Source: New Zealand Police
Police can now name the woman who died following a fatal crash on SH30 on 25 July.
She was 53-year-old, Joni Tuhakaraina from Tokoroa.
Police extend our condolences to her family and friends during this difficult time.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
Source: New Zealand Government
In the 50th year of Papua New Guinea’s independence, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will travel to Port Moresby this week to celebrate the enduring friendship between our two nations.
“I look forward to seeing my friend Prime Minister Marape. New Zealand was among the first countries to welcome Papua New Guinea into the community of nations in 1975. We’ve been close partners ever since, with Prime Minister Marape and I committed to building our partnership for the next 50 years,” Mr Luxon says.
“New Zealand and Papua New Guinea are more than neighbours – we are partners in shaping the future of our home region, the Pacific.
“As the largest and most populated Pacific Island country, Papua New Guinea is an important player in the Pacific family.”
Mr Luxon will depart for Port Moresby on 4 August, returning on 6 August.
Source: Worksafe New Zealand
WorkSafe has joined forces with Site Safe, a leading construction health and safety organisation, to deliver new training for asbestos awareness.
WorkSafe has joined forces with Site Safe, a leading construction health and safety organisation, to deliver new training for asbestos awareness.
As health and safety regulator, WorkSafe provided technical and specialist asbestos knowledge.
The course provides people with the knowledge they need to identify, and manage, the risks associated with exposure to asbestos fibres.
Rob Birse, Principal Asbestos Specialist at WorkSafe, says this is the most effective way to reduce the harm.
“It’s important that businesses and workers do all that they can to identify and reduce the risks that come with asbestos dust. Learning to spot those risks is the first, crucial step to keeping yourself, and your workmates, healthy and safe.”
Materials that contain asbestos, that are in a good condition and left untouched, don’t need to be removed, and are unlikely to cause harm.
“If asbestos is disturbed, it can release fibres into the air. These fibres can get stuck in the lungs and cause disease,” Rob explains.
“Around 220 people die from asbestos-related illness every year. Just because we’ve stopped using asbestos, does not mean the problem went away. There are specific regulations for working with asbestos for a reason.”
The course is beneficial to people across a wide range of industries, particularly those in the construction industry, including young workers, apprentices, and migrant workers.
It’s also a valuable tool for people outside of construction, such as trades and maintenance workers (electricians, plumbers, painters, and flooring workers), facility and property managers, healthcare and education staff, emergency responders, demolition and renovation crews, and even those in shipyard, maritime, aerospace, and automotive industries.
“Asbestos remains a silent danger in many environments, and it is imperative that workers understand how to identify it and what procedures to follow to remain safe. This course provides practical, actionable knowledge, ensuring that our people can return home safely at the end of each day,” says Brett Murray, Site Safe Chief Executive.
“We are particularly pleased to collaborate with WorkSafe on this initiative, amplifying our shared dedication to a safer New Zealand.”
The training is aligned with Unit Standard 2138, “Demonstrate knowledge of asbestos and safety procedures,” resulting in 1 credit at Level 2. Those who complete the course will receive a Site Safety Card.
Registrations are now open. For more information, visit www.sitesafe.org.nz/training(external link)
Source: New Zealand Government
Speech for Constitution Day Celebrations of the Cook Islands hosted by the Upokina Taoro (East Cook Island Community Group) and Cook Islands Development Agency New Zealand (CIDANZ)
Kia Orana
We’d like to begin by acknowledging Reverend Charles Pange, our hosts the East Cook Islands Community Group, with support from the Cook Islands Development Agency New Zealand, CIDANZ, and thanks to Auckland Council for bringing everyone together on this great occasion.
We’d like to further acknowledge the Cook Islands Consul-General and Cook Islands Elders, Mama Tupou Manapori & Mama Mi’i Tarapu.
And acknowledgement also to parliamentary colleagues. There are things on which we don’t agree, but bipartisan support for the Cook Islands-New Zealand relationship is not one of them. Supporting the Cook Islands people transcends politics on all sides of our Parliament.
Introduction
Today we are gathered here at the Te Oro Music and Arts Centre, 60 years after the Cook Islands Constitution came into being. We are here to celebrate the uniqueness of that creation moment in 1965, because when the Cook Islands entered into ‘Free Association’ with New Zealand it created a global precedent, the first of its type, and one which other countries would follow.
It is an association, freely entered into, that has served Cook Islanders and New Zealanders well, and one that has fostered ever deeper links between us.
We are close family, because our links, as we know, are intertwined, and ancient. Our first settlers share the same DNA, having left – or been kicked out of – the Cooks over 800 years ago. Our shared DNA was sheeted home some decades ago when, upon arriving in Rarotonga, Cook Islands Prime Minister Sir Tom Davis greeting was, simply, ‘Welcome home.’
And home it feels like, whenever travelling to the Cooks, a true paradise on earth that we’ve enjoyed for the many decades we’ve been visiting. The spectacular natural features of the Cook Islands are world class and enhanced by an always welcoming people.
They’ve had practice, because for hundreds of years the great seafarers who populated the Southwest Pacific frequently passed through the Cooks, New Zealand’s first settlers among them.
Now, Pacific navigation has often been compared to space travel given the vast distances travelled to unknown and uncertain lands. But it was arguably more impressive. In travelling to the moon NASA knew where it was going and the maths determined everything else. The real uncertainty of space travel was whether the technology would hold up to get the astronauts safely to the moon and back.
The great seaward journeys of our ancestors needed not just their technology to hold up but also, as they sailed and rowed across the Pacific, they relied upon the stars, on wave motions, and the migratory path of birds. It is thought the long-tailed cuckoo, the Koekoeã, may well have helped New Zealand’s first settlers find these islands.
The links initially forged between the Cook Islands and New Zealand people have grown stronger. According to the last census, there are over 94,000 Cook Islands Māori living in New Zealand.
