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Thank you for inviting me to speak here this evening. And thank you for being here as part of your professional development.

Your conference has a theme “The Politics of Early Childhood Education”.

It is a great honour for me to be here with so many of my Australian colleagues and with so much talent and intellectual firepower.

It is a pleasure to be back at a Navcon conference, surrounded by so much talent, so much intellectual firepower. A year ago at Te Papa, I closed the first Learning@schools conference open to all teachers.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.

Your conference is a landmark event and one that I am very pleased to have the opportunity to open.

I am pleased to be here to represent the Government this evening at the launch of this significant national education partnership programme with Maori.

I do not think the general public appreciate the enormity of the school bus operation and the effort that operators and drivers put into the exercise. These efforts are appreciated and are to be commended especially those operators who do that bit extra in various ways to enhance the safety of the school bus service.

Thank you for the invitation to present the inaugural certificates for the Change Training public sector course – ‘Knowledge 1: The very civil servant’.

We know the role of principal is a complex one, requiring a delicate balance of both leadership and management skills. That is why we are working to lift the capability of our school leaders, especially first time principals. Our $27 m package of leadership and development initiatives is aimed at making a principal’s life easier, including getting a laptop onto every principal’s desk by 2005.

Welcome to Parliament.

A couple of years ago when I spoke to your conference, I was challenged about the lack of professional development options for principals.

Thank you for the opportunity to be here today.

Thank you also for being here. Your presence signals much more than giving up a weekend to attend a conference. Behind it sits the hours that you devote each week to support your schools.

Comments at the inaugural Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards ceremony. Grand Hall, Parliament Buildings.

I wish to start by acknowledging the work that is done by those who work with the ESOL Home Tutor Service

Thanks for inviting me to speak at this important – and timely - gathering.

The opening the Gisborne Boy's High School technology suite.

It is a pleasure to have been asked to speak today on two topics dear to my heart, Wainuiomata and Education.

Mr Speaker, I move that the Tertiary Education Reform Bill be read a second time.

Comments at the launch of the Learning Shop - He Huarahi Ki Mua, Porirua's Learning and Assessment Centre. Cobham Court, Porirua.

Address to the Work in Progress, New Directions in Workplace Learning international vocational education and training conference. Wellington Town Hall Convention Centre.

Today I want to reinforce the importance this Government continues to attach to the ACE sector – and how we are delivering on our commitment.

The step up to being a principal is an enormous professional challenge. I for one remember the struggle of the first few years and can recognise the benefit of a bit more support during that time. And I was working in the middle of a big city, with a lot of peer support.

Thank you for the opportunity to address you today.

Your conference is addressing collaborative approaches in the early years.

Thanks for inviting me to speak to you today.

I note that the focus of your conference this year is on the importance of inspiring differences - and being inspired by differences.

This Government, too, recognises the importance of diversity in the early childhood sector.

I’d like to start by illustrating to you why I think this conference is not only important, but is essential.

Last year I visited Rata Street School, a decile one school in my electorate, and met Acacia, who had just turned nine and, who until the beginning of last year had never touched a computer.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you conference.

Today I’m wearing three hats to open your conference and give you some food for thought to discuss over the next two days.