Submissions

Argued for strategies which would increase the proportion of post-compulsory education and training taking place in partnership with industry, developed greater levels of business management skill for Maori and Pacific people, improved linkages and transition between compulsory and post-compulsory education and training, improved and lifted in priority the provision of literacy and numeracy programmes in the workplace and beyond, improved stakeholder participation in the governance and review of post-compulsory education and training and improved the effectiveness, transparency and independence of the quality assurance system for post-compulsory education and training.

Supportive of the majority of the changes proposed in the Bill but noted that some of the changes proposed would not be necessary if the Government was willing to give greater recognition to business concerns with underlying tax principles. Concern expressed at use-of-money interest rates for provisional tax and the excessive pursuit of tax revenue through FBT resulting in high compliance costs. Need fundamental review of these policies rather than further incremental changes to tax legislation.

Submitted that quality of information and stakeholder participation are fundamental elements in ensuring good quality allocation of resources in post-compulsory education and training. Argued that a single integrated and transparent funding system be developed for all post-compulsory education and training funding; and that the cap on funding for industry and foundation education and training should be progressively lifted and eventually removed. Also supported the separation of funding for research and teaching, and argued that there should be equitable funding of public and private providers.

Submitted that the proposed parental leave payment be recognised as a welfare benefit, be paid accordingly through the social welfare system, and be subject to an income cut off level. As well, the principal Act’s eligibility criteria should be retained and the Bill’s revised eligibility criteria abandoned, the right to accumulate an entitlement to annual holidays over the leave period (section 42 of the principal Act) should be removed and the Bill amended to provide that benefits in an employment agreement in their overall effect as favourable to an employee as those of the Act should apply to the exclusion of the statutory provisions.

Submission called on the Government take more decisive action to improve growth including calling for lower tax rates, with a priority of reducing the corporate tax rate in stages to 20% by 2010; reducing the proportion of government spending (including New Zealand Superannuation Fund contributions) to GDP to less than 30% by 2005, reduce the level of gross Crown debt to below 15% of GDP by 2010;and re-focussing government spending on areas that would improve productivity rather than redistribute wealth. A series of specific recommendations were also made on the NZ Superannuation fund, ownership of assets, etc.

Recommended that the overall focus for both Training Opportunities and Youth Training be on improving employability and readiness for ongoing learning, as opposed to developing specific skills or obtaining a particular job; that eligibility for accessing these programmes be broadened to include those at-risk of long-term unemployment; and that administration of the programmes be streamlined, with greater focus on outcomes as opposed to tight specification of process and outputs.

Submitted that Business New Zealand believed climate change was an important issue and the business community wished to participate in and contribute to the discussion on what role New Zealand played. Expressed the view that the policy development framework, consultation time-frame and proposed legislative process outlined in the consultation document, “Kyoto Protocol – Ensuring our Future”, was seriously flawed and was likely to deliver perverse outcomes. Did not believe that the current declared intention of ratification of the Kyoto Protocol was the correct one. Ratifying ahead of our trading partners and in the absence of robust analysis of the wider economic and growth consequences was not an economically or socially prudent course to pursue. The Government was proposing that New Zealand should ratify the Kyoto Protocol before the costs and economic implications were clearly known.

Recognised the problems associated with passive smoking and supported the Bill on the basis that it offered employees a limited choice as to whether or not smoking will be permitted in the workplace. Did not support the SOP as going too far in its attempt to impose still further regulation on an already highly-regulated legal industry, both at the manufacturing and retail levels.