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Rugby World Cup Minister, Murray McCully, today previewed The Cloud on Auckland’s Queens Wharf, part of New Zealand’s largest ever showcase of business creativity and innovation for Rugby World Cup 2011.

• Prime Minister
• Mayor Len Brown and other city leaders
• Ministerial colleagues Judith Collins and Jonathan Coleman
• Local MP Nikki Kaye and other MPs
• Bernard Lapasset, directors of RWCL
• Brian Roche and directors of RNZ 2011
• Ladies and gentlemen

This afternoon we want to introduce you to the Cloud and to the programme that will run within it for the period of the Rugby World Cup.

This is also an opportunity to thank the sector representatives that are our partners in this venture.

New Zealand musician Gin Wigmore will return to New Zealand to headline the free finals night concert on Queens Wharf.

Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully today announced the final music line-up for the Main Stage concerts on Queens Wharf as part of the REAL New Zealand Festival during Rugby World Cup 2011.

A new High Commissioner to Kiribati and a new Ambassador for Brazil have been announced by Foreign Affairs Minister, Murray McCully.

The High Commissioner to Kiribati will be Mike Walsh, currently a Deputy Director within the Ministry’s Pacific Division.  He has previously served in Pretoria as Deputy High Commissioner, in Riyadh as Deputy Head of Mission and in Apia as Second Secretary.

The New Zealand government welcomes the call by the Chair of the Libyan National Transitional Council, Mostafa Jalil, for all Libyans to show restraint and to respect the rule of law.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Murray McCully, says it is clear the days of the Gaddafi regime are numbered, although there may be pockets of resistance in the coming weeks.

6th - 9th September 2011 Auckland, New Zealand          

New Zealand is proud to host the 42nd Pacific Islands Forum in 2011, the same year as the Forum’s 40th anniversary. The Pacific Islands Forum brings together member countries from across the Pacific to work on shared goals for the social and economic well-being of the region. New Zealand welcomes the leaders and delegates from all member countries to the Forum.

About the Forum

More than 40 New Zealand bands and musicians, themed family weekends and events to showcase the best of New Zealand innovation will feature in the activities programme on Queens Wharf in Auckland during Rugby World Cup 2011.

Rugby World Cup 2011 Minister Murray McCully and Auckland Mayor Len Brown announced the core programme today.

New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the Philippines will be career diplomat Reuben Levermore, Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully announced today.

"The Philippines is an important trading partner for New Zealand. It is our 13th largest export market and a major market for our dairy products. It is also a key member of the Association of South East Asian Nations," said Mr McCully.

The best of New Zealand music will be on tour during the Rugby World Cup with 50 bands playing in 22 different cities in the REAL New Zealand Music Showcase.

Rugby World Cup Minister, Murray McCully, has announced a series of live concerts by New Zealand bands which are being co-ordinated by the Government’s NZ2011 Office as part of the REAL New Zealand Festival and Sector Showcase programme.

The protest movements that have swept through the Middle East and Northern Africa since December last year have collectively overturned the landscape of the Arab world.

Some have said that the impact of the Arab Spring on world affairs is on par with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

So what has changed?

At the big picture level, there is widespread support for genuine democratic and economic reform.

We are operating in an environment where old assumptions are no longer valid.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully arrives in Indonesia today to meet Asia-Pacific leaders for discussions on regional security, economic integration, disaster response, and development assistance. 

Mr McCully is in Bali for three days attending the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Consultations, the 18th ASEAN Regional Forum, the Post-Ministerial Conference between New Zealand and ASEAN partners, and the 9th South West Pacific Dialogue.

Minister for Sport and Recreation, Murray McCully, has announced the inaugural board of directors for the new organisation “High Performance Sport New Zealand.”

High Performance Sport NZ has been formed by merging the SPARC high performance unit with the two New Zealand Academies of Sport into a streamlined unit.

It will develop high performance athletes with an annual spend of $60 million dollars and further develop world-class training facilities in partnerships with the private sector.

New Zealand is committed to working closely with government, private sector, and community partners in Niue to help realise the island’s full tourism potential, Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced.

