for those that can access it – the improving fiscal outlook means we can now extend Paid Parental Leave further,” Mr Woodhouse says.

Health Spokesperson Dr Jonathan Coleman says that a growing economy is allowing National to help to grow and support new families.

“All New Zealanders deserve the chance to have a family so we are also pleased to be able to further stand behind people struggling to conceive, through funding for an extra IVF for those who need it,” Dr Coleman says. 

“We also want to support pregnant women and new mothers take care of their health.

“As pregnancy can lead to dental problems for some women, we will fund one dental course for all pregnant women and mothers up until the babies first birthday, including a check-up and any resulting x-rays, extractions and fillings. 

“National believes in supporting families to have healthy babies who grow up to be healthy kids, and we are making real progress.

“Around 94 per cent of 8 month olds are now immunised and around 800,000 children under 13 are benefiting from free GP visits and prescriptions.”

Mrs Bennett says the Parents and Newborns Package will ensure parents can spend more time at home supporting each other and bonding with their babies in those important and stressful early months, and we will help them stay healthier.

“National will continue to ensure the benefits of our growing economy are passed on to families,” Mrs Bennett says.

The Parents and Newborns Package will come into effect on 1 July 2018. It is expected to cost $88 million per year from 2019/2020 once 22 weeks of Paid Parental Leave is fully implemented. 

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse has today rejected claims that the Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill currently before Parliament will make it harder to settle pay equity claims.

“The Government shares the desire of Kristine Bartlett and the Unions to get this important piece of legislation right,” Mr Woodhouse says.

“We don’t, however, agree with the Union’s assessment of what this Bill will do.

“The purpose of the Bill is to avoid the adversarial court process that the parties in the Terranova case would have had to embark on had the Government not intervened and negotiated a settlement.

“The good faith bargaining process that is proposed is exactly what the Terranova process involved and any suggestion that the settlement could not have been achieved if this Bill was in law is simply incorrect.

“The Terranova settlement was reached with reference to a comparator within the health sector and the Bill enables parties to look outside the sector if an appropriate comparator cannot be found.

“This will make New Zealand’s law more progressive than any other country we compare with.

“There will be an opportunity for the public to have their say on the Bill during the select committee process and we will be listening carefully to those submissions,” Mr Woodhouse says.

ACC Minister Michael Woodhouse has today announced four reappointments to the Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council. 

“The Council represents the motorcycling community and has a vital role to advise ACC on safety initiatives that will make motorcycling safer on New Zealand roads,” Mr Woodhouse says.

Mark Gilbert has been reappointed as Chair of the Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council for a further term of two years.

Alan Petrie, David White, and Johan Bosch have also been reappointed as members of the Council for further two year terms after their current terms expire at the end of this month.

“I would like to take the opportunity to publicly thank Mark Gilbert, and the hardworking members of the Council for their important work to keep motorcyclists safe.

“The reappointment of the Chair and these three members will ensure stability and continuity on the Council and will allow for their important work to gain further momentum,” Mr Woodhouse says.

Note to editors

The Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council (MSAC) was established in early 2011 to advise on how the Motorcycle Safety Levy (MSL) fund should be spent to help make riding safer for riders.

MSAC members are motorcyclists who are well connected to motorcycling communities throughout the country.

The MSL is a levy collected from motorcyclists when they register their motorcycles and it generates approximately $1.8 million a year which is distributed to fund road safety initiatives specifically for motorcycle and moped riders.

MSAC engages with motorcyclists and provides advice and recommendations to ACC on investing MSL money on initiatives that will make motorcycling safer. These include research, awareness campaigns and the introduction of safer road design to reduce motorcycle crashes.

Work-to-date by the Council has delivered a New Zealand-specific evidence base that has helped inform ACC’s input to the Government’s Safer Journeys Action Plan 2016-2020.

More information: MSAC

Following these re-appointments, the current membership of the council is:

Name

Date of original appointment

Mark Gilbert (Chair)

1 July 2013

David Golightly

7 April 2014

Janice Millman

7 April 2014

Alan Petrie

1 September 2015

David White

1 September 2015

Johan Bosch

1 September 2015

Joanne Buckner

1 September 2016

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse says more than 250,000 visa applications have been made online since the service became available in August 2014.

“Immigration ONLINE is helping to transform the immigration system by delivering more efficient visa services and a better customer experience,” Mr Woodhouse says.

“A rapid uptake in the last year has seen the number of ONLINE applications reach 261,000 – an increase of more than 80,000 in the last year.”

