More Kiwis gain tertiary qualifications

New Zealanders are more skilled and obtaining higher qualifications under the Labour-led government. Almost 40 per cent of New Zealanders now hold a tertiary qualification and 14 per cent have a bachelors or higher qualification.

The Labour-led government spent $3.3 billion on tertiary education in 2006 and this investment is vital to our sustained economic and social development. Since 2000 workplace learning has more than doubled, from 81,000 trainees to more than 176,000 in 2006 including 9,470 modern apprentices.

Having a more highly qualified population means higher wages for New Zealanders and a better economy, allowing New Zealand to compete on the global stage.

Kiwi food products stars in Chinese trade exhibition

Economic Development Minister Pete Hodgson welcomed the success of Food Hotel China, held in Shanghai last week.

Food Hotel China was the first of three key events organised by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. It provided 18 New Zealand companies with an opportunity to showcase some of our top food and beverage products, including those from the wine, horticulture, dairy, meat and seafood sectors.

New Zealand's high-value food and beverage exports received a major boost under the Labour-led Government's work programme for partnering with industry in July. The Minister for Economic Development announced that $19 million of additional funding over the next four years is to be dedicated to expend in-market for New Zealand food and beverage firms.

Helping students learn about money

Figure It Out booklets - tell younger students how to earn, spend, save and borrow money. It was launched earlier this week by the Education Minister Chris Carter. Some of the characters in the books have bright business ideas and some have financial dilemmas, with students encouraged to think how they would resolve the problems.

Figure It Out is a series of seventy books being published as part of the Numeracy strategy. It contributes to the Labour-led government's goal of ensuring students are confident and capable both mathematically and financially, recognising that everyone needs to be able to make considered, sensible financial decisions.

Substantial investment in children and families

$7 million to fund long term research into New Zealand families and children, to begin in 2008, was announced by Social Development and Employment Minister Ruth Dyson earlier on this week.

The study will help identify opportunities to improve children's lives by studying parenting behaviors, health and environmental factors, child development, education, nutrition and social interactions. This represents a substantial investment by the Labour-led government so it can identify and examine the key social issues that will affect future New Zealanders.

ENDS

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