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Cataract surgery increases faster than planned
The government's cataract surgery initiative is running ahead of target with 300 more New Zealanders getting surgery in the first 11 months of the programme than planned. Figures released this week show that between 1 July 2005 and 31 May 2006 a total of 8307 cataract procedures were performed - 330 more than planned during this period. At the last election Labour pledged to provide an extra 7,500 cataract procedures over the next three years. Health Minister Pete Hodgson says that surgery significantly improves quality of life for people with cataracts and it is pleasing that the initiative is already beating its targets. The government's cataract initiative began in July 2005 and over three years an additional $17 million will be pumped into cataract surgery, providing an additional 7500 operations. As part of the cataract initiative district health boards were asked to develop practical ways of increasing productivity and efficiency.
$9 million to help more children into early education
Funding of over $9 million will create and retain 500 places for children at 42 new and expanding early childhood education centres across the country as part of the government's commitment to make quality early childhood education accessible and affordable for all New Zealand families. The funding will increase participation in quality early childhood services around the country, in particular for children from low socio-economic and isolated communities. As well as creating an additional 305 places, and allowing another 186 to be retained, it will support centres with their ongoing planning and operations. Education Minister Steve Maharey says the investment will also support the roll-out of the government's policy of 20 hours free early childhood education for all three and four year-olds in teacher-led services from July 2007.
Goff welcomes European decision on butter
The government this week welcomed a decision by the European Commission to amend its draft regulation suspending New Zealand butter trade to Europe. Trade Minister Phil Goff says the new draft regulation, yet to be adopted by the full Commission, picks up the change which the government urged EC Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel to make during discussions on the issue. The draft regulation continues to suspend the butter trade pending the drafting of new regulations to implement the European Court of Justice decision, but provides for a critical amendment to the regulation which mitigates the immediate effect of the suspension. The new provision allows butter from New Zealand which has a standards compliance certificate (IMA1) issued before 12 July 2006, and which has physically left New Zealand before that date, to be issued with an import licence. Phil Goff says that 14,000 tonnes of New Zealand butter currently on the water or in bonded warehouses in Europe will now be issued import licenses and will be able to be sold. While not an absolute guarantee, the amended regulation reduces the prospect that New Zealand's butter exports will be disrupted. "I welcome the goodwill which that reflects.
Changes bring funding certainty for scientists
Research, Science and Technology Minister Steve Maharey has welcomed this week's announcement of new processes allowing scientists to negotiate longer-term funding contracts with the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. For the first time science organisations with a proven track-record will have the opportunity to negotiate, rather than compete, for contracts. The ability to negotiate longer-term contracts will apply to up to 18 per cent of the more than $1 billion invested by the government, through the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, over the next five years. Mr Maharey says that while contestability will continue to be an important part of how we fund science, it is clear that too much contestability can affect the ability of scientists and science organisations to carry out research and apply their ideas over a longer period. The changes present opportunities for research organisations to secure more long-term funding for projects of national significance. The announcement follows six weeks of consultation with the science sector on Cabinet decisions aimed at providing greater certainty for longer-term research and science programmes.
Productive trip to Washington for Peters
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has ended a busy and productive visit to Washington during which he met senior figures of the United States Administration, Senators and Congressional Representatives. The Minister met Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Deputy National Security Adviser JD Crouch; Senators John McCain, Richard Lugar (Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee), and Lisa Murkowski (Chair of the FRC's East Asian and Pacific subcommittee). He also met Representatives Jim Leach (Chair of the International Relations subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific), Jim Kolbe and Ellen Tauscher (Co-Chairs of the Friends of New Zealand Congressional Caucus), and other members of the Caucus. Discussions ranged across a wide range of global and regional issues. Naturally current international developments, such as the Middle East, featured prominently but we also talked about New Zealand's contributions to regional stability in Afghanistan, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands.
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