You have enriched New Zealand through your work, your enterprise, and your character, as communities in South Auckland, Tokoroa, and Porirua can attest.
As we celebrate our close family bonds today we say ‘Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa – ‘Let us keep close together, not wide apart’ – which speaks to our daily obligation to move forward together respectfully.
The Cook Islands and New Zealand are family, underpinned by our now 60-year free association relationship. That relationship is strong because of our deep and enduring connections. They are bonds we value highly and ones that underscore the success of free association.
The Creation of the Free Association Model
But 60 years ago, none of this success was assured. This was a time when decolonisation was sweeping the globe. Former colonies across the world sought and gained independence, some through evolution, others by revolution.
There was also a prevailing view in the United Nations that independence was the only way forward for former colonies. Its 1960 Declaration on Colonialism strongly urged colonial powers to bring a speedy and unconditional end to colonialism in all its forms and manifestations.
Lost in the mists of time is the fact that New Zealand was the only colonial power who voted for the Declaration. That was our stake in the ground.
A General Assembly Resolution the following day set out three means by which a non-self-governing territory could exercise its right of self-determination. They were:
This was the political and intellectual climate in which New Zealand officials and the Cook Islands’ Legislative Assembly engaged over the Cooks’ future political status during the early part of the 1960s.
New Zealand’s commitment to support the Cook Islands’ evolution to self-government never wavered. And as the Good Book says, ‘Where there is no vision the people perish.’
That vision emerged in the Cook Islands Legislative Assembly. After consulting expert and independent constitutional advisors, it passed a motion which declared that full independence, as Samoa gained in 1962, was not their aim.
Instead, they sought the fullest possible self-government while preserving for the Cook Islands people their New Zealand citizenship.
There were some Cook Islanders who preferred integration with New Zealand, a small number who sought independence, but there is no doubt the overwhelming majority of the Cook Islands people wanted to preserve their link with New Zealand, but with self-government.
United Nations representative Oma Adeel confirmed this when he reported that while in the Cooks he did not encounter ‘a single member of the present generation of people who want independence’. Instead, he said, the voice in favour of change nonetheless did not want to break with New Zealand.
Thus the ‘Free Association’ model was born. Driven, developed and shaped by the Cook Islands Legislative Assembly, it then came into force, after the passage of the Cook Islands Constitution Act (1964), on 4 August 1965.
Crucially, Cook Islanders retained their New Zealand citizenship as that was their overwhelming desire. New Zealand Prime Minister Norman Kirk, in his 1973 Exchange of Letters with Cook Islands Prime Minister Albert Henry, wrote:
‘It is therefore unusual for a state to extend its citizenship to people
living in areas beyond the reach of its own laws. That New Zealand
has taken this step in relation to the Cook Islands is the strongest
proof of its regard for, and confidence in, the people of your country’.
In this way, along with other features, the ‘Free Association’ model was novel. At the time, it was described to the United Nations by New Zealand’s Permanent Representative, Frank Corner, as ‘neither fish nor fowl, neither sovereign government nor dependence’.
The ‘Free Association’ model contained within it a fruitful ambiguity, one that would require both New Zealand and the Cook Islands to, over time, mutually accommodate each other’s interests.
The Exchange of Letters between Prime Ministers Norman Kirk and Albert Henry in 1973, and the Joint Centenary Declaration signed between Prime Ministers Helen Clark and Terepai Maoate in 2001, are two examples where refinements were made through mutual accommodation.
Importantly, nothing in the ‘Free Association’ model would prevent the Cook Islands from unilaterally seeking full independence should they wish to. That was the case in 1965. It remains the case today.
If independence is ever sought by the Cook Islands people under Article 41 of the Constitution, as is their right, we will support it. That is, fundamentally, what the word ‘free’ means in the concept of ‘free association’, noting that any move to full independence can only ever be the sovereign choice of the Cook Islands people.
Among New Zealand’s responsibilities, codified in the ‘Free Association’ model, was a commitment to the Cook Islands people. Like any close family member, we’re there when you need us most.
We’re also close because we share a Head of State. We’re also close because our bond of citizenship does entail a degree of New Zealand involvement in Cook Islands affairs.
So if the Cook Islands Government passed laws or took actions that were offensive to New Zealand’s governing norms, or were injurious to Cook Islanders, then New Zealand had a duty to act on behalf of its citizens in the Cook Islands.
But let’s return to celebrating the novel idea of a ‘Free Association’. One proof is that the unique constitutional arrangement has withstood the test of time. Another is its use in other countries, in the Compact States of Micronesia and in the Realm countries of Polynesia, and elsewhere.
Importantly, the three structural pillars of the Cook Islands’ political and cultural foundations – the government, the church, and the Ariki – have remained undisturbed by free association. Leadership flowing in both directions, reciprocal service and loyalty now, as always, underpin the strength of Te tira rangatiratanga.
We have together forged a rich, unique, and enduring relationship that has provided opportunity for Cook Islanders and New Zealanders, and one that recognises the close personal ties that have grown between us.
It has in every respect been a success.
Successes
The Cook Islands community in New Zealand is a successful one, vibrant and valued, and contributing to all aspects of New Zealand society – across the arts, culture, sport, business and leadership.
Cook Islanders living in the Cook Islands have benefitted economically from their association with New Zealand. The Cooks’ per capita GDP, surpassed only by Palau, offers further evidence that within our region the Cook Islands are viewed as a very successful island economy.
Bouncing back from the COVID disruption, particularly in the tourism sector, the Cook Islands is enjoying strong economic growth, low unemployment, and it has the best labour market participation of anywhere in the Pacific.
The educational opportunities afforded by free association have seen some 40 percent of Cook Island Mãori aged over 15 attain some form of post-school qualification here in New Zealand.
Cook Islanders have succeeded in all walks of life in New Zealand. Dr Tearikiva Moate in Pacific health, poet and playwright Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, Annie Crummer in music, the first female Cook Islands Deputy Prime Minister Ngamau Munokoa, Woman International Chess Master Sue Jones, and journalist Barbara Dreaver are just some of the Cook Islanders who have risen to the top of their professions and served their communities.
