Beehive Bulletin
25 March 2005
Govt to fund offshore education plans
Education Minister Trevor Mallard this week announced the first projects to be funded by the Export Education Innovation
Programme. The fund helps educators who demonstrate they have a viable offshore export education plan. Funding has to be
matched at least dollar for dollar by the applicant. The Auckland University of Technology (School of Languages) will
receive $73,265 to assist with the integration of Advanced English Studies with Jinan University in China; Christchurch
College of Education gets $42,975 towards its professional development programmes for English and bi-lingual school
teachers from China; Heurisko Ltd will receive a $57,690 contribution towards GlobalFieldTrips.com - a programme
providing a virtual New Zealand education experience for students at years 8-10 in international schools in Asia;
Victoria University gets $75,000 to assist with the delivery of the Victoria University of Wellington Foundation Studies
Programme in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The fund will grow to $1 million per
Strategy for increasing oil reserves
The government this week announced a strategy for increasing New Zealand's oil storage capacity. It will hold tenders
for additional oil storage to meet obligations to the International Energy Agency to hold 90 days of reserves, Energy
Minister Trevor Mallard said. The minister said the decision was prompted by falling oil stocks as a result of rising
consumption and declining domestic production. The cost of the tenders will be met by an increase in the petroleum fuels
monitoring levy paid by oil companies. Cabinet papers say this will be passed on to consumers, raising the price of
petrol by one cent a litre from 2006. Trevor Mallard said the government had carefully considered the submissions on a
consultant's report released late last year on options and costs. Tendering best met the government's objectives of
minimising costs while avoiding any adverse effects on competition between the oil companies and ongoing investment in
the sector.
NZ gift for Charles and Camilla
Helen Clark announced this week that the wedding gift from New Zealand for Prince Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles will be
a selection of New Zealand plants and trees for Prince Charles' southern hemisphere garden at Highgrove House,
Gloucestershire. Prince Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles will marry on 8 April. The PM said Prince Charles' advocacy for
the natural environment and love of gardening were well known. The NZ High Commission in London is working with a
UK-based nursery on identifying an appropriate selection of plants. Helen Clark said the success of the New Zealand
garden at the Chelsea Flower Show last year highlighted for many visitors the uniqueness and extraordinary variety of
our trees and plants.
Economy registers moderate growth
The NZ economy experienced lower than expected economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2004. GDP rose by 0.4 percent in
the fourth quarter of last year, down from 0.6 percent in the September quarter, Statistics NZ figures show. However,
the seasonally and inflation adjusted growth rate in the December year rose to 4.8 per cent from 4.7 per cent in the
September year. In another announcement this week, Statistics NZ said the country had a $3.11 billion balance of
payments deficit in the December quarter. Economists had on average forecast the figure, also known as the current
account, measuring all New Zealand's dealings with the outside world, at $2.653 billion. Finance Minister Michael Cullen
warned that last week's interest rate rise and this week's massive current account deficit announcement should be the
last nails in the coffin for arguments that the government is running too big a surplus. He said it was important to
avoid further stimulating an already overheated economy. Rising interest rates and
Govt assists research on housing
Industry and Regional Development Minister Jim Anderton and Housing Minister Steve Maharey this week announced funding
of up to $90,000 from the Ministry of Economic Development's Regional Initiatives Fund, and $130,000 from the Centre for
Housing Research Aotearoa New Zealand for research on housing pressures in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions.
Jim Anderton said a strong regional economy, a growing population and rising property values sounded like a recipe for
success. But in the upper South Island that combination, along with low unemployment and sustained skills shortages, was
potentially constraining future growt
ENDS