• In December the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Bill, the Local Government (Alcohol Reform) Amendment Bill, and the Summary Offences (Alcohol Reform) Amendment Bill were read a third time, and passed into law on receiving Royal assent.
Day: January 21, 2013
Ngāti Pūkenga initialed a Deed of Settlement Ngāti Pūkenga initialed a Deed of Settlement with the Crown on 23 November. The settlement includes a financial and commercial redress of $5 million. Ngāti Rangiwewehi and Tapuika Ngāti Rangiwewehi and Tapuika signed a Deed of Settlement with the Crown on 16
• This week oil Company TAG Oil announced that their partner, Apache New Zealand, are pulling out of the first phase of a joint oil exploration area located on the North Island’s East Coast (TAG will continue alone). This announcement follows Brazilian Oil Company Petrobras decision to exit its oil exploration
In December the New Zealand Police launched Turning of the Tide – a Whānau Ora Crime and Crash Prevention Strategy. This is a short goal setting document. By 2018, the strategy aims to reduce the Māori first-time offending by 10%, Māori repeat offending by 20%, and reduce the Māori proportion
In December the Ministry of Health released the second report from the Te Ohonga Ake series entitled, Health Status of Māori Children and Young People. The report showed reductions in hospital admissions for meningococcal disease, infant mortality and some types of injuries amongst Māori children and young people. However, hospital
In August we advised you that the Children’s Commissioner, Dr Russell Willis, had established an advisory group to assist him consider matters relating to child poverty. (The Commissioner has the statutory role of promoting the rights, health, welfare, and well-being of children.) At that time the group released a consultation
The Local Government Efficiency Taskforce reported back its findings at the end of December. This independent advisory panel was established last June to assist the Government in its considerations of Local Government reforms. The panel’s report contains a short section on consulting with Māori (pages 37-38). Fundamentally this panel recommends
In December the Government released its fifth ‘progress report’ on its Business Growth Agenda. This report, which is actually a strategic plan, is focused on the use of natural resources. [The Business Growth Agenda (BGA) is the Government’s plan for improving New Zealand’s economic performance. It has six distinct focus
In December Justice Young, of the Wellington High Court, released his findings in relation to the case of the New Zealand Māori Council et. al., centred on Māori ownership interests in freshwater and geothermal resources. In essence, the claimants had challenged the lawfulness of the Government’s decision to sell shares