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Delivered by Hon Tony Ryall, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, on behalf of Hon Bill English

Good afternoon and thank you to the Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce for inviting me back to speak to you this year.

To say that a lot has happened since I spoke to you 12 months ago is something of an understatement.

Throughout 2010, aftershocks from the global financial crisis continued to ripple around the world.

Good morning and thank you to IPANZ for the opportunity to speak today.

Public policy and public management are challenging tasks at the best of times – much more difficult than commentators, business people and the public often think.

It is this challenge that attracts so many capable, motivated New Zealanders to every level of the public service.

Good afternoon. We’re all familiar with the events in Christchurch last month. Few words come close to conveying the scale and impact of that disaster.

Can I also acknowledge the horrific events in Japan last week - they show there is always someone worse off than ourselves. More than most, we understand what the Japanese people are going through.

Here at home, helping support and rebuild Christchurch is among the most important things the Government will do this year and into the future.

Today we will honour, by our silence, those who died in the Christchurch earthquake.

And in those quiet moments we can contemplate what fear or courage, what horror or hope filled their last moments.

People who began their day, just one week ago, the same way as we began our day today.

Their conversations and their laughter were savagely stopped and their homes and workplaces are ruined and quiet.

Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Prime Minister, I wish to make the following ministerial statement.

In particular, I would like to:

Mark the tragic loss of life and injury that has occurred as a result of the earthquake in Canterbury yesterday;

Express our deepest sympathy to the families, friends and colleagues of those who have died and are still missing;

Thank the brave rescue teams who are working so hard in very difficult conditions;

And acknowledge the enormous impact this disaster will have on the communities of Christchurch and Canterbury.

Good afternoon and thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and Massey University for inviting me back to speak to you this year.

A lot has happened since I was at this forum 12 months ago.

Throughout 2010, aftershocks from the global financial crisis continued to ripple around the world.

Today I’m going to talk about what we are doing to equip New Zealand for this changed world.