Further assistance for flood-hit region
More help from the Government is available for people affected by the recent floods, earthquakes, and landslides in the Bay of Plenty. Ministers have approved an additional package of measure, including agricultural recovery, repairing schools, fixing roads and giving direct help to low income earners and people who had to be evacuated. This brings the total Government support to an estimated $30 million. Civil Defence Minister George Hawkins says there will be further support when other response costs and council infrastructure repair costs are known. Persons affected by the Bay of Plenty flood should contact the flood helpline on 0800 779997 or go to www.workandincome.govt.nz.

World trade talks on track to success
The Doha Development Round is firmly back on track to success. Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton, who attended the WTO meeting in Geneva, which approved "frameworks" for the next phase of negotiations, says it's a triumph for multilateralism. Rich and poor countries have reached agreement to open markets and advance the rule of law in international trade. The EU and the US have agreed to eliminate all agricultural export subsidies. This is a great outcome for New Zealand and for the developing world, signalling the end to rich countries dumping their surpluses onto global markets and collapsing prices for unsubsidised farmers, says Jim Sutton.

Prime Minister attends Pacific Forum and visits Tokelau
Prime Minister Helen Clark is attending the 2004 Pacific Islands Forum, being held in Apia, Samoa. Helen Clark says the Apia meeting will carry on the development of the Pacific Plan as agreed at the special Leaders' meeting in Auckland in April. This Forum review aims to help Pacific Island countries improve the lives of their people and meet the challenges of small size, limited resources, and distance from markets. New Zealand will contribute $500,000 to help the Pacific Plan and other review proposals endorsed by leaders. Helen Clark will visit Tokelau immediately after the Forum. This visit, only the third by a New Zealand Prime Minister, is particularly timely as Tokelau is moving towards greater political self-reliance.

Tax changes to benefit business and the environment
Businesses will be encouraged to be more environmentally responsible through new tax changes. Revenue Minister Michael Cullen and Environment Minister Marian Hobbs say the government will make available tax deductions for environmental expenditure such as preventing, remedying or mitigating the discharge of contaminants, and monitoring the effects of pollution and testing options for dealing with environmental issues. The changes, which are expected to cost $20 million a year in foregone revenue over the first five years, will be included in a taxation bill planned for introduction in November. The Ministers say it makes sense to ensure that environmental costs, like other business costs, are taken into account for tax purposes.

Submissions open on food importing regime
A discussion document on New Zealand's import regime for food and food-related products and agricultural chemicals is now available for public submissions. Minister for Food Safety Annette King says while this work has been progressing for some time, recent events involving a shipment of imported corn shows the importance of processes around importing food and related products. Annette King says people wanting to put forward their opinions can attend consultation meetings, feed back their ideas through an online questionnaire - www.nzfsa.govt.nz - or make a written submission. Submissions close on 10 September and the final report, which will include any recommendations, is due at the end of November.

High speed internet for very remote communities
High speed internet for isolated areas is a step closer with a preferred supplier chosen for the Project PROBE satellite option. Project PROBE (Provincial Broadband Extension) is a multi-million dollar government investment to boost education and economic development through the delivery of broadband technology to regional New Zealand. ICONZ has been selected to provide the satellite service to supply high-speed broadband to some 60 remote New Zealand schools and their communities and a contract will be signed as soon as practical. Economic Development Minister Jim Anderton says this is an attractive option for communities around a number of remote schools in areas such as Canterbury's Waiau Valley, Haast and the Chatham Islands. See www.probe.govt.nz

New ACC rules for medical misadventure
Proposed legislation to remove fault from ACC's medical misadventure provisions and to make the ACC scheme fairer and simpler has been introduced in Parliament. ACC Minister Ruth Dyson says the current medical misadventure provisions are confusing and are out of step with the no-fault principle that underpins the ACC scheme. The Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Compensation Amendment Bill (No 3) will remove the requirement to find fault (as with some claims for medical misadventure), or prove that a medical injury is rare and severe (the majority of medical misadventure claims), before a patient is entitled to ACC cover. Ruth Dyson says under these changes, more people will be eligible for cover, and the claims process will be fairer, simpler and quicker.