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Good Morning and thank you for that introduction Mike.

Thank you to Horticulture NZ for the invitation to come and speak to you. It’s fantastic to be here in Blenheim at this wonderful Convention Centre – what a great facility.

I would like to acknowledge Prime Minister Enele S Sopaga of Tuvalu and the Pacific Ministers from Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa and Solomon Islands. It’s nice to see you again.

Good Morning.

Thank you to the Otago and Queenstown Chambers of Commerce for hosting this event.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. It’s a pleasure to be here.

It’s a fitting place to be talking about immigration. This region has been a rich part of New Zealand’s immigration story since the gold mining days of the 1860’s and remains one of the country’s premium destinations for overseas visitors, working holiday makers and other visa holders. 

Thank you for inviting me to give the opening address today.

Your organisation plays an influential role on New Zealand’s tax policy settings through your input into the work programme and through your submissions to public consultation so I value the opportunity to come and speak to you all. 

Today I would like to share with you some of the main points contained in the recently updated tax policy work programme.

The work programme has been agreed to by Cabinet as the Government’s tax focus to the end of 2017. 

Good morning. Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. This is my first address to you as Revenue Minister and it’s a great opportunity to meet some of the people who help implement government policies.

As the people who ensure that wages are paid correctly and on time, you are a very important group for the government and for the economy. A lot rides on you being able to do your jobs accurately and efficiently.

So I’d like to spend a bit of time today telling you about how the Government aims to help you in your important work.

Good morning and thank you very much for inviting me to speak to you today.

This is my first speech in the Revenue portfolio and I am still in the process of getting my head around all that is happening.  Officials have been giving me in-depth briefings and I feel that it is a portfolio in great shape for which I am grateful to my predecessors for their work.

I’m also very aware of, and grateful to you for your valuable contribution in ensuring that our tax system runs as efficiently as we can make it.

Tihe mauri ora!

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e rau rangatira mā

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa

It’s my great privilege on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand to welcome you to your new home here in New Zealand. 

Each one of you arrives here from different places and different experiences. I cannot begin to imagine the horrors you have experienced and the personal sacrifices you have made to make the journey to New Zealand. Many of you will have left behind family members as well as jobs, friends and a way of life.

Thank you, Prime Minister for those remarks.

It’s wonderful to be here in Samoa for the annual RSE conference. What an inspired choice of venue and timing by Horticulture New Zealand.

It’s fitting that this conference is being held for the first time in a Pacific Island country as it recognises the invaluable role that countries like Samoa and their RSE workers play in the continued success of the scheme. It also gives employers an opportunity to see how RSE workers’ earnings are being used to support their home communities.

Thank you, Tony. I am very pleased to be here to mark World Refugee Day, being officially held on Saturday.  I want to begin by thanking the New Zealand Red Cross and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for co-hosting this lunch. I want to also acknowledge the other Members of Parliament here today, the UNHCR Regional Representative, Thomas Albrecht, former refugees and other distinguished guests.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a pleasure to join you this morning for the opening of what is the most significant drug driving event to be held in New Zealand.

This is a problem that the Government takes very seriously, so it's great to see such a wide range of experts from around the world gathering to share ideas about how we can reduce the risk to public safety.

Good afternoon Ministers,

It's a great pleasure to be here today as we celebrate 100 years of nations working together to combat crime.

Just as it is important for countries to cooperate across borders to detect and prevent crime, so too is it necessary for Police services worldwide to build partnerships across different sectors within their own countries.

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā hau e whā. 

Ka nui te hari ahau kua tae mai nei, I waenganui a koutou me tēnei hui. No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Good morning everyone and thank you for the invitation to open your annual conference, my first as Minister of Police.

I am looking forward to the challenges that come with this exciting portfolio and to understanding the business of policing.

I am also looking forward to getting out and visiting as many stations and meeting as many staff as I can.