Government

The government is investing $500,000 into the redevelopment of Timaru’s Fraser Park to transform the venue into a multi-event arena.

New Zealand passport fees have increased this week, bringing the cost of an adult passport from $199 to $206 – a 3.5% rise. A child passport increased from $115 to $120, up 4.3%.

New Zealand’s cultural sector contributed $12.9bn in the year to March 2022, with a growth rate of 10.6% compared to 5.3% for the entire economy, according to the government.

Coastguard New Zealand is urging the government to make urgent changes to boat safety legislation and make it mandatory for all people to wear lifejackets on vessels under 6m in length.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson has declared Budget 2023 a “wellbeing budget” designed to balance the cost of living with higher-wage jobs and lower emissions and provide further support for regions affected by weather events.

The additional funding is to meet demand from businesses trying to recover from Cyclone Gabrielle.

The government’s connectivity initiatives to boost the number of mobile towers has brought mobile coverage to 114 tourism spots, as of December 2022.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is travelling to Australia and the United Kingdom on trade missions and King Charles’ Coronation over the next two weeks.

The transport sector agreement is being extended to help ferry businesses access workers.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced several steps to introduce greater transparency around lobbying at Parliament.

New Zealand will contribute $4m to Vanuatu to support the recovery of the country’s tourism sector and support sustainability.

The government has passed the new Civil Aviation Bill that modernises and strengthens aviation security rules.

The importance of Australia as a trade partner for New Zealand’s tourism and other industries has been recognised as part of the 40th anniversary of the Closer Economic Relations free trade agreement between the two countries.

The country’s electric vehicle charging network is set for a boost under the government’s first EV charging strategy.

The government is rolling out legislation to help regions around the country to recover from Cyclone Gabrielle as efficiently as possible.

The state of national emergency for Tairāwhiti And Hawke’s Bay ends today after 28 days in effect.

“In the Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay regions, thousands of people are still unable to return to their homes due to flood damage.”

The government has extended its state of national emergency across six regions until 7 March in response to the prolonged impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The tourism minister also denies turning down assistance from National to redraft the freedom camping bill.

The grants can help businesses impacted due to barriers to customer access, supply chain issues, or the inability to operate as usual due to damage.

The government has assembled a cabinet committee and regional ministerial leads in order to coordinate the government response to Cyclone Gabrielle.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has pointed the finger at ‘disaster tourism’ following anecdotes of criminals videoing flood-ravaged areas to scope targets.

The government has extended the state of national emergency for a further seven days to support the response to the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The government has announced a $2m support package for North Island East Coast communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta is travelling to India today as part of an effort to promote New Zealand’s tourism, trade and education interests.

The Commerce Commission will soon have more power to set fairer fuel prices through changes made to the way the wholesale fuel market functions.

The rollout of a national public transport ticketing system will simplify payment methods for people visiting new towns, says Transport Minister Michael Wood.

The Scenic Hotel Group and HCA chair on hotels’ struggle to engage government.

Air New Zealand is flying Finance Minister Grant Robertson to New York this evening as part of a business delegation to the United States.

The government is investing $18.7m to support upgrades at 30 of the 32 facilities earmarked for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

A rethink of tourism’s foundations and destination brand building are among the ways the govt plans to transform the industry.

Government agencies now have a set of formal expectations for better supporting families and communities affected by national disasters such as the Whakaari White Island eruption.

Managing Tongariro Alpine Crossing and progressing the Milford Opportunities Project are highlighted as key initiatives by the Department of Conservation in its briefing to its new minister, Poto Williams.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa says it is ready to engage with the government and industry to develop the draft Better Work Action Plan.

The 15-minute survey, conducted by Kantar Public on behalf of MBIE, aims to understand what visitors think about New Zealand in order to improve the visitor experience.

Tourism is under threat from climate change but there are opportunities to be found in the sector as businesses innovate and adapt – and work is underway to examine these possibilities.

The government has launched a plan to protect native kauri trees from dieback and disease.

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More than 30,000 small businesses have taken advantage of the government’s Digital Boost programme, which aims to support the uptake of digital tools and e-commerce.

Jacinda Ardern will leave this weekend to tout tourism and trade as NZ seeks to reconnect with overseas markets.

Poto Williams has been appointed conservation minister, with Kiri Allan moving to justice.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will meet with new Australian PM Anthony Albanese in Sydney.

A petition to change the country’s official name to Aotearoa has been presented to Parliament.

New Zealand businesses will soon save around $74m on credit and debit transaction charges.

Minister of Climate Change Minister James Shaw has released details of the government’s first three emissions budgets, which determine the total amount of emissions reductions New Zealand meet by 2035.

Tourism is one of the country’s most exposed industries.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have acknowledged the need to resume and strengthen “people-to-people” links between New Zealand and Japan.

The Ministry for the Environment has released an updated guide on emissions measurement and reporting for organisations.

New Zealand’s cycle trails and cycle tourism are driving economic activity, according to two reports released by Tourism Minister Stuart Nash.

Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult is calling on the government to give people the “big picture” on its efforts to fill worker shortages in tourism and other sectors.