In Budget 2015, the Government invested $28.4 million to improve the technology to extend Immigration ONLINE.

“We are now seeing the benefit of that investment with 60 per cent of visa applicants able to apply online now, expanding to 80 per cent of all visa applicants from early next year.

“Immigration ONLINE is more efficient and often less expensive for applicants, which is why it is now the preferred channel for submitting temporary work and student visa applications.

“Immigration ONLINE is an example of the government’s commitment to deliver better public services by making greater use of technology.”

Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse today confirmed changes to temporary work visa conditions following an extensive consultation process.

“The Government is committed to striking the right balance between ensuring New Zealanders are at the front of the queue for jobs and making sure our regions have access to temporary migrant labour necessary for sustained economic growth,” Mr Woodhouse says.

“We are also committed to ensuring that lower-skilled migrants are clear about their future prospects in New Zealand, which is why we consulted on a number of changes to temporary work visa conditions.”

The changes consulted on included introducing remuneration bands to help determine skill levels; a maximum duration of three years for lower-skilled visa holders, after which a minimum stand down period will apply before they are eligible for another lower-skilled visa; and requirements for partners and children of lower-skilled visa holders to meet visa conditions in their own right.

“The consultation process resulted in around 170 submissions and today’s announcement shows the Government has listened to the feedback raised by employers and industry, particularly in the regions,” Mr Woodhouse says.

“While the minimum stand down periods and visa requirements for partners and children will still apply for lower-skilled migrants, we are amending the remuneration band for mid-skilled migrants to address issues raised during the consultation process.

“As a result, the remuneration band for mid-skilled will be 85 per cent of the New Zealand median income, which is currently $41,538 a year, instead of $48,859 as proposed during consultation.

“This means that any migrant earning below $41,538 a year will be considered lower-skilled and will be subject to the stand down periods. Any migrant earning between $41,538 and $73,299 a year in an occupation classified as ANZSCO Level 1 – 3 will be considered mid-skilled, and those earning over $73,299 a year will automatically be considered higher-skilled, regardless of their occupation.

“The new mid-skilled remuneration band recognises the fact that these workers are filling genuine skill shortages and are more likely to progress with further skills acquisition or work experience. It also provides more certainty for employers in planning and training their workforce.

“The consultation process also uncovered a misunderstanding around what the changes mean in terms of employers’ ability to continue to access lower-skilled migrants.

“I want to reassure employers that the changes announced today are not designed to reduce the number of migrants coming in on temporary work visas.

“Employers will continue to be able to employ migrant workers where there are genuine labour or skill shortages. However, these changes will help provide clarity around the conditions under which temporary migrants come here.

“Today’s announcement is another example of this Government’s responsible, pragmatic approach to immigration and is in stark contrast to Opposition parties who want to decimate the regions by cutting immigration by tens of thousands.”

The changes to temporary work visa conditions will be introduced on 28 August, alongside the previously announced changes to the Skilled Migrant residence category.

Other issues highlighted during consultation will also be addressed during Phase Two of the review of temporary migration settings.

These include developing a framework for further targeting of immigration settings by sectors and regions, developing proposals to incentivise and reward good employer behaviour, and ensuring that seasonal work visas reflect seasonal work.

Phase Two will also address concerns raised by primary industries that the current ANZSCO lacks classifications for some jobs and therefore disadvantages workers whose occupations are classed at a lower-level by default.

For more information, visit www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/changes-temporary-migrant-work-settings.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse has today introduced the Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill to Parliament.

“The Bill implements the recommendations made by the Joint Working Group and aims to address one of the material barriers to achieving pay equity,” Mr Woodhouse says.

“The Bill provides a practical and fair process for employees to follow if they feel they are not being paid what their job is worth.

“It will also make it easier for employees to file pay equity claims directly with their employers rather than having to go through the courts.

"To support an effective and efficient pay equity regime, the Bill includes regulation making powers that prescribe additional matters that can be taken into account when considering:

whether a pay equity claim has merit matters that can be considered as part of a pay equity assessment identifying appropriate comparators.

“The Government is committed to achieving pay equity in New Zealand and the introduction of this Bill is a significant step toward ensuring female dominated jobs are paid fairly and closing the gender pay gap.”

The Bill will repeal and replace the Equal Pay Act 1972 and the Government Service Equal Pay Act 1960, and amend the Employment Relations Act 2000.  

Transport Minister Simon Bridges and ACC Minister Michael Woodhouse have welcomed an initiative for the development of a national cycling education system aimed at getting more kids riding bikes safely.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges announced today that the Transport Agency and ACC have approved an initial $2.7 million of funding to establish the system by June 2018. The total investment including delivery of cycling education is expected to be around $24 million over four years.

