Growing two-way trade and strengthening people-to-people links will be the focus of Prime Minister John Key’s visit to Indonesia and Singapore later this month.

Mr Key, accompanied by Trade Minister Tim Groser in Indonesia, will lead a 26–strong business delegation to both countries.

“Indonesia is New Zealand’s nearest Asian neighbour, and will be an increasingly important partner in years to come,” says Mr Key. “It plays a leading role in regional and global forums, including the Association of South-East Asian Nations, the East Asia Summit and the G20.

“The ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which came into force in Indonesia in January, provides a new framework for doing business between our two countries, and this visit emphasises the value my Government places on this relationship.

“Indonesia is the fourth-most populous country in the world, so there is enormous potential for New Zealand businesses to become more involved in a country that has a growing desire for our products. Indonesia is already our 10th-largest export market, but there is a lot of room to expand that trade, and to deepen the relationship between Indonesians and New Zealanders.

“Leading a delegation of such senior and high-profile business leaders gives impetus to that relationship and will open doors in areas where New Zealand can offer its strengths and expertise, like the food and beverage sector, education, aviation and geothermal energy.”

While on the State visit to Indonesia, Mr Key will meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and will hold bilateral talks with a number of Cabinet Ministers - Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan, and Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Pangestu. In addition, Mr Key will meet ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan and speak to the Indonesia-New Zealand Friendship Council.

Mr Key will meet both President Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on his State visit to Singapore, taking up a long-standing invitation to visit the country.

“New Zealand’s relationship with Singapore is a deep and enduring one, and this visit underscores those close ties,” says Mr Key. “Our two countries have a long history of education and defence cooperation, as shown by the Colombo Plan and the 40-year-old Five Power Defence Arrangements.

“The Closer Economic Partnership agreement between New Zealand and Singapore is one of our most comprehensive, and we have built on this with the P4 agreement and our on-going collaboration towards the Trans Pacific Partnership.

“This visit provides an ideal opportunity to reaffirm New Zealand’s close and valued friendship with Singapore as we continue our cooperation in a number of key areas, particularly trade.

“I will also be expressing my gratitude to leaders of both countries, on behalf of New Zealand, for the support and assistance following last February’s Canterbury earthquake.”

Mr Key will arrive in Indonesia on Sunday April 15 and return from Singapore by RNZAF 757 on Thursday 19 April.

Prime Minister John Key today announced that Tauranga MP Simon Bridges is to be appointed a Minister outside Cabinet.

Napier MP Chris Tremain, who is currently a Minister outside Cabinet, will move up to become a Minister in Cabinet at number 20 on the Ministerial list.

Mr Key also announced a minor reshuffle of portfolios with the departure of Dr Nick Smith.

David Carter will assume the role of Local Government Minister in addition to his current portfolio of Primary Industries.

“The local government reforms announced recently remain an important part of the Government’s agenda. Mr Carter is an experienced Minister and I’m confident he will drive these reforms along,” Mr Key says.

Amy Adams will take over as Environment Minister and hand the Internal Affairs portfolio to Mr Tremain.

Tim Groser will also become the new Minister for Climate Change Issues.

“Mr Bridges will be the new Consumer Affairs Minister and Associate Minister of Transport, taking over from Mr Tremain. Mr Bridges will also be Associate Minister for Climate Change Issues,” Mr Key says.

Mr Bridges will be sworn in at 11am tomorrow by the Governor-General.

“I look forward to welcoming Mr Bridges to the Executive. He has proven himself an able member of the National Party Caucus,” Mr Key says.

Prime Minister John Key today congratulated the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust on the funding of its 100th project since the charity was established in February last year.

The Linfield Cultural Recreational Sports Club has been funded $388,980 to provide sports programmes in Christchurch’s eastern suburbs - almost doubling the number of KiwiSport programmes offered to children in the area.

“The east of Christchurch has been one of the hardest-hit areas in the aftermath of last February’s quake,” says Mr Key. “Over a year on, people are still persevering to get their lives back to normal. The funding for the 100th project means thousands of local children can keep active in their lunchtimes, after school and in the holidays, following many months of disruption.”

Almost $140,000 of the grant will be used to extend the KiwiSport programme to four additional schools in Christchurch’s east, meaning over 2500 children in 15 schools will benefit.

“This project is a great example of the Trust building on a successful service to fill a need in the community,” says Mr Key.“KiwiSport has an important part to play as Christchurch rebuilds its community infrastructure, and it’s encouraging to see so many children taking up the opportunity.”

The remainder of the funding enables the Linfield Cultural Recreational Sports Club to continue supporting and providing services to its associated clubs, which deliver sports such as rugby, football, softball, squash and netball, and a community gym to families living in the eastern suburbs.

The Christchurch Earthquake Appeal was launched by Mr Key, and is the Government’s official, global fundraiser for the recovery effort for Christchurch and the Canterbury region.

The Trust has committed funds of around $42 million to a variety of projects, including the Re:Start container mall in Cashel Street, the new Christchurch Stadium and the Court Theatre. Almost $60 million remains to be allocated, with the Trust intending to disburse the majority during 2012.

For more information or to donate, go to http://christchurchappealtrust.org.nz

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Prime Minister John Key today described the second Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul as another important step towards securing nuclear materials and reducing the global threat of nuclear terrorism.

At the Summit, which concluded today, Mr Key also announced New Zealand will contribute NZ$500,000 towards a US-led project to remove highly-enriched uranium from Uzbekistan back to Russia to be reprocessed and securely stored.

“This project reinforces our support for the securing of vulnerable nuclear materials worldwide,” Mr Key says.

New Zealand has a solid history of supporting nuclear security work around the world, including in the former Soviet Union and in South-East Asia. Since 2004, it has committed around $6 million towards G8 Global Partnership projects aimed at securing nuclear materials.

Mr Key says New Zealand has a strong and principled voice on nuclear issues so it has an important role to play in the process.

“We are a small country but we can make a difference on this global issue. My statement to the Summit today reinforced that, even as a small country, we are not immune to the risks posed by nuclear terrorism. I urged my counterparts to take seriously the commitments we made at the last Summit in Washington in 2010 and to push further to ensure nuclear materials don't fall into the wrong hands,” he says.

The 53 states represented at the Summit have issued a communiqué that will guide their collective work until the third Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands in 2014.

Mr Key also held bilateral meetings with several leaders at the Summit today, including the Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Thailand Prime Minister Ms Yingluck Shinawatra, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.