Articles tagged with Family
Remembering Jim Bolger: A Legacy of Family, Leadership, and National Identity
6 hours ago | 44 viewsJim Bolger's passing is acknowledged with thoughts and condolences for his family. He was a proud Irish Catholic man who valued family and history. Bolger's political career, marked by serving as Prime Minister and advocating for national identity, is recognized.
Tags: Jim Bolger Joan Bolger family Prime Minister New Zealand Irish ancestry Te Kūiti farmer history democratic discussion MMP governmentAmendments to Policing Act: Enhancing Police Powers for Public Safety & Crime Prevention
1 week ago | 95 viewsThe Cabinet has decided to amend the Policing Act to clarify Police's authority to gather intelligence in public places and expand their powers to temporarily close areas in response to antisocial behavior or safety risks. Recent court decisions have raised uncertainty about Police's ability to record images in public spaces, prompting the proposed amendments to reaffirm their authority for lawful purposes. These changes aim to restore Police's crime prevention capabilities, support prosecutions, respond to evolving threats like organized crime, and enhance interventions for public safety, youth offending, and family harm.
Tags: Police Mark Mitchell Policing Act intelligence gathering crime prevention organised crime gang activity public safety youth offending family harmNew FamilyBoost Scheme Expands Eligibility and Refunds for Kiwi Families
2 weeks ago | 144 viewsThe Government has expanded the FamilyBoost scheme to provide more help with early childhood education (ECE) costs for Kiwi families, allowing households with incomes up to just under $230,000 to claim back 40% of their ECE costs, up to $300 a week. Finance Minister Nicola Willis encourages eligible families to check their eligibility on the Inland Revenue website and apply for the increased refunds. The Income Tax (FamilyBoost) Amendment Act increased the proportion of ECE fees families can claim, with an increase in the maximum amount families can claim per week and an expanded household income limit for eligibility.
Tags: Nicola Willis FamilyBoost ECE early childhood education Government Finance Minister households eligibility refunds Inland RevenueEnhanced FamilyBoost Program to Benefit Thousands of Households with Early Childhood Education Costs
4 weeks ago | 148 viewsStarting next month, tens of thousands of households will receive increased support for early childhood education through the expanded FamilyBoost scheme, as announced by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. The legislation for the expanded ECE support scheme has passed through Parliament, with Labour reversing its position to support the enhanced FamilyBoost. Changes include increasing the proportion of ECE fees families can claim from 25 to 40 percent, raising the household income limit for FamilyBoost, and making about 21,000 more households eligible for assistance.
Tags: Nicola Willis FamilyBoost ECE households Labour scheme entitlement Income Tax Act Inland RevenueNew Zealand Takes Urgent Action to Suspend Unsafe International Adoptions
1 month ago | 161 viewsThe Government, led by Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee, is urgently suspending recognition of unsafe international adoptions to protect children and young people. The Adoption Amendment Bill has been introduced to immediately suspend New Zealand's recognition of risky overseas adoptions, citing inadequate safeguards in current laws. The temporary suspension, effective until a specified date or July 1, 2027, aims to prevent harm to children adopted into unsafe situations, with plans for a long-term solution and exemptions for countries with safe adoption practices.
Tags: Government international adoptions children young people Nicole McKee Adoption Amendment Bill unsafe overseas adoptions Joseph Auga Matamata Family Court Ministry of JusticeEmpowering Communities: Updates on Family Violence Prevention and Child Welfare Initiatives
1 month ago | 177 viewsThe Minister for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence and Minister for Children acknowledges key individuals and organizations in the field. Updates are shared on Te Aorerekura, the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan, and efforts to address trauma and prevent violence. The government is focused on improving multi-agency responses, workforce capability, and effective commissioning and investment processes to better support vulnerable children and families. Collaboration, communication, and social investment are emphasized to enhance service delivery and support community well-being.
Tags: Minister for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Minister for Children Marama Davidson Emma Powell Benesia Smith Claire Achmad Te Aorerekura Oranga Tamariki National Strategy on Family Violence and Sexual Violence Social Investment FundImproving Family and Sexual Violence Sector Training and Collaboration Leads to Enhanced Victim-Centred Services
1 month ago | 167 viewsA survey of workers in the family violence and sexual violence sector reveals improvements in training and collaboration, enhancing victim-centred services. Minister Karen Chhour emphasizes the importance of strong connections between community and government agencies, as well as consistent training for workers providing specialized support. The survey highlights the widespread training received by frontline workers and the ongoing efforts to ensure national consistency and quality, with a focus on expanding training to public sector staff and promoting collaborative relationships for effective multi-agency responses.