One of my staff would also find it remiss if their uncle, Paul Koteka, the first All Black of Cook Island descent, wasn’t mentioned, alongside mid-fielder Walter Little and five eight Lima Sopoaga as three of several All Blacks with Cook Islands connections.
Let’s not forget the many Cook Islanders working one, two, or even three jobs here in New Zealand. The labourers, tradies, drivers, community and service workers in our cities and towns are valued every bit as much as those names highlighted in this speech.
They all form part of our strong people-to-people connections and they underpin and give life and meaning to our enduring formal relationship.
For New Zealand’s part, we have strived to live up to our responsibilities inherent in the free association model. One measure of how we can be judged is to pose the question: has New Zealand been there for the Cook Islands people when needed most?
We have. Providing emergency relief and reconstruction after Cyclone Sally devastated parts of the Cook Islands back in 1987, New Zealand has supported the Cooks through any number of natural disasters.
These include after the terrible damage wrought by Cyclone Martin in 1997 across the Northern Group of islands, which killed 19 people on Manihiki. New Zealand was there too in 2005, another terrible year that saw the Cook Islands suffer the devastation of five cyclones that season.
We’ve helped build resilience against natural disasters through tsunami preparedness of necessary infrastructure and installing a network of dart buoys to the Northeast of New Zealand. These dart buoys, which measure changes in wave height, provide early tsunami alerts to island countries across the Southwest Pacific, including the Cook Islands.
We committed over $100 million during the COVID pandemic by providing vaccines, medical supplies and financial aid to support the Cook Islands’ health system and economic recovery.
We’ve been there during tough economic times too, from the Wine Box through periodic economic crises since. We are also proud to have promoted in 2019 the portability of National Superannuation for Cook Islanders in their retirement.
We may not be perfect but we’ve never wavered from our responsibilities, wherever they lay. For six decades we have stood by, ready to support Cook Islands’ economic and social development, while never losing sight of the fact that our financial support comes from the taxes of hard-working New Zealanders.
Final Reflections
The Cook Islands and New Zealand people are close family, so it’s been a pleasure to celebrate Constitution Day’s 60th with you today.
We can celebrate our links, old and new.
We can celebrate that 60 years ago something unique was created.
And we can celebrate that it endures, this strong link between our peoples.
We can reflect, also, that it has been a model that has allowed the Cook Islands to succeed economically.
The beating heart of our ‘Free Association’ is the right to choose. Cook Islanders are free to choose where to live, how to live, and to worship whichever God they wish.
They are also free to choose to leave the relationship should they ever wish to. And like in any close family, we would support them and wish them well.
In our troubled world, we sometimes need to stop, take pause from time to time, to reflect on our successes.
Today marks one of them, because there is much to celebrate in our 60 years joined together in free association as part of the New Zealand realm.
Meitaki ma’ata and God bless.
Source: New Zealand Government
Tēnā koutou katoa,
It’s a privilege to speak with you today about the future of our national secondary qualification.
Thank you to Katherine Rich and Rachel Simpson from Business NZ and to Chapman Tripp for hosting us this morning. Can I thank the Prime Minister for his resolute commitment to raising education achievement in New Zealand. Can I also thank Ellen MacGregor-Reid our excellent Secretary of Education.
I want to begin by acknowledging the incredible work that our superb principals, teachers and educators do every day in our schools to inspire and prepare children for their future.
Can I also acknowledge the principals in the room today, in particular Patrick Gale from Rangitoto College, the chair of the NCEA Professional Advisory Group, who have identified the issues with the status quo and helped develop a new direction for our national qualification.
Last year, we began a transformational journey to raise student achievement and build a world-leading education system.
Our work programme is defined by pace, clarity and a whole system approach to lifting achievement. Every Government initiative, policy, and investment is a part of a very deliberate, coordinated approach to system reform based on the 6 priorities that I laid out at the start of this term.
The Prime Minister has spoken about how our bold education reforms are already beginning to embed in our primary and intermediate schools after just 18 months. As they roll out, it is important to look ahead to ensure that when students reach secondary school, our national qualification reflects the same high standards and ambition.
Today marks an important milestone in our plan to restore excellence in New Zealand’s education system.
For over two decades, NCEA has been the foundation of senior secondary education. It was designed to be flexible, inclusive, and to recognise a wide range of learning. And while it has delivered in some areas. we’ve heard and seen that the flexibility has gone too far and that the complexity has masked poor performance.
I have to admit, as a parent, I didn’t understand NCEA. After years of helping my daughter through it, it didn’t make sense to me that E is better than A. I didn’t know why you can get credits for having a part-time job or filling in forms, and I didn’t understand why kids say that they don’t need to go to exams or participate in chunks of their learning because they already have enough credits.
Now, as Minister of Education, I can see what I intuitively knew as a parent is backed up by the data.
In 2024, the Education Review Office found:
2024 data from NZQA tells us that:
This shows that while many students are achieving credits under the current NCEA system, it doesn’t mean they are always gaining a consistent and coherent set of knowledge and skills. For some students, this can be a huge disadvantage, making it harder to progress to a subject in the next year at school, or not preparing them to have strong foundations into future study, training or employment.
Let me give you an example from a teacher that contributed to our review of NCEA:
“If students can gain 10 credits towards their Level 2 certificate from a two-day course on health and safety, this is one-sixth of the credits they need to gain Level 2, then there is a bit of a problem”.
Now imagine that same student hasn’t completed any external assessments, hasn’t studied a full subject, and leaves school with a qualification that doesn’t sufficiently pave the way into university or employment.
We need a national qualification that sets students up for success, that gives employers confidence, gives tertiary providers clarity. One that parents understand and one that gives students a real sense of pride in what they’ve worked hard to achieve.
