New Zealand Finance Minister Bill English delivered the 2013 budget today, which included a series of hard-hitting reforms aimed at bursting the housing bubble and providing affordable housing for low income families.

New Zealand Trade Minister Hon Tim Groser made a major speech on trade issues at the Japan National Press Club on 24 April. Here is the link to the English text of the speech. A Japanese translation is available below. The Minister touched on TPP, the WTO and the New Zealand-Japan trade relationship in his remarks.

Reflecting the high interest in development of renewable energy in Japan, nearly 600 people attended a symposium on geothermal power generation in Sapporo on 20 April. The symposium was organised by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and supported by the Bipartisan Parliamentary Committee for Geothermal Energy Promotion, the Japan Tourism Agency, and Hokkaido Government.

On Saturday night New Zealand trade minister Tim Groser issued a statement on behalf of the current eleven TPP countries formally welcoming Japan as a new participant in negotiations to conclude a Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. Here’s the link to the full statement.