Ray Coupland and family, the Couplands Board, CEO Annette Campbell, staff, suppliers and contractors - good afternoon.

It is a real privilege to join you today to celebrate the opening of your expanded retail store incorporating some of the manufacturing.

Coupland’s Bakeries is iconic in Canterbury and I’m incredibly proud to be here today for this opening and to be given an opportunity to acknowledge the commitment Ray and his team have shown to our region.

We are in tough times and it is testament to Ray’s vision of establishing a high quality baking facility that retains all the values of a family business that we are here celebrating the growth of this business.

The recession has struck our economy hard and many companies are still battling to retain their staff, let alone commit to expanding operations. So I want to acknowledge the confidence you all have shown in our economy and the encouragement that confidence offers to the community at large.

There is no disputing that New Zealand as a whole has some way to go before unemployment figures turn the corner and we return to real economic growth, but stories like yours serve to remind us that we are truly heading in the right direction, not just hoping that we are.

An operation of this size needs strong leaders and I extend my congratulations to Board chair Richard Sissons and CEO Annette Campbell who ensure the smooth running of this family business.

Annette has been of huge assistance to me in my role as Minister for Food Safety. Her logic and responsible attitude on behalf of the industry during the discussions over the mandatory addition of folic acid to bread was extremely helpful.

Thank you Annette for your input and I look forward to working with you in the future.

Thank you all once again for inviting me to open this wonderful complex. I am sure the expanded premises will be a huge success for the company, its staff and its customers.

Congratulations.

Posted by staff in Speech at 10:55

In the House

Busy is the word

Parliament has been spending a lot of time debating some very big changes over the past month. There is a lot on the legislative agenda, with the Emissions Trading Scheme, RMA changes and the Auckland City unitary council legislation just the start. I am also busy on the policy front, with three Bills to my name heading to the House shortly. The amendment to the statutory Meal Breaks legislation is quite significant, but is ultimately common sense. Labour introduced this in 2008 and it came into affect on April 1 this year. It was designed to enshrine everyone’s right to breaks in law, so should not have been controversial. Unfortunately the way it was written meant it was too prescriptive and has led to a number of businesses and professions struggling to implement it lawfully.

My intention is to provide more flexibility to the law, so that while the right to breaks is maintained they can suit the nature of the work where necessary. This is important for people like nurses, air control tower operators and teachers, as well as businesses like pharmacies and petrol stations.

Also on my plate is a relatively straight-forward change that will require the Remuneration Authority to take into account adverse economic conditions when setting salaries for MPs, local government politicians and the judiciary. Simply put, the Authority won’t just give automatic pay increases if we’re in a recession.

The third Bill is a complete rewrite of the Food Act. This legislation has been around for nearly 30 years and is in dire need of modernising. These changes will affect everyone involved in producing food for public consumption. As it stands, the Food Act simply isn’t sufficient and councils have had to introduce their own by-laws to fill the gaps. There is also too much duplication and unnecessary compliance costs on business, so an overhaul was long overdue. Fundamentally we will be moving to a risk-based system, whereby responsibility for food safety will fall to individual operators. They will be required to be aware of problems on their own premises, rather than wait for inspectors to turn up and point them out so they can be addressed. There is a lot involved in this new Food Bill, so if you are involved in the food industry in any way make sure you keep informed of its progress in the House.

Conservation Week

I’m not a fan of wetas. I’m fully aware they’re harmless and indeed are a national treasure, but they still make my skin crawl. So it was with a bit of trepidation I headed to Butterfly Creek in Auckland to launch their new exhibition featuring the Giant Weta ahead of Conservation Week. As I left the office my staff all had mischievous smiles on their faces, knowing I’d likely have to handle one of the prickly creatures and keep a calm face for the media. They were right. And there’s a good reason they’re called the giant weta (wetapunga). They are huge, in fact they are the world’s largest weta! This fella (pictured) crawled right up my arm and would’ve ended up on my head if given a chance.

I readily admit I was more at ease with another Conservation Week event – attending Sirocco the kakapo’s opening night at Auckland Zoo. Sirocco (seen here enjoying the limelight with myself and Auckland City MP Nicky Kaye) is a real character and brilliant ambassador for conservation. I am not sure whether he thinks that he is human or that we are kakapos! He is one of just 124 kakapo we have in New Zealand, so it was great for the public to see up-close the work DoC does to protect our native species.

In the Electorate

Congratulations to St John who have marked their 75th anniversary in Rangiora. I went along to the celebrations and was lucky enough to say a few words of gratitude for their work. I don’t think anyone would deny how valuable their service is to our community. They really are a remarkable group of people.

Another remarkable organisation is Habitat for Humanity and it is fantastic to have them at work in Kaiapoi. I went along to see the first sod turned on the new project in Fuller St, where four homes are to be built for four local families. They are always after volunteers, so if you have any spare time get in touch with them and lend a hand where you can.

Posted by staff in Newsletter at 14:28

A Labour Co-operation Agreement signed in Auckland today represents a further broadening and deepening of New Zealand’s expanding relationship with one of South East Asia’s most dynamic economies, says Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson.

The Minister signed the legally binding treaty-level Agreement with Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Human Resources Senator Dato’ Maznah Binti Mazlan.

The Agreement on Labour Co-operation was negotiated in the context of the Malaysia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which Trade Minister Tim Groser is due to sign in Malaysia later this month.

Ms Wilkinson says the Labour Co-operation Agreement is a positive step in the relationship between the two governments.

The Agreement provides an opportunity for the two countries to develop and maintain a dialogue on labour-related matters, resolve issues together and engage on labour co-operation on matters of mutual interest and benefit.

"The new Malaysia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement provides increasing trade and investment opportunities for both countries; and in addition this bilateral labour agreement provides a good platform for engagement on labour matters," Ms Wilkinson says.

"New Zealand has a number of similar agreements in the region and looks forward to working with Malaysia in the future."

Media contact: Christian Bonnevie 021 243 8266 & 04 817 8266

Posted by staff in News at 13:48