Good morning and thank you Brian Richardson for your introduction.

Firstly, I would like to welcome Gary Fitt who is here today representing the OECD - sponsors of this International Forest Biosecurity Workshop in Rotorua.  

I would also like to welcome keynote speakers and guests who have travelled from around the world, and New Zealand, to take part.

Being mainly scientists, you will know much more about the intricacies of this subject than me.  

As a politician, I rely on people like you for advice. I have a background in Agricultural Science with a Bachelors degree from Lincoln University. This background means I like to make decisions based on sound science. So, I am very pleased to be opening an event where scientists, industry, and policy-makers can come together to share ideas and exchange information.  

Let me begin by saying science makes a huge contribution to our economic prosperity and social well-being.  

And, as Minister of Forestry and Minister for Biosecurity, I have a special interest in the subjects you will be covering during this conference.

This is my second trip to the area in as many weeks. I recently visited the Scion facilities in Rotorua and toured the Port of Tauranga where I looked at biosecurity, surveillance and monitoring.

This is a high biosecurity risk area and I was impressed with the systems that have been established close to the Port to monitor any incursions that might breach our biosecurity border.  

I will talk more about biosecurity later, but first I want to speak about forestry and its importance as a global primary industry.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, in 2005, forest covered 30 percent of the world's land area.  

Although planted forest accounted for no more than seven percent of the global forest area - or 270 million hectares - the importance of planted forests is expected to increase steadily. 

Wood is becoming increasingly vital for industry and there are many opportunities for its use as a source of bioenergy.

The role of forests in combating the negative effects of climate change is also well-established and something that policymakers worldwide need to be constantly reminded of.   

As a raw material for construction, wood is renewable, energy efficient and substantially more environmentally friendly when compared with alternatives such as steel, aluminium, concrete and plastic.

It is a valuable resource, but its risk as a natural product is that it could be wiped out by pests or diseases.

In New Zealand, commercial forestry plays a big part in economic development and has huge growth and innovation potential for our economy.   

New Zealand exports wood products to over 30 countries, with total export earnings of around $3 billion per year.  

New Zealand is an efficient producer. We will take every opportunity to passionately argue for the freeing up of trade access to countries around the world that impose tariffs on our timber products, in an attempt by them to protect less efficient domestic producers. 

Forestry contributes about three percent to New Zealand's Gross Domestic Product and directly employs more than 20,000 people. Its contribution to employment though, is much greater than just this, and it is estimated that follow-on benefits contribute to up to a 100 thousand jobs. For a country of just 4.2 million people, this is very significant.

A trend that is unique to New Zealand is the potential return of large areas of forest land currently owned by Government to Māori through the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process.  

Māori are already substantial forest and forest land owners, with current and potential ownership of over 250,000 hectares, about 14 percent of the national plantation forest estate.

Successful Māori land claims are likely to result in the area of plantation forest on Māori-owned land increasing over time. This will lead to Māori having a significant influence on the future forestry sector in some regions of New Zealand.   

This will parallel what has been achieved over the past 20 years in our fishing industries, where Maori now control over 50 percent of the total resource and businesses due to earlier Treaty settlements. 

Apart from forestry's economic role in sustainable development, it is valued for recreation and its place in the landscape.  

Forestry plays a major environmental role in reducing soil erosion, improving water quality in our rivers and streams, and reducing net greenhouse gas emissions.

Due to the value we, as a country, place on this resource, getting biosecurity right is critical.  

The arrival of a major forestry pest or disease would be devastating to both the forest industry and our country's reputation as a source of sustainable, high-quality, pest and disease-free products.

It is for these reasons the New Zealand Government is committed to improving our already internationally well regarded biosecurity system, which is vital to primary industries and to New Zealand as a whole.   

We must strike the right balance between pushing risk offshore, managing risk at the border, and maintaining capability to respond to risk organisms within New Zealand.  

Maintaining a robust biosecurity system while facilitating trade and tourism in the face of increasing globalisation is a challenge, but one New Zealand will not shy away from.  

Over the past few decades, we have seen rapid and significant changes in our economy and trade, and we are now also seeing changes in our environment. These include changing weather patterns as a result of increased greenhouse gas emissions.   

This year New Zealand expects more than 600,000 sea containers and four million passengers to cross our borders. This has substantial consequences for biosecurity.

It is impossible for any country, even a geographically remote island nation like New Zealand, to isolate itself from all risks of imported pests and diseases.

Earlier incursions of white spotted tussock moth, painted apple moth, gypsy moth and fall web worm have reminded us that we are not immune. 

What these types of incursions remind us is that we need to be able to deal with pests and diseases that are already here, as well as the ones that have the potential to establish in New Zealand.

Scientific knowledge can help us make informed decisions about how we prepare and respond to pests and diseases.

Science is crucial to biosecurity - it provides relevant and practical solutions and ways to manage new and established pests and diseases.

But in regards to Research & Development, I think there is more that can be done.

The last Government announced the Fast Forward Fund, a mechanism by which it was proposing to borrow $700 million and spend it over the next fifteen years.

This proposal had some good points.

Firstly, a government that was recognising the importance of spending money on primary sector R&D.

It was also predicated on industry being involved in co-funding projects. This is necessary. If there is no commercial interest at the start of a research project, it's likely to be of no real commercial value at the end of the project.

Thirdly, it was looking at projects that were going to potentially give our primary sectors a quantum leap in productivity.

Any project needs to look right across the spectrum, effectively, from the forest floor to the final consumer product, which may then be marketed anywhere in the world.

In summary, government funding of R&D should be responsive to the needs of the economy, both long and short term. 

Resources must be directed to areas where they will have the most impact. And bureaucracy and compliance costs must be minimised. 

The trouble with the Fast Forward Fund was the clumsy mechanism of funding. I am now in the process of preparing a Budget bid for a programme that will replace it.  

I am hopeful that with clear and transparent funding, we can demonstrate that we will actually spend more money on an annual basis than the other initiative was ever proposing to do.

The Government has been liaising closely with industry cornerstone investors and initial indications are a high degree of support for the project being developed. Further details will be released soon. But in short, the New Zealand Government is committed to supporting and developing publicly funded Research & Development.  

In conclusion, this workshop's exploration of the link between researcher and ‘real world needs' is extremely important to ensure our biosecurity system is based on sound science.

Given the substantial investment in research for Biosecurity, it is absolutely crucial that we work together to identify, prioritise and resolve the big "mission critical" issues.

The challenge for the research community is to provide innovative solutions that meet the needs of both today and tomorrow.

I recently came across a Henry Ford quote. He once said about the Model T: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse."

It says so much about the need for science and leadership.

Someone needs to think outside the square. Someone has to have a vision for the future.

Science has solved every challenge we have ever faced and it is science that will deliver the solutions to our future challenges - be they biosecurity threats or wider issues such as climate change.

This workshop provides an invaluable opportunity for scientists, industry and policy makers from around the world to share knowledge and work together to create solutions for critical problems. If these challenges can be met, there will be huge benefits for the global community, as well as for New Zealand.

Thank you.