Parents we know you want your children to leave school confident and as ready as they can be for their future.
I want parents to know that we are ambitious for your kids. And we want them to do the best they can at school too.
Until now, no Government has been bold enough to take decisive action. But we are so our kids get the very best chance to succeed. Today we are proud to announce our proposal to replace NCEA.
We are proposing to remove NCEA Level 1 and replace it with a Foundational Award focussed on numeracy and literacy skills. We are currently one of a few countries we compare ourselves to that have three years of high stakes assessments.
As a result, students would be able spend Year 11 focused on the deep learning and rich experiences that will prepare them for Years 12 and 13.
Mastering the basics is non-negotiable, no matter what ambitions or career paths students have in mind. That’s why we are proposing to make English and Mathematics compulsory subjects at Year 11. This is already the case in many schools, but not all. The Foundational Award will be designed to ramp into new qualifications at Year 12 and Year 13.
We know the longer students stay at school the better their outcomes, and while the intention would be for students to stay for Year 12, the Foundational Award will provide potential employers with a sense of a school-leaver’s knowledge in fundamental areas of literacy and numeracy
We are proposing to replace Level 2 and 3 with the New Zealand Certificate of Education (NZCE) at Year 12 and the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education (NZACE) at Year 13.
Students will be required to take a minimum of five subjects and to pass four of them to be awarded it.
Both qualifications will be simpler, clearer, and internationally comparable.
We are also proposing to introduce a subject based approach. This means students will be assessed on their understanding of whole subjects, underpinned by a refreshed, knowledge-rich, internationally benchmarked, a nationally consistent curriculum that students will be assessed against, not just a collection of unrelated standards.
We want to make the new qualification less complex, so everyone is clear where a student is at with their learning and what is required to access further study, training or work. It’s crucial that parents know how guide their children and to understand how they are progressing.
Parents can’t help their children improve their grades when they don’t know what they mean.
That’s why not achieved, achieved, merit and excellence will go.
Instead, each subject would have internal and external assessments that add up to a mark out of 100, that aligns with a grade of A, B, C, D. For example, two internal assessments and two external assessments worth 25 points each.
We want there to be more coherence, more consistency, and more clarity of what students know and can do.
Vocational pathways are vital.
We must raise the status of Vocational Education and Training pathways to be seen in this country as on par with academic pathways. We are producing the master builders, the expert tradespeople, the highly skilled automotive engineers and innovators in agri-tech of the future. Our economy runs on skilled tradespeople who are masters of their trade and VET pathways at high school must be strengthened.
We know industry knows best.
That’s why we are proposing to work with trade and industry through the Industry Skills Boards to design coherent packages of learning with assessments that align with industry and tertiary qualifications, making staying at school relevant for every child, no matter what their career pathway.
A student, for example, may sit building and construction A and building and construction B, each subject made up of a set of highly relevant skills standards determined by industry. They may also sit English, maths and music to give them their 5 subjects.
More meaningful VET pathways will see students engaged in learning and in school longer. And working with industry will mean that employers can trust that students are well-prepared for a career with them.
We want to make sure our national qualification opens doors for every young person, whether they’re heading into a trade, university, or straight into work
Let me also be clear about what’s not changing. We’re proposing to keep the best parts of NCEA.
We will continue to recognise excellence and motivate students to receive endorsements, we’re retaining the ability to tailor learning to different pathways, whether academic or vocational. And we’re continuing to balance internal assessments with end of year exams. Students will be incentivised to participate in all assessments, as every mark is recognised and rewarded.
We’re removing the guesswork. We’re removing the confusion. And we’re removing the risk that a student can leave school with a qualification that doesn’t have them ready for life beyond school.
As I’ve said, proposal has been led by some of the country’s leading principals. I’d like to sincerely thank my Professional Advisory Group for their work and advice. Special thanks to the group’s chair Patrick Gale who will say a few words shortly.
Students who are currently Year 9, like my son, will continue to receive secondary school learning under the old curriculum and will be assessed under NCEA Levels 1, 2, and 3.
Students who are currently Year 8 would begin to receive new curriculum learning from 2026 and will be assessed under the new award and qualifications. This careful phasing will give teachers time to implement the new curriculum and new national qualifications.
I know parents of Year 8 students will be thinking that their children would be the first cohort under the proposed new qualification.
I want to assure you that we are planning for successful implementation. We will work closely with subject, principal and teacher associations to ensure everything is in place for 2028. Sector input will be vital.
We are building a qualification system that sets high expectations and provides the support to meet them. One that values both academic and vocational learning. And one that prepares our young people for a rapidly changing world.
Every student deserves the chance to succeed and to gain a qualification that is highly regarded both here in New Zealand and around the world.
We’re making sure that every student, regardless of background, has that chance.
This change is about ambition. It’s about raising achievement. And it’s about better outcomes for our young people. Parents are ambitious for their children, and so are we.
For the next six weeks, consultation is open, we want to hear from you about our proposal. I encourage everyone to read it in full because this is so important.
Education is the great equaliser and the greatest protective cloak we have to wrap around our children.
If we want a strong, productive economy with high wages and standards of living, we educate our kids.
If we want to reduce benefit dependency and inter-generational cycles of poverty, we educate our kids.
If we want the entrepreneurs, tech experts, climate and rocket scientists of the future, we educate our kids.
Your means should not determine your destiny, and a strong, consistent national qualification sets our children up for a better life.
This is an opportunity to shape our country’s future.
Doing nothing is not an option.
This change is bold, but it’s needed, and we will deliver.
No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.
Source: New Zealand Government
Energy Minister Simon Watts and Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones have welcomed an agreement by Genesis, Mercury, Meridian, and Contact to establish a strategic energy reserve, which will boost energy security and support affordable energy prices.
“New Zealand needs reliable and stable power so our households and businesses can keep their lights on, even when the wind isn’t blowing, the sun isn’t shining, and our hydro lakes are low,” Mr Watts says.
