Hon Rino Tirikatene

Deputy Prime Minister Kamikamica; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

I am very pleased to welcome you all here today to the first ever French Pacific Business Forum.

Thank you to the organisers for the opportunity to welcome you all to the 11th International Abalone Symposium on behalf of the New Zealand Government.

Today I would like to talk about our Trade for All Agenda, our regional free trade agreements and what we are doing to support Indigenous trade.

Kam na bane ni mauri, tēnā koutou katoa, and warm greetings to you all.

Tēnā koutou, nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa. 

I would once again like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to the original occupants of these ancestral lands, and to the Elders past, present, emerging and yet to come.

The Honourable Faiyaz Koya; Mr Chandar Sen, President of the New Zealand-Fiji Business Council; members of the executive committee; distinguished guests

Each year, the Auckland Trade and Economic Policy School brings together people with a wide range of backgrounds, ideas and resources. Each of you can effect positive change in our trade kaupapa, and I encourage you to use this conference today to do so.

I welcome this opportunity to join you today, to reflect on the future of how we trade, do business, and connect, and the role that Indigenous and Tribal peoples can play in building new and innovative solutions for the complexities and challenges of the global trade apparatus.

It is a privilege to represent the Crown in this ceremony which concludes seven years’ work to deliver aquaculture settlement obligations.

I am very excited to have the opportunity to meet with you all and talk about the Ocean and Fisheries portfolio and vision – thank you for having me.

I would like to begin by acknowledging a few people here today.  Firstly, Chris Karamea Insley for his hard work and commitment to the vision of Te Taumata.

I acknowledge our whānau overseas, joining us from Te Whenua Moemoeā, and I wish to pay respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. This is a special time in our country.

First, I want to express my thanks to Te Taumata for this hui and for all the fantastic work you are doing for Māori in the trade space.