increase font size
Rural Communities Minister Damien O'Connor.
The Government has committed an extra $600,000 in funding to support driver licensing and education programmes in rural communities across Aotearoa, Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor announced today.
The funding, provided by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), will be spread over three years to boost the Waka Kotahi Community Road Safety Fund.
Waka Kotahi will use the funding to partner with community providers to deliver rural-focused driver licensing and education, which will include free driving lessons. The aim is to help people to get jobs in the food and fibre sector and learn how to drive safely.
“Everyone deserves the chance to have the independence that comes with obtaining a full driver’s licence, and the job opportunities this can provide,” O’Connor says.
People in rural communities face higher barriers to getting their driver’s licence than those in our urban centres. These include difficulties with accessing driver licence training.
“Increasing access to driver training and supporting more people in rural communities to get their full licence will also help make our roads safer for everyone who uses them,” Transport Minister Michael Wood says.
“It will complement driver licensing programmes already underway across the regions. By offering driver training specific to rural people, we’re supporting connections with rural employers and getting more people on their way to getting their full licence.”
Increasing access to driver training and licensing is one of the deliverables, under Road to Zero, New Zealand’s road safety strategy which aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand roads by 40%.
O’Connor says this work builds on previous work funded by MPI earlier this year to help migrants in Mid-Canterbury to get their driver’s licence and supports the Government’s goal of boosting jobs in the food and fibre sector.
“A central goal of our Fit for a Better World roadmap and our Opportunity Grows Here campaign is boosting food and fibre sector jobs for Kiwis,” O’Connor says.
“Increasing rural community access to driver licensing training will open up more job opportunities by equipping our rural people with skills sought by many employers.
“The new community initiatives will help ensure we have right workforce in our rural communities to drive our economic recovery from Covid-19 and help pave New Zealand’s way to prosperity,” O’Connor says.
Horticulture Minister Nicola Grigg says she takes her hat off to all NZ growers for the hard yards they have put in over the last few years which have resulted in horticulture exports expected to reach the milestone of $8 billion this year.
The first phase of a Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigation into allegations of mistreatment of sheep connected to shearing practices has been completed.
The ongoing rise of the Chinese middle class will drag up demand for New Zealand products there in the future.
The chair of the Otago Rural Support Trust, Tom Pinckney, says he believes that they will be especially busy in the coming months as the enormity of the floods hit home.
Time matters in a biosecurity response, says Ryan Higgs, Chief Executive of biosecurity technology company Onside.
Now is not the time to stop incorporating plantain into dairy pasture systems to reduce nitrogen (N) loss, says Agricom Australasia brand manager Mark Brown.
Building on the success of last year's events, the opportunity to attend People Expos is back for 2025, offering farmers the chance to be inspired and gain more tips and insights for their toolkits to support their people on farm.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser SustaiN – which contains a urease inhibitor that reduces the amount of ammonia released to the air – has now been registered by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI). It is the first fertiliser in New Zealand to achieve this status.
Precision application of nitrogen can improve yields, but the costs of testing currently outweigh improved returns, according to new research from Plant and Food Research, MPI and Ravensdown.
Professionals in South Waikato are succeeding in governance, thanks to a governance mentoring programme for South Waikato.
Timpack, one of New Zealand's largest wooden pallet and bin manufacturers, has been rewarded an exclusive contract to supply Fonterra.
OPINION: Henry Dimbleby, author of the UK's Food Strategy, recently told the BBC: "Meat production is about 85% of our…
OPINION: For the last few weeks, we've witnessed a parade of complaints about New Zealand's school lunch program: 'It's arriving…