“Last year’s dry winter highlighted vulnerabilities in our energy system with a shortage of fuel and generation led to high prices and unacceptable pressure on Kiwi industries, businesses, and households.
“This could have been avoided if New Zealand had enough fuel for electricity generation to meet our energy needs. Actions by the previous government, including a ban on new gas exploration and a drive to immediately achieve 100 percent renewable electricity, combined with disappointing drilling results from our gas fields, have left us in this difficult situation.
“I have been extremely clear with power generators that the Government expects them to deliver additional supply so we can reduce the risk of winter power shortages during periods of low lake levels. This will reduce the need for significant commercial power price spikes and the need for businesses to reduce their power use.”
Genesis, Mercury, Meridian, and Contact have jointly agreed to a 10-year fuel stockpile, building resilience in the market to ensure consumers have access to fuel even when lake levels are low.
“This announcement is a positive step to show the power generators are responding. It will act as an important buffer during periods of high electricity demand in winter and when renewable generation is low,” Mr Jones says.
“While this is positive news, there is still more to do to ensure New Zealand does not see a repeat of last winter.”
The Coalition Government is taking strong actions to further strengthen New Zealand’s energy system. These are focused on:
“All of this work is critical to easing the cost of living for Kiwis, ensuring the security and affordability of our energy system, and ultimately removing a significant barrier to economic growth,” Mr Watts says.
Source: New Zealand Government
The Government is proposing to replace NCEA with new national qualifications that ensure young people have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford say.
“We want every New Zealander to reach their full potential and contribute to a thriving economy— and that starts with our students,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says.
“The evidence shows NCEA is not consistent and can be hard to navigate. It doesn’t always deliver what students and employers need.
“New Zealand’s future depends on our young people having the skills to succeed in the modern global economy. We’re backing Kiwi kids with a new internationally benchmarked national qualification designed to do exactly that,” Mr Luxon says.
“While NCEA was designed to be flexible, for many students that flexibility has encouraged a focus on simply attaining the qualification. This has come at the cost of developing the critical skills and knowledge they need for clear pathways into future study, training or employment,” Education Minister Erica Stanford says.
The proposal includes:
Removing NCEA Level 1, requiring students to take English and Mathematics at Year 11, and sit a foundation award (test) in numeracy and literacy.
Replacing NCEA Levels 2 and 3 with two new qualifications (The New Zealand Certificate of Education at Year 12 and the New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education at Year 13).
Requiring students to take five subjects and pass at least four to attain each certificate.
Marking clearly out of 100 with grades that make sense to parents like A, B, C, D, E.
Working with industry to develop better vocational pathways so students are getting the skills relevant to certain career pathways.
The new qualification will be underpinned by a new national curriculum for Years 9-13 that will clearly outline what students need to learn in each subject and when, providing more consistency.
“This is about making sure our national qualification opens doors for every young person, whether they’re heading into a trade, university, or straight into work. Parents can be assured their kids will get the best possible opportunity to thrive,” Ms Stanford says.
“Our Government’s major education reforms are well underway in primary and intermediate. Every student is already taught at least an hour a day of reading, writing, and maths, we’ve banned cell phones in classrooms, we’ve introduced a world-leading Maths and English curriculum, mandated structured literacy and maths programmes, equipped teachers and students with high-quality resources, made huge investments into learning support and stopped building open-plan classrooms,” Ms Stanford says.
“It’s time to ensure that when students reach secondary school, our national qualification reflects the same high standards and ambition we expect throughout their education,” Ms Stanford says.
“The Government is focused on growing the economy, creating jobs, lifting wages and help Kiwis with the cost of living. Supporting our young people to succeed and develop their skills is a key part of how we do that,” Mr Luxon says.
Source: New Zealand Government
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay departs today for Thailand and Indonesia to strengthen New Zealand’s economic ties with two of Southeast Asia’s largest and fastest‑growing economies.
“Global food demand is expected to rise 47 per cent by 2050, and Southeast Asia is on track to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2040, making the region central to our ambition of doubling the value of exports in 10 years,” Mr McClay says.
In the year to March 2025, New Zealand exported more than NZ$1.6 billion to Thailand and NZ$1.97 billion to Indonesia.
In Jakarta, the Minister will meet senior Ministers to strengthen cooperation on trade and food security. Discussions will focus on the shared goal of doubling two-way trade by 2029, supporting Indonesia’s participation in the OECD accession process, and further engagement on its interest in joining CPTPP.
“Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest economy worth over NZ$2 trillion. With a growing population of over 280 million it offers exporters significant opportunity as the demand for high-quality, safe food and fibre increases,” Mr McClay says.
In Thailand, the Minister will promote high-value New Zealand exports and advance the Thailand–New Zealand Closer Economic Partnership and our ASEAN economic frameworks.
“Thailand has a diverse economy valued at NZ$915 billion and consistently ranks among our top ten trading partners. Our bilateral trade is strong, however, there’s more to unlock for Kiwi exporters in this market,” Mr McClay says.
The Minister will also meet with New Zealand businesses operating in the region and Thai companies importing premium New Zealand goods.
Minister McClay will undertake his official visit to Thailand and Indonesia from 4 to 8 August.
Source: New Zealand Government
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou.
Kia Ora, good afternoon, everyone!
How great is it to be here in Christchurch!
Before I start can I acknowledge some people in the room with us today.
President Sylvia Wood and the newly elected Board, thank you for your service to the National Party and ensuring that we are match fit for next year!
My friend and our outstanding Deputy Leader Nicola Willis. She is working every day to rebuild this economy so Kiwis can get ahead!
Can I also congratulate Chris Bishop – who has once again stepped into the role of campaign chair for next year’s election.
And to all of our Ministers and MPs, who are with us here today. Thank you for your sacrifices – the long hours and the time away from family working to make this country a better place.
And most importantly, to all of our members and supporters who are here this weekend – who knock on doors, wave the signs, and keep our electorates humming.