Tags: Karen Chhour Minister Prevention Family violence Sexual violence Training Collaboration Survey Workers ServicesFish & Game Family Fishing Licences Updated for Equal Rights and Inclusion
1 month ago | 191 viewsFish & Game New Zealand's family fishing licences are being updated to grant equal fishing rights to both adults starting from the 2025/26 angling season, allowing independent fishing and voting rights in Fish & Game elections. The change aims to address the historical anomaly where the second adult on the licence, often a woman, could not fish independently or participate in elections. Minister Meager hopes the update will enhance accessibility for women and young families, encouraging more people to enjoy angling and ensuring financial relief with no price increases to Fish & Game angling licences confirmed for the upcoming season.
Tags: Fish & Game New Zealand family fishing licences Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager University of Otago Women on the Fly NZ Dame Lynda Topp Richie Cosgrove freshwater fishing.Introducing The Centre for Family Violence Prevention | Minister Confirms New Name
1 month ago | 257 viewsThe Minister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence announced that the multi-agency organization will now be known as 'The Centre for Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention'. The Centre aligns government strategies and policies to improve the family violence and sexual violence system through the National Strategy and its Action Plan. It supports government agencies in delivering community-led solutions to prevent and respond to violence, with a focus on evidence-based responses.
Tags: Minister Karen Chhour Prevention Family Violence Sexual Violence Centre Government Strategy PolicyPrime Minister and Finance Minister Unveil Plans to Boost Economy, Jobs, and Income for Kiwis
2 months ago | 521 viewsThe Government, led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister of Finance Nicola Willis, is prioritizing economic growth to create jobs, raise incomes, and assist New Zealanders with the cost of living. Initiatives such as scrapping surcharges, tax relief, and the introduction of FamilyBoost aim to alleviate financial burdens for families. By focusing on key areas like talent development, competitive business settings, global trade, innovation, and infrastructure, the Government aims to boost wages by growing the economy in the long term.
Tags: Government economy jobs Kiwis Prime Minister Christopher Luxon Minister of Finance Nicola Willis tax relief FamilyBoost inflationEmpowering Frontline Workers: Enhanced Training for Family and Sexual Violence Response
2 months ago | 576 viewsFrontline services are implementing enhanced training to support staff in responding to family and sexual violence, aiming to train 10,000 workers within the next two years. Minister Karen Chhour emphasizes the importance of this training in providing best practice support for victim-survivors and enabling staff to effectively address such violence. Progress against the Te Aorerekura Action Plan includes training for Ministry of Justice, Department of Corrections, and Police recruits, with a focus on collaboration and commitment to improve support for victim-survivors.
Tags: training staff support family violence sexual violence frontline services Minister Karen Chhour government departments Te Aorerekura Action PlanGovernment Reforms to AML/CFT Act Ease Property Transactions for Kiwi Families
3 months ago | 521 viewsAssociate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says the Government is continuing to cut through unnecessary bureaucracy with reforms to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act, which will make life easier for hard-working Kiwi families managing property through family trusts. “For thousands of New Zealanders, setting up a family trust is part of securing their financial future, especially when it comes to their home. But under the current AML regime, selling a house held in a trust triggers a burdensome level of document verification and compliance checks that has little to do with actual risk,” Mrs McKee says.
Tags: Nicole McKee Justice Minister Family Trusts Real Estate Agents New Zealanders Financial Future Compliance Checks Property ManagementFamilyBoost Program Enhancements Bring Financial Relief to Thousands of Households
3 months ago | 681 viewsTens of thousands of households will be better off thanks to changes being made to FamilyBoost to help families with the cost of living, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “From the start of this month, families will get larger FamilyBoost rebates on the early childhood education fees they pay, with rebates increasing from 25 per cent to 40 per cent of weekly fees, and those with household incomes of up to $229,000 now eligible to apply. “This means for example that a family with early childhood fees of $100 a week could have their weekly FamilyBoost payment increased from $25 a week to $40 a week, meaning their annual payments would increase from $1,300 to $2,080 over the course of a year, making them hundreds of dollars better off.
Tags: Finance Minister Nicola Willis FamilyBoost households families cost of living early childhood education rebates scheme Inland RevenueMinister Karen Chhour Announces Rebranding to Focus on Elimination of Family and Sexual Violence
3 months ago | 785 viewsMinister for the Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is today announcing it will no longer use the informal name of Te Puna Aonui and will adopt its legal name: the Executive Board for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence. “This decision reflects the reality that all people are potentially victims of Family Violence and Sexual Violence, as well as the wishes of disgruntled former advisory board members who have asked for the gifted Te Reo name to be returned,” says Mrs Chhour. “They have raised their concerns with me around my decision to not extend their tenure as the Ministerial Advisory Board, as well as concerns around my decision to include other communities in a new, multi-cultural advisory board which will replace the current Māori-only one.
Tags: Advisory board English Executive board for themination of family violence Family violence Karen chhou New zealand Prevention of family and sexual violence Sexual violence Te puna aon Violence