Governor-General sworn in
Dame Silvia Cartwright was sworn in on Wednesday as Governor-General during a ceremony held on the forecourt of Parliament. Prime Minister Helen Clark acknowledged the work Dame Silvia had done as a lawyer and judge, saying she was highly regarded for her wisdom, intelligence and judgement. Dame Silvia, the 18th governor-general, was New Zealand's first female Chief District Court Judge and High Court Judge, rising to prominence when she headed the inquiry into the treatment of cervical cancer ad related matters at Auckland's National Women's Hospital.
PM to visit North Asia
Prime Minister Helen Clark will leave on Wednesday for an official visit to Japan, Hong Kong and China. Delegations representing important New Zealand trade and economic interests in Japan, China and Hong Kong will travel with her. Helen Clark says just as the government is involving business in its efforts to lift our national performance, so too must government and business work together to expand trading links, especially with dynamic regions like Asia. In Japan on the first leg of the trip, from 11-16 April, the Prime Minister will be exploring with political and business leaders a strategy for New Zealand's future links with this key market. Helen Clark will visit Hong Kong on 17 April for meetings with business leaders, before travelling to Shanghai and Beijing, where she meets President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji. Helen Clark returns to New Zealand on 21 April.
New women's prison project announced
Corrections Minister Matt Robson announced this week that a new women's
prison in Auckland will be built on a site off Roscommon Rd in Manukau City. The prison will serve the upper North Island area. Matt Robson says the new women's prison in Manukau will enable Mt Eden Women's Prison to close. The minister says he will start the Resource Management Act process by the middle of the year, lodging a Notice of Requirement with the Manukau City Council. The Council will then call for submissions, giving the public another opportunity to have their say.
Human Rights appointments
Associate Justice Minister Margaret Wilson this week announced the appointment of Rosslyn Noonan as the new Chief Human Rights Commissioner. Margaret Wilson also announced the appointment of Mr Gregory Fortuin as Race Relations Conciliator and Mr Michael Powles, Ms Ella Henry and Mr Warren Lindberg as Human Rights Commissioners. Ms Noonan is appointed for a five-year term. The other appointments are until the 31st of March 2002. The current Proceedings Commissioner is Christopher Lawrence. His term expires on 23 June 2001. To ensure consistency with other appointments, Mr Lawrence is to be reappointed until 31 March 2002.
Healthy surplus welcomed
Finance Minister Michael Cullen says the Crown Statements for the eight months to the end of February, issued on Friday, show the Government is easily meeting all of its fiscal targets and is running a structural surplus. The operating balance is currently running more than $1 billion over the DEFU forecast. More than half of this improvement [$620 million] is due to stronger than expected tax revenues.
However, the Treasury has advised that the liabilities of the Government Superannuation Fund and the Accident Compensation Corporation are likely to be revised up sharply this year, partly because of the drop in interest rates. There is no projection yet for the GSF, but ACC's current estimate is for a negative revaluation of $875 million compared to the DEFU. The minister says that notwithstanding the ACC liability revaluation, Treasury still expects a surplus for this year.
New tripartite forum for state sector
State Services Minister Trevor Mallard said the Government has taken a major step in the new relationship between unions and the Public Service following the first tripartite forum involving the Public Service Association, Ministers, and departmental chief executives. The forum has been set up following the Partnership for Quality approach that the Government and the PSA agreed upon in May last year. The aim of the meetings is to open regular, sustained, constructive dialogue at the highest level of the Public Service.
New conservation park proposed for Torlesse Range
Minister of Conservation Sandra Lee has announced the intention to create a conservation park to protect 22,000 hectares of high country on Canterbury's Torlesse Range. The Torlesse Range is an area rich in natural treasures and of outstanding scenic value. The protection of its tussock grasslands, rock screes and beech forests in a conservation park will be an important advance for high country conservation. The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society first proposed a conservation park on the Torlesse Range in 1991. Since then, pastoral lease and privately owned land has been acquired by the Crown either under the tenure review process or purchased through the Nature Heritage Fund. These additions connected up existing conservation areas, making the idea of a conservation park more of a reality.