Thank you for your drive, your determination, and your unshakeable belief that our country’s best days lie ahead of us.
Two years ago, New Zealand was in utter turmoil.
Inflation was at 6 per cent. Food prices had risen by 12.5 per cent in the last year. Mortgage rates had just tipped over 7 per cent and unemployment was starting to rise.
Ram raids had taken over the country, violent crime was out of control, and gangs were shutting down whole towns like Ōpōtiki.
Wait times in our health system had blown out, with New Zealanders waiting longer to be seen in emergency departments or to receive surgery.
Meanwhile, less than half of our children and grandchildren were attending school regularly. And while young people in Australia, Singapore, the UK and so many other countries charged ahead, we were falling further and further behind.
We knew turning that around would be the challenge of a lifetime. But in less than two years, we have already made massive progress.
Take law and order.
National’s policies to prevent crime are working.
More cops on the beat in our inner cities, keeping kiwis safe.
Tough new laws that give Police the powers to ruthlessly target gangs and illegal guns.
Longer sentences for violent and repeat offenders, and real consequences for unruly KO tenants and young criminals.
New Zealand is already feeling the impact.
Violent crime is falling.
Youth crime is falling.
And ram raids have collapsed.
Yes, there’s always more to do, but in two short years, Paul Goldsmith and Mark Mitchell have ended an historic era of lawlessness in this country.
And take education.
We campaigned together on giving every child in New Zealand the very best possible start in life, with an education grounded in the basics of reading, writing, and maths.
Yes, every child is now getting an hour a day in each of those subjects and we have banned mobile phones to keep our kids focused.
But the change we have delivered is so much larger than that.
As of today, 30,000 teachers have been trained in structured literacy, ensuring hundreds of thousands of students are getting more out of every day at school.
Just last year at this conference, we promised a sea change in the way we teach maths at primary school, to make sure children in New Zealand didn’t keep falling behind.
Since then, we have rolled out a whole new curriculum and trained more than 20,000 teachers in structured maths – with 3,500 year 7 and 8 students receiving extra support to help them catch up.
There is always more to do, especially at high school – but in just two years, primary school education has been transformed in this country.
Erica – thank you for your relentless energy and positivity, fixing education in this great country.
And take healthcare.
It’s not just the record health funding, or more doctors and nurses hired, or the dozens of new medicines we have delivered for cancer and other illnesses.
We aren’t just spending and hiring more – we’re actually delivering more.
Wait lists for elective procedures are falling.
Wait lists for a first specialist assessment are falling.
Kiwis are spending less time waiting in emergency departments.
And child immunisation rates are continuing to climb.
There are more choices to see a doctor with 24/7 digital care, we’re delivering the largest funding boost for GPs in New Zealand’s history, and we’ve got initiatives underway to further lift the number of doctors and nurses.
Labour might have restructured Health NZ by simply slapping a new logo on a letterhead, but Simeon Brown is actually fixing it.
Simeon, thank you for the massive contribution you make to our team and our country.
Finally – the economy and the cost of living.
We always knew this would be a mammoth task.
The conditions New Zealanders inherited from the last government were the worst in a generation.
The national debt had tripled.
Inflation hit a thirty-year high.
Homeowners were crushed by a surge in interest rates.
And critical growth industries – like agriculture and energy – were under constant siege.
In the period since, our economic team – led by our outstanding Minister of Finance Nicola Willis – has worked relentlessly, under huge pressure to turn the ship around.
We have been making real progress on that front, and I am confident that progress will continue in the months and years ahead as interest rates continue to fall and pro-growth reforms bed in.
But global conditions have also been challenging.
The impact of tariffs and offshore events in recent months has had a real impact on our economy here at home.
Yesterday’s latest update from the US is a fresh reminder of how life as a small, trading nation like New Zealand is very different today than it was in recent years.
But we can’t just batten down the hatches and hope for the best.
Kiwis are ambitious, resilient, and adaptable – and our job is to put them in the very best possible position to succeed.
Our team is laser-focused on the plan to do just that.
We will spend carefully, we will back Kiwis that back themselves, and we will invest in New Zealand’s future.
It’s why we have delivered more than $40 billion in savings across two Budgets, supporting inflation and interest rates to fall.
It’s why we have driven a relentless programme of reform and relief, restoring confidence to the sectors that need it – like agriculture, tourism and manufacturing.
It’s why we’re carrying out an ambitious programme of infrastructure investment, delivering growth and opportunity to communities all over New Zealand.
And it’s why we’re championing New Zealand on the world stage, giving a platform for Kiwis to export, attract investment, compete and win.
Of course, in the very near term, so many New Zealanders that I meet are still struggling to keep up with the cost of living.
It’s easy to understand why.
Under Labour, inflation hit its highest level in thirty years.
That pressure and those costs don’t just unwind overnight.
It’s why over the long run, we’re so focused on unleashing our economic potential, so we can create jobs, increase wages, and back Kiwis to get ahead.
But right now, Kiwis need support – and we’re doing what we can.
We froze petrol taxes, and abolished the Auckland regional fuel tax, saving every motorist at least 9 cents a litre at the pump, and 21 cents a litre in Auckland every time you fuel up.
We have delivered personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, which has saved an average family nearly $1,600 since this time last year.
We have introduced and expanded FamilyBoost, providing even more financial support for the cost of childcare for tens of thousands of families.
And this week, we have announced we are taking action on card surcharges.
Thanks to a decision by the Commerce Commission last week, small businesses are set to save tens of millions of dollars on bank interchange fees from the 1st of December.
Now we’re taking the next step and making sure those savings are being passed on to consumers by abolishing card surcharges.
They are small changes, but they all add up – both for the businesses who have been stung by excessive fees, and for customers who have been meeting the cost at the checkout.
And we aren’t stopping there.
We are pulling every lever we can, including going after councils exorbitant spending and progressing a cap on rates – so families struggling with the cost of living see real relief.
