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Good morning.

I am honoured to be with you today as we honour serving Police officers who have given their lives in the course of the duty, and remember all members of Police, serving and retired, constabular and employees, who have died in the past year.

On this day of remembrance, I would like to very briefly acknowledge Lance Corporal Leon Smith who was killed in action in Afghanistan yesterday morning.

The risks facing our soldiers in the pursuit of freedom is something we all recognise.

Welcome and thank you for inviting me to join you today.

Gathered here this morning are representatives from five countries, 16 government agencies and over 20 private sector organisations.

The international dimension of this seminar reflects not only how seriously our jurisdictions view financial crime, but also how financial crime does not respect borders.

As long as there has been organised crime, there have been ever more complex money trails that have reached ever further around the world.

Ladies and gentlemen

Thank you for that warm welcome.

It is a pleasure to be with you here today.

All our thoughts are with the people of Japan this afternoon as they confront an unimaginable crisis.

As a nation that is, itself, coming to terms with a major catastrophe, we share their grief and their sorrow at this time of great loss and uncertainty.

When the earthquake struck Christchurch on 22 February, Japan was quick to offer help.

Their people were on the ground just days after the quake struck.

Good morning.

It is wonderful to see you all here so bright and early today.

And it’s great to see so many familiar faces.

It is a pleasure to be talking to a group of people who will be very much in the driver’s seat of New Zealand’s economic recovery in the months and years ahead.

As New Zealand and the world emerges from the recession there will be plenty of opportunities for New Zealand businesses.