The impact of Budget changes on next year's staffing entitlements will not be known until the provisional rolls are set in September, Lesley Longstone, Secretary for Education said today.

The Government's plan to spend proceeds from state asset sales on upgrading the New Zealand embassy in London shows that National has no coherent plan to spend profits from asset sales but will simply fritter them away on whatever they need the cash for at any moment, says the Green Party.

Hon Tariana Turia, Associate Minister of Health, is pleased that the Customs and Excise (Tobacco Products - Budget Measures) Amendment Bill has passed its first reading with broad support from across the house.

Hon Tariana Turia

Associate Minister of Health

Customs and Excise (Tobacco Products) Amendment Bill

Friday 25 May 2012

An increased number of older New Zealanders will pay more for their residential aged care as a result of changes hidden in the budget, the Green Party said today.

Two new Maori seats and changes to Waikato Regional Council general constituency boundaries will strengthen local democracy and provide better alignment with local councils and river catchments.

Primary Industries Minister David Carter will represent New Zealand at the APEC Food Security Ministerial meeting in Russia next week and travel to the US for a round of high level agriculture meetings.

A programme that supports more than $1.141 billion in investment in transport projects for the Waikato region has been adopted by Waikato Regional Council.

This is more than double the existing amount of transport investment into the region.

John Key is in complete denial about the structural imbalance the New Zealand economy faces, says Labour's Finance spokesperson David Parker.

The Royal New Zealand RSA is deeply disappointed that the modest financial support of $250,000 p.a. provided by Government was scrapped in yesterday's Budget.