Clearly though, in the years to come, immediate action on the cost of living isn’t enough.
The last Government spent billions of dollars in failed handouts, only to watch inflation roar and the economy falter.
We have to keep our eyes on the prize.
We can have more jobs, higher wages, and a chance for every New Zealander to get ahead, but that means restoring a culture of ambition, aspiration, prosperity, and achievement.
It means backing every farmer, every small business owner, every innovator, and every entrepreneur to compete and win.
It means backing every Kiwi who backs themselves.
And it means taking the action necessary to make it happen.
Just look at our farmers and growers – and the action we’ve taken to unleash growth in rural New Zealand.
Look, you might have noticed that dairy prices are pretty strong right now.
Our dairy exports are up 16 per cent, meat and wool exports up 8 per cent, and horticulture exports up 19 per cent.
But ask any farmer and they’ll tell you prices come, and prices go.
Hope isn’t a strategy – and just letting the good times roll on isn’t enough.
If we’re serious about unleashing the potential of our rural communities, we need to make our own luck.
And ultimately that means unshackling farmers from the red and green tape holding their businesses back.
I could run through all the policies and detail – but I’ll give you one example of where it’s making a difference.
Here in Canterbury, broken freshwater rules introduced by the previous government effectively shut down dairy conversions, leaving New Zealand’s most profitable industry utterly unable to grow.
Now that Todd McClay and Chris Bishop have fixed it, 15,000 more cows have been approved here in Canterbury in just six months.
We can have more growth, more exports, more jobs, and higher wages for every New Zealander – but we have to say yes to letting it happen.
Construction and infrastructure are also top priorities.
Years of rampant inflation, high interest rates, and the resulting painful recession have taken their toll on New Zealand’s construction industry.
I understand the frustration.
We can’t keep replicating the boom-bust cycle driven by unsustainable levels of spending, that as Labour showed, only ever ends in skyrocketing debt and record interest rates.
The construction industry deserves a credible, sustained pipeline of projects, so they have the confidence to invest long term.
Equally though, the public deserve real, cost-effective projects – that make a difference in their community at a good price.
Let’s get real – taxpayers can’t drive to work on a business case, or an engagement survey. Endless paperwork and bureaucracy might keep consultants in business, but it won’t do anything for economic growth.
Unlike Labour, I can’t promise the roads or bridges we design will win awards for urban design and cultural protection, but unlike Labour you will actually drive on them.
And I can say that confidently, because our party, the National Party, has a track record of delivery.
Spend one day here in Christchurch and you’ll see exactly what I mean – modern, reliable highways, criss-crossing the city that just work.
Or visit Waikato, or Kapiti, or the expressway north of Auckland to see the impact our Roads of National Significance programme has made for those communities.
After years of pain, it will take time for the impact of falling interest rates to be felt in the construction industry.
But we’re doing everything we can to get the industry moving now.
Before Christmas this year, more than $6 billion of projects will get underway.
Projects like the Brougham Street upgrades here in Christchurch!
The Otaki to Levin expressway!
The Melling Interchange!
Or – Ryan Hamilton and Tama Potaka – brand-new medical school at Waikato University!
Private sector construction activity is also critical. New roads make a difference because people and freight are there to use them.
That’s why we have a massive programme of work clearing away the jungle of red tape which is slowing construction down in New Zealand.
We’ve already achieved a lot – and more reform is happening right now.
Fast Track is rolling, with more than 50 applications underway.
And I’m incredibly excited to say that just yesterday the very first consent was released for upgrades at the Ports of Auckland, with construction set to kick off as soon as possible.
A flood of legislative amendments will become law by the end of this month, unshackling construction of housing, renewable energy, infrastructure, and a range of other sectors.
We’re backing businesses to invest in more plant and equipment through Investment Boost, so the trucks, machinery, tools, and utes they need to grow are more affordable.
And in just the last week, thousands of new building products from offshore have been approved for use, ushering in competition and driving down the cost of construction, for basic materials like plasterboard, doors, and windows.
And of course, later this year is the big one – when Chris Bishop, having already achieved more reform to the RMA than any other Minister in decades, introduces legislation to finally do what so many have tried and failed to do before.
Knock off the RMA, for good.
The result will be transformative, as we bring an end to the red tape parade that plagues farmers, business owners, and builders all around the country.
Of course, there will always be activists and opposition who don’t want growth.
Like the people who tried to stop cruise ships coming to Milford Sound, or an apartment getting built on a gravel pit on K Road in Central Auckland.
Or people happy to shut down a gold mine in Otago, putting 700 jobs at risk.
Or those defending a derelict death-trap – the Gordon Wilson Flats in central Wellington – when Victoria University has plans for more student accommodation in a city that desperately needs it.
Each of those cases have now been resolved, but let’s get real.
If we want to make New Zealand an attractive place to build a career and raise a family, we need high-paying private sector jobs that create opportunity and keep our economy moving.
Take a look at Australia.
If they shut down their mining industry, or their energy industry tomorrow, as Labour and the Greens want to do here, I guarantee you would see fewer Kiwis moving across the ditch.
And if the activists won here at home – pulling cows off the Canterbury Plains, taking cruise ships out of Milford Sound, or closing a gold mine in Otago, more would leave tomorrow.
We can’t afford to leave any stone unturned, shut down whole sectors, or just sit around and hope that conditions will improve.
Creating more economic opportunities out of the underutilised DOC land is a great example of how we can make that mission a reality.
It’s not well known, but a whole third of this country is managed by the Department of Conservation – huge tracts from the most pristine parts of our National Parks to areas of grassland used for grazing and inaccessible land.
And with such a massive footprint, it’s no surprise that there are a range of great Kiwi businesses already operating on the DOC estate – from guided walks and ski fields, to filming documentaries, grazing sheep and cattle, or hosting concerts and building cell phone towers.
And that includes some of our most iconic destinations, that Kiwis love, and visitors keep coming back to visit time and time again.
