It gives me great pleasure to open GeoHealth 2004: Surveillance and Intervention, and to welcome you all to the most beautiful city in New Zealand.

Can I first acknowledge Ministry of Health Director-General of Health Karen Poutasi; Deputy Director-General Public Health Don Matheson; and Dr Barry Borman.

I am told that this conference has attracted the most comprehensive group of high-level experts and practitioners in the field of GeoHealth informatics, both nationally and internationally, ever to have gathered in this region. I know many of you have travelled a long way to be here, so I do hope you get a chance to see some of New Zealand’s many attractions while you’re in this part of the world.

Apart from the distinguished experts from overseas, I am pleased to see so many people from District Health Boards and Public Health Units as well as colleagues from other Ministries, Crown Research Institutes and the University sector.

I am sure this conference will help promote the sharing of experiences and exchange of ideas on the role of geographic information sciences in public health across New Zealand, Australia, Asia and the Pacific region.

Of course, GeoHealth2004 is much more than just an application of technology. It also focuses on the important role that spatial information has in improving decision-making in the health sector.

So why do we need a conference like this?

In the developed world we are confronted by a few unappealing, yet unavoidable, truths. And as Health Minister, I am certainly confronted by difficult issues and decisions every day. For example, how do we address widening health inequalities, with few resources, and a growing expectation of what our health providers can deliver?

In this respect, the study of the geographic determinants of health is becoming increasingly critical.

On the international stage we have seen how the SARs outbreak focused attention on the apparent ease with which disease is spread. At a national level, health policy is firmly geared towards reducing health inequalities. For our District Health Boards at the local level, there is a clear need to target resources to the most appropriate sections of the community. GeoHealth methodologies are playing an important part in all of these situations -- and more.

In a world that is changing and developing fast technologically, many of the challenges we face are the same. This conference will help keep us abreast of all the recent ideas and experiences in this important area.

I must say today is a double honour for me. I also have the pleasure of launching the GeoHealth Research Laboratory, a partnership between Public Health Intelligence, the Ministry of Health and the Department of Geography at the University of Canterbury.

This exciting and bold collaboration will bring together Public Health Intelligence -- a key Ministry unit that is leading the health sector in the delivery of specialised expertise and advice -- and Canterbury University, which is establishing itself as the pre-eminent centre for academic health geography in New Zealand and indeed the southern hemisphere.

The GeoHealth Research Laboratory will develop a practically-led research portfolio, focused towards delivering high quality information to help better our understanding of the spatial patterns and determinants of disease in New Zealand.

One of the most important functions of the GeoHealth Research Laboratory will be providing specialist public health training tailored to the needs of the health sector. I’m sure you will agree that the health sector’s most valued assets are its people. Therefore it is vitally important that we train our people in the most up-to-date methods and keep them in touch with current thinking and recent advances.

I wish you every success for the GeoHealth Laboratory venture, and look forward to hearing all about your progress -- perhaps at the next GeoHealth conference in two years time!

Finally, I want to congratulate PHI and ESR for organising this conference, particularly Paul White and Chris Skelly who I know have put a lot of time into it. I hope you all find it stimulating, thought-provoking and worthwhile.