“Cycling is an important life skill and we want to make sure that all kids in New Zealand have the opportunity to learn to ride a bike safely from an early age,” Mr Bridges says.

“Cycling is a great way to get around, to stay active, or to just have fun with friends and family. Kids love to ride bikes but in recent years there has been a significant drop off in kids cycling. This new system is designed to help reverse that trend and establish a safe system approach to cycling that will see a return of more kids getting around by bike every day.

“The Government’s $333 million Urban Cycleway Programme is creating safer and more connected shared paths and cycleways throughout New Zealand.

“As we improve our environment for people on bikes and more people start to cycle, we need to make sure they have the skills, experience and confidence required to enjoy the ride,” Mr Bridges says.

“Over the last five years, bike related injury claims to ACC have increased by 25 per cent, so ensuring people have the skills to ride safely is paramount,” Mr Woodhouse says.

“Many Councils around New Zealand are already delivering some cycling education. This new national approach, designed and delivered jointly by central and local government, and the community, will build on the great work already underway. This is all about making it more effective and reaching more people and being able to assess its impact on improving safety and encouraging more people to ride.”

The system, aligned with the school curriculum, is focused on giving people the skills they need at the right time in their life – from learning bike handling skills in primary school through to learning road rules and how to ride on-road when they are ready. The system will also offer opportunities for adults who haven’t ridden a bike for a while with programmes designed to help them improve their skills on both standard and e-bikes.

“We’re developing this national programme using very best practice, some of it home grown right here in New Zealand. We are leading the world with our Bikes in Schools programme,” Mr Bridges says.

“By 2021 our goal by is to double the number of children currently receiving on-road training and to double the number of schools running the Bikes in Schools programme.”

More information:

www.nzta.govt.nz/national-cycling-education-system

Good Morning and thank you for that introduction Mike.

Thank you to Horticulture NZ for the invitation to come and speak to you. It’s fantastic to be here in Blenheim at this wonderful Convention Centre – what a great facility.

I would like to acknowledge Prime Minister Enele S Sopaga of Tuvalu and the Pacific Ministers from Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa and Solomon Islands. It’s nice to see you again.

It’s a big year for the RSE scheme – 10 years since it was first introduced and what a difference it has made. To the horticulture and viticulture industries, to business growth, to Kiwis looking for work, and of course, to the Pacific communities.

As I stand here today, I can’t help but think back to 2007 when the RSE scheme began, with around 65 RSE employers and a national cap of just 5,000. Today, there’s more than 130 RSE employers and the national cap has more than doubled to 10,500.

That growth is a vote of confidence in the scheme. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this ground-breaking policy has been such a success.

The RSE scheme has been regarded as one of the best circular migration schemes in the world, and without the dedication and willingness from employers to try something new back in 2007, we wouldn’t be here today celebrating its 10th anniversary.

If we think back to 2007, I’m sure many of you here today will remember all too well the fruit that was left rotting on the ground because of the lack of workers available to do the work.

Not only has the RSE scheme helped prevent that, it’s also led to better quality and more productive workers, as well as a more stable workforce for the horticulture and viticulture industries.

As a result, many businesses have been able to grow and expand. In fact, since 2007, 82 per cent of RSE employers have expanded their cultivation areas, with most agreeing that participation in the RSE scheme was a contributing factor to this expansion.

I’m also aware that participation in the RSE scheme has enabled employers to employ more New Zealand workers in addition to their RSE workers. As you will know, the Government is committed to getting more Kiwis into training, education or employment.

I’m sure Social Development Minister Anne Tolley will talk about that more later today, but let me just say that I’m encouraged by the fact that more than 170 unemployed New Zealanders have so far moved to the horticultural regions and taken part in the New Zealand Seasonal Work Scheme. I want to applaud you as employers for helping make this happen.

When we increased the cap, we also set you a challenge to tell a better story in terms of your recruitment, training and development of Kiwi workers and I’m encouraged to see the progress being made in this respect.

However, after 10 years, we need to be mindful of both the size and the management of the RSE scheme.

I understand the theme of this year’s conference is “Resilient, Sustainable, Ethical” which is very fitting. The 10th anniversary provides the perfect opportunity to celebrate the success of the scheme, as well as focus on what is needed in order to sustain the scheme’s success into the future. And I think the ‘Ethical’ element has an important role to play in that.

While many RSE employers may represent the best of the best in terms of industry standards and employment conditions for their workers, there’s no doubt that there are other employers who are letting the horticulture and viticulture industries down.

