October 25, 2017
Battalion museum in coalition agreement
Building a museum at Waitangi to commemorate the 28 Maori Battalion is one of the surprises slipped into the coalition agreement between Labour and New Zealand First.
The document setting out expectations for the next three years was signed yesterday along with a confidence and supply agreement with the Green Party.
Prime Minister-designate Jacinda Ardern says it will be a government of action focused on what needs to change to make life better for all New Zealanders.
Those changes include spending $1 billion a year on regional development, including significant investment in regional rail and planting 100 million trees a year.
The minimum wage will be progressively increased to $20 an hour by 2020, with the final increase to take effect in April 2021.
Te Kotahitanga, a professional development programme to help teachers respond to Maori pupils, will be re-established.
The parties pledged to work with Maori and other quota holders to resolve outstanding issues in the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill.
Resource rentals for water are out in this term of Parliament, but there will be a royalty on bottled water exports.
New Zealand First will have four Ministers inside Cabinet, including Winston Peters as Deputy Prime Minister, and one Parliamentary Under-Secretary.
Its portfolios will include Foreign Affairs, Infrastructure, Regional Economic Development, Internal Affairs, Seniors, Defence, Veterans’ Affairs, Children, Forestry, State Owned Enterprises, Racing, Associate Finance, Associate Education and an Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Regional Economic Development.
Read the agreements at: http://www.labour.org.nz/foundation_for_strong_and_proactive_government
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