Mr McCully was in Niue on Saturday as part of the 2011 Pacific Mission.

“Niue’s relative isolation and population size are challenges for economic development, but the country’s natural beauty and unique environment provide significant tourism opportunities”, Mr McCully said.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has today announced New Zealand will provide a total of NZ$2 million in response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa due to severe drought.

“Up to 10 million people are starving across Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti, including 2.5 million people in Somalia and 3.2 million people in Ethiopia,” Mr McCully said.

“The international assessment is that the situation is deteriorating rapidly. Dramatic increases in food prices and prolonged civil conflict in Somalia are worsening the crisis.

New Zealand will contribute to the revitalisation of the Cook Islands pearl industry as part of a three year programme funded through the New Zealand Aid Programme, Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced today.

“At the industry’s peak in 2000, black pearls contributed $18 million to the national economy per year”, Mr McCully said.

“Limited regulation and some unsustainable environmental and farming practices, coupled with a slump in international pearl prices saw production in the Cook Islands reach record lows.”

Foreign Minister Murray McCully and Samoan Prime Minister Hon Tuilaepa have today signed an agreement which sets out the priorities for New Zealand’s aid and development effort in Samoa.

“The Joint Commitment for Development that New Zealand and Samoa have entered into will make our aid programme in Samoa more targeted and will establish improved shared accountability for our development efforts,” Mr McCully said.

Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, has announced New Zealand will make substantial contributions to the development of Tonga’s tourism and education sectors, as part of a Joint Commitment for Development agreed and signed with the Tongan Government today.

“The Joint Commitment for Development ensures greater shared accountability for development efforts between our two countries and targets New Zealand’s assistance to areas that will make the most difference to the lives of the people of Tonga”, Mr McCully said.

Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, will lead a delegation of MPs, business people, NGOs, officials, and media on the 2011 Pacific Mission to Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands and Niue next week.

“The annual Pacific Mission provides an opportunity for a wide range of New Zealand representatives to meet with their Pacific counterparts on issues such as trade and investment, development assistance, and cultural and sporting ties,” Mr McCully said.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Murray McCully, is making a one day visit to Canberra to hold talks with his Australian counterpart, Kevin Rudd.

“With New Zealand hosting the 40th annual Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Auckland in September the visit to Canberra is timely,” said Mr McCully.

“Our discussions will focus on the Forum meeting and related Pacific issues, and co-ordination of aid delivery,” he said.

Sport and Recreation Minister Murray McCully has announced the appointment of Olympian Sarah Ulmer to the Drug Free Sport New Zealand Board.

“Sarah will provide a valuable contribution to the board with her experience as a high performance athlete, and also from her work with sports agencies,” says Mr McCully.

Ulmer became the first New Zealander to win an Olympic cycling gold medal when she won the 3000m individual pursuit during the 2004 Olympics at Athens. She also smashed Olympic and World records during those games.

The Government and Auckland city today announced further details of plans to deliver the nation’s premier Rugby World Cup 2011 Fanzone, festival and showcase experience on Queens Wharf in Auckland.

Rugby World Cup 2011 Minister Murray McCully and Auckland Mayor Len Brown today gave media a preview of Queens Wharf preparations including a tour of The Cloud, due for completion in July.

Sport and Recreation Minister, Murray McCully, has congratulated the New Zealand under-20’s team for winning the junior Rugby World Cup overnight.

The New Zealand Baby Blacks successfully defended their title by defeating England 33-22 in a closely fought final played at Padova in Italy

“It was a good win against a strong opponent. It also means coach Mark Anscombe and the team have built an impressive record,” said Murray McCully. 

Thank you for the opportunity to make some introductory remarks at the commencement of this annual foreign policy school.

I want to make a number of comments about the role of science in the conduct of New Zealand’s foreign policy relationships, and about the importance of science in the Government’s ambition to lift foreign exchange earnings from 30% of our GDP to over 40%.

That objective, in my view, is critical if New Zealand is to become a significantly wealthier nation in the decades ahead.