Author: MIL OSI Publisher

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government has welcomed a report from the Startup Advisors Council on steps to support a thriving startup sector in New Zealand.

Research, Science and Innovation Minister Ayesha Verrall and Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds have thanked the Council members for their work, which has been underway since 2022.

“We will take time to carefully consider the Council’s report and their valuable recommendations to support and strengthen the environment for New Zealand startups,” Ayesha Verrall said.

“The report has identified challenges and opportunities facing many startup businesses across the country.

“A thriving startup ecosystem will make a significant contribution to the shift to a high-wage, low-emissions economy and we are committed to continuing to fostering growth, innovation and job creation,” Ayesha Verrall said.

The report makes 25 recommendations centred on four themes. These include fostering greater connectivity, support for attracting and growing talent, increasing access to capital and supporting a cultural shift to encourage more entrepreneurialism.

“The Council engaged widely in developing their recommendations. I want to acknowledge their contribution and that of the wider startup community in developing this report,” Barbara Edmonds said.

“There is a role for all of us in responding to these. The call to improve diversity of startups is something we’re working on with New Zealand Growth Capital Partners and there are actions the private sector can also take to improve the representation of Māori and women in the sector.

“Establishing the Council was just one way we are supporting startups. We have invested $300 million into the Elevate NZ Venture Fund, including $40.5 million in Budget 2023. As a result, we’ve seen a significant increase in capital and transactions in the market since the Fund launched in 2020.

“We value opportunities to work in partnership with businesses, investors and communities. We will be considering how to maintain a collaborative and open approach to the startup sector now that the Council’s initial term has formally ended.

“This report provides a solid foundation to progress the Government’s activity in this space. Officials will now carry out further work to support next steps and we look forward to sharing more soon,” Barbara Edmonds said.

The Council’s report is available on the MBIE website.

Source: New Zealand Government

Minister for Emergency Management, Kieran McAnulty, will travel to Fiji and Vanuatu today to further strengthen cooperation between the countries in building resilience to natural disasters.

Kieran McAnulty will depart on 1 August to meet with his Ministerial counterparts in Suva and Port Vila, and to spend time with local disaster management teams.

“New Zealand and our Pacific whānau have a proud history of supporting each other whenever severe weather hits, and working together on recovery and resilience,” Kieran McAnulty said.

“Earlier in the response to Cyclone Gabrielle, Fiji sent personnel over to assist us, and New Zealand sent assistance over to Vanuatu when they were hit shortly after that.

“Our nations share whānau and community. When disasters strike our Pacific neighbours, it affects our Pacific communities back home – and vice versa. We’re all in this together,” Kieran McAnulty said.

National Emergency Management Agency’s Rapid Response Team regularly deploys staff to Pacific nations as part of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade-funded Pacific Disaster Risk Management Programme.

“The impacts of climate change are increasingly being felt across the Pacific, and it’s more important than ever that we work together to strengthen our collective disaster resilience.

“Fiji and Vanuatu have a wealth of experience in dealing with natural disasters such as cyclones, tsunami, and earthquakes. I’m really looking forward to learning from them, and to see what help we can offer.

Source: New Zealand Government

On-site care and support services for some of Wellington’s most vulnerable people is being introduced for the first time to permanent public housing in Wellington City.

The Single Site supported housing applies to all units on the 80-home development site in Rolleston Street, Mt Cook, with 20 of the homes receiving intensive, specialist support.

Housing Minister Megan Woods today announced that Wellington City Mission has been selected as the successful provider and will provide 24/7 onsite support from later this year.

“These services include, counselling, employment assistance, healthcare, budgeting and skill development that can empower and enable individuals to live stable lives with dignity,” said Woods.

“The Wellington City Mission has been supporting the communities of the Wellington region for 119 years and has a wealth of experience and learning with supporting whānau in a range of residential settings throughout the region.

“Rolleston Street is one of several redevelopments underway across Wellington which is delivering much needed new, quality public housing.

“In the past five years we have delivered over 400 much needed public and supported houses for people and whānau in Wellington City, and we will continue to provide more homes in the coming years with over 1,000 in the pipeline across the region.

“Across the country we have delivered an additional 13,305 public homes since October 2017. In contrast National left New Zealand with 1,500 fewer public homes than it started with and failed to invest in new ones.”

Twenty of the 80 Rolleston Street homes have been completed with the development expected to reach final completion in late 2023. The development will have 36 one-bedroom, 29 two-bedroom and 15 studio apartments in a mix of two to five storey buildings. It has been thoughtfully designed to enable a sense of community with landscaped areas and gardens, and shared community spaces for people to connect and access support services.

Editors notes

Other Kāinga Ora public housing developments in Wellington City include:

• In Newtown, 36 homes have recently been completed at Owen St. These homes replace an old earthquake-prone and damp complex. It is a well-designed development in another central location with user-friendly outdoor spaces have been designed to maximise the quality of life for the residents.
• Boosting supply for the inner city, Kāinga Ora also recently purchased 53 Boulcott Street and 50 Webb Street in the central city. These purchases will help provide homes to those who need housing urgently in the central city, including people from Loafers Lodge. They will also help rehome customers while their homes are being retrofitted or redeveloped.