This has become particularly evident in Marlborough recently with a number of complaints being made to the Labour Inspectorate about employers not meeting their minimum employment standards obligations.

It is simply unacceptable that those employers who breach employment and/or immigration law are still able to recruit from the international labour market and disadvantage those employers who do the right thing.

That’s why in February this year, the Government announced stand-down periods during which time employers who flout the law will be banned from recruiting further migrant workers.

Since we made those changes, 53 employers have been stood down from recruiting migrant workers. However, I’m pleased to learn that only four of those employers are in the horticulture and viticulture industries.

That, combined with the results of a recent joint agency operation undertaken by Immigration NZ, the Labour Inspectorate and IRD, which found that the level of non-compliance that was uncovered was a considerable improvement on past operations, tells me that we are heading in the right direction as far as compliance goes.

But it’s equally important that RSE employers take responsibility for your supply chain. It’s no longer sufficient to think your responsibilities end with your direct employees.

It is in everyone’s interests to ensure poorer performers in the industry, beyond the RSE scheme, do not jeopardize the success of the scheme. Because that success is important, not just here in New Zealand, but in the Pacific communities as well.

The RSE scheme provides the mainly Pacific workers with an invaluable experience and the chance of being able to send money back to their communities at home.

RSE workers contribute more than $40 million per annum to the Pacific and recent surveys show that many workers are sending 40% of their wages home.

The benefit of this is highlighted in some of the stories from people who take part. Whether it be the Fijian woman who put herself through aviation school to become a pilot through the money she made working in New Zealand, or the Ni-Van worker who now owns rental properties and runs a cattle farm from the money he saved. 

While it’s only been 10 years, we’re already hearing that one of the benefits to come out of the scheme is that the children of these workers are being educated. We cannot begin to measure the long-term benefits of outcomes like this.

However, it’s not just the RSE workers that are giving back to the Pacific communities. I’ve heard a number of stories about New Zealand employers going the extra mile for their workers and their villages. I can’t name all of them, but examples include employers such as Birdhurst and Pick Hawke’s Bay, who have sent builders and building supplies in the wake of the destructive hurricanes in Fiji and Vanuatu.

Vinepower’s connection to Ni-Van workers led it to opening an organic coffee and coconut oil business in Vanuatu for RSE workers to have opportunity at home. This shows the strength of the community that has been fostered between New Zealand and the Pacific as a result of the scheme.

So as the RSE scheme continues to grow and we hear more and more stories like these, it’s equally important that we look to the future and the sustainability of the scheme.

The Government is aware that the horticulture and viticulture industries require high volumes of workers for seasonal work in order to continue growing and to increase exports to $10 billion by 2020.

Our decision to increase the national cap to 10,500 in December 2016 shows the Government’s commitment to enabling the industry to continue to grow and maximise export returns, while ensuring New Zealanders also benefit from this growth.

With the number of RSE workers and employers both increasing, we have also seen a recent rise in the number of incidents involving RSE workers which has resulted in some negative publicity.

While these incidents are small when you look at the total number of workers arriving each year, which is equivalent to a town the size of Greymouth or Gore, there have already been over 40 incidents this year – more than the total number for last year and we are only at the 6 month mark.

I know that Immigration officials work with a number of key parties including employers, police and the community to investigate and follow up any incident as quickly as practicable. They also have a zero tolerance for the misbehaviour of workers and any who are found to have breached the conditions of their visas are usually returned home within a matter of days.

Education and information at the start of the process is absolutely vital. Preparing the RSE workers and educating them on their responsibilities for working in New Zealand is the most effective way to ensure they understand the importance of good behaviour and the repercussions of misconduct.

As you know, workers are already provided with a wealth of information before they leave home and on arrival in New Zealand, and an induction programme has also now been developed for RSE workers coming here.

But it’s clear more needs to be done to ensure the message gets home. I know that INZ has contacted all RSE employers to emphasise the importance of pastoral care and ensuring their workers behave appropriately.

The same message has been given to the Governments of RSE-sending countries. I’m reassured by the measures many of them have already put in place such as the Fijian Government’s recent announcement banning workers who damage the country’s reputation from further seasonal work opportunities for four years.

It’s crucial that we all take responsibility for the roles we play to ensure the sustainability of the RSE scheme. The scheme is a fantastic eco-system and is a credit to the strong relationships that have been built between employers, workers, government officials and our Pacific neighbours.

I look forward to seeing the continued to success of the RSE scheme for many years to come

Thank you.