But to do any of that you need a concession – essentially a permit – to stay within the rules and make sure the environment is protected.
There’s huge potential for growth on DOC land, so we’re making real efforts to process those consent applications faster, with around 1,600 approved so far this year.
But despite that progress, the concessions regime is fundamentally broken.
Right now, an application has to clear more than 100 different plans, strategies, and documents that guide decision making – many of which are out of date and sometimes contradict each other.
The process is too slow and too uncertain.
All that uncertainty is degrading the quality of our visitor experience, because without a reliable process, business owners can’t confidently invest in their business.
At times, the impact on the ground has been baffling.
E-bikes are tightly controlled because the law forces DOC to treat them in many areas more like a 4-wheel drive than a mountain bike.
And growth in tourism on the Routeburn is being held up because the trail crosses artificial boundaries, with different rules and different limits.
Meanwhile, DOC, who should be focused on protecting the environment, is forced to spend millions of dollars every year fighting appeals.
At the heart of the issue is the Conservation Act, which is nearly 40 years old and now unworkably complex.
And the effect has been to strangle economic activity on a third of New Zealand’s land – when we should be unleashing growth, creating jobs, and increasing wages all across the country.
So, in the spirit of saying yes to more jobs, more growth, and higher wages, today I can make two announcements.
First, we’re going to fix the Conservation Act to unlock more economic activity through concessions – like tourism, agriculture, and infrastructure, in locations where that makes sense.
That means more certainty for businesses, less bureaucracy, and much faster decisions, so the businesses that should be operating can get up and running.
There will still be restrictions to protect our amazing natural environment – so of course it won’t make sense for businesses to be operating on every part of the DOC estate.
But where it does make sense, we need to get to the “yes” much faster – instead of being bogged down in process and uncertainty.
If we’re serious about keeping Kiwis at home, creating jobs, and increasing wages for all New Zealanders, we can’t afford to keep saying no to every opportunity that comes our way.
At the same time, sites that are truly special to New Zealanders should be protected.
Which is why my second announcement is that we’re giving DOC more support, by introducing a charge for foreign visitors at high volume sites.
Initially, we will be looking at four locations – Cathedral Cove, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Track, and Mount Cook – where foreigners make up more than 80 per cent of all visitors.
I have heard many times from friends visiting from overseas their shock that they can visit some of the most beautiful places in the world for free.
It’s only fair that at these special locations, foreign visitors make an additional contribution of between $20 and $40 per person.
For the conservation estate that will mean $62 million per year in revenue, which will be directly re-invested into those same areas, so we can keep investing in the sites that underpin so much of our tourism sector.
At the same time, there will be no charge for New Zealanders to access the conservation estate. It’s our collective inheritance and Kiwis shouldn’t have to pay to see it.
Tama Potaka, our great Minister of Conservation, Hamilton legend, thank you for all of the incredible work you do as part of our economic team, ensuring New Zealand’s best days are ahead of us.
The best part of this job – by a country mile – is the people.
Every week I have the privilege of getting out of the Beehive, and meeting extraordinary New Zealanders who – like me – believe our country’s best days are ahead of us.
The loud, proud, and excited types.
And the rugged, humble, quiet types.
Kiwis who – in tough times – make the impossible possible every single week.
Kiwis who work all day, and often all night, just to leave a better future for their children and grandchildren.
We’re doing everything we can to make that a little easier.
In difficult times and in a world full of uncertainty, it’s never been more important to stay focused.
We have the potential.
We have the team.
And we have the plan.
So, let’s keep working.
Source: NZ Department of Conservation
Date: 02 August 2025 Source: Office of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Conservation
“The Department of Conservation manages huge tracts of New Zealand, from the most pristine parts of our National Parks and the Great Walks to areas of grassland used for grazing,” Mr Luxon says.
“Many New Zealanders already run outstanding businesses on the conservation estate – from guided walks and ski fields, to filming documentaries, grazing sheep and cattle, or hosting concerts and building cell phone towers.
“But to do any of that, you need a concession – and the concessions regime is totally broken, often taking years to obtain or renew and leaving businesses in a cycle of bureaucratic limbo.
“Outdated rules mean we’ve got examples of modern E-bike users being turned away from potential touring opportunities because they have to be considered as proper vehicles. And tourism on the Routeburn is being held up because the trail crosses artificial boundaries, with different rules and different limits.
“So, in the spirit of saying yes to more jobs, more growth, and higher wages, today I can make two announcements.
“First, we’re going to fix the Conservation Act to unleash a fresh wave of concessions – like tourism, agriculture, and infrastructure, in locations where that makes sense.
“At the same time, sites that are truly special to New Zealanders should be protected so we are giving DOC more support by introducing a charge for foreign visitors to access high volume sites,” Mr Luxon says.
Tama Potaka says this will initially involve looking at four locations – Cathedral Cove / Te Whanganui-a-Hei, Tongariro Crossing, Milford Track, and Aoraki Mount Cook – where foreigners often make up 80 per cent of all visitors.
“Tourists make a massive contribution to our economy, and no one wants that to change. But I have heard many times from friends visiting from overseas their shock that they can visit some of the most beautiful places in the world for free.
“It’s only fair that at these special locations, foreign visitors make an additional contribution of between $20 and $40 per person.
“For the conservation estate that will mean up to $62 million per year in revenue, which will be directly re-invested into those same areas, so we can keep investing in the sites that underpin so much of our tourism sector,” Mr Potaka says.
Mr Luxon says, at the same time, there will be no charge for New Zealanders to access the conservation estate.
“It’s our collective inheritance and Kiwis shouldn’t have to pay to see it.
“If we’re serious about keeping Kiwis at home, creating jobs, and increasing wages for all New Zealanders, we can’t afford to keep saying no to every opportunity that comes our way,” Mr Luxon says.
Factsheet: Access charging (PDF, 150K)
Factsheet: Modernising conservation land management (PDF, 232K)