Search

Kiaora tatou, good morning ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you Tim and NZSMI for the invitation to give the opening address for your annual conference, I am delighted to be able to join you. May I acknowledge Dr Gerald Dziekan, Director-General of the World Self-Medication Association and Mr Nicholas Hall for being here and for your willingness to share your insights with us. 

I want to also acknowledge Dr Janine ByCroft who will be launching the Self-Care Alliance. 

Thank you for the invitation to participate in this summit and for the opportunity to share New Zealand’s recent investments, progress, and experience with the ongoing development of our education system; in particular with transformative partnerships and technology.

New Zealanders are rightly proud of our education system. It produces well-rounded, curious, creative, problem-solvers, sought after the world-over.

Shifting ACC to a greater focus on injury prevention

Introduction

Good morning. It’s great to be here today, with so many of you who have been contributing over a long period of time to ensure fewer New Zealanders lose their lives or are seriously injured in accidents.

We all know the impact on someone’s life from injury, and the importance of doing everything we can across government to ensure the investments and people are in place to prevent as many injuries as possible.

E aku rangatira, tēnā koutou katoa. Ka nui te honore ki te mihi ki a koutou.

Lesa, thank you for your kind invitation. I'm delighted to join you all for the annual meeting of Charities Services.

I would like to acknowledge members of the Independent Charities Registration Board here today; Roger Holmes Miller, Simon Karipa, and Caren Rangi. You have a challenging and important role, having to decide whether the law allows you to register – or sometimes deregister – charities. Thank you.

Good morning everyone.

Transitioning to a low carbon economy and making the most of technology are significant themes in both my energy and transport portfolios.

New Zealand faces transport and energy challenges.  We want to continue to grow our economy and help New Zealanders to prosper. This means we need secure and affordable energy, and a transport system that meets people’s needs. At the same time, we have to reduce our carbon emissions.

Good morning everyone, and thanks for the opportunity to present to you today. I’d like to start by talking a little about the role Government plays in ensuring the safe, efficient and reliable supply of transport fuels, minimising barriers to competition, and promoting a competitive market.

Of course, environmental outcomes are also very important.

Government’s role

Opening remarks

APEC TEL Chair Mr Andrey Mukhanov, Vice Chair Mr Morris Lin, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen.

It’s a privilege to once more welcome you here to Auckland New Zealand, for 52nd Meeting of the APEC Telecommunications and Information Working Group.

Some of you may be aware that this is the second time APEC TEL has met in Auckland – the first was in 2006.

APEC represents a regional bloc of considerable economic and political significance to New Zealand. 

Opening

Thank you for inviting me here today to open the 2015 Health Informatics New Zealand conference – the most important fixture on the health IT calendar.

It’s great to be in the South Island – the first time in 14 years the conference has been held here.

I’d like to acknowledge Liz Schoff, HiNZ chair, and David Meates, chief executive of Canterbury DHB.

Thank you for inviting me today.

It’s a pleasure to speak to the Trans-Tasman Business Circle again.

Yesterday I announced that the Government had achieved one of its key fiscal targets, posting a surplus of $414 million in 2014/15.

That was the culmination of years of focus on a target that has brought discipline to spending.

But it is far from the end of the road for our programme of responsible fiscal management.

Introduction

Thank you for inviting me here today to open the annual College of Emergency Nurses Conference.

I’d like to acknowledge Libby Haskell, nurse practitioner and College chair, and Professor Michael Buist, Intensive Care Unit Director at Tasmania’s North West Regional Hospital who is the guest speaker today.

It’s great to be part of your conference. You have chosen a highly relevant and important theme in ‘Craft Care’ - exploring quality and safety in delivering emergency nursing care.

As Energy Ministers, the delivery of resilient energy infrastructure is at the heart of what we do.

Climate-proofing that infrastructure is an increasingly important part of that work as we seek to understand the growing uncertainties and challenges presented by climate change and extreme weather events.

In New Zealand, the 2011 Canterbury Earthquake was a stark reminder of the devastating impact a natural disaster can have.  Here in the Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan wreaked havoc just two years ago.

Good afternoon.

I want to talk today about some of the developments affecting the class 4 gambling sector and to make a few announcements on future directions.

Gambling policy is one of the key areas in my Internal Affairs portfolio and one that I have given considerable thought to since I took on the portfolio last year.

Remarks by New Zealand Minister for the Environment at Our Ocean Conference, Valparaiso, Chile

Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz, I am delighted to be here for the second Our Oceans conference. 

Thank you for your kind invitation. 

My country, New Zealand, and yours, Chile, may seem far apart, but we consider ourselves close neighbours – not separated but joined by ocean. 

We share a common concern about the challenges facing our oceans, and

Thank you all for having me here this morning to address you for the first time at your annual conference.

Smart Technology

I wanted to start by talking a little about smart technology and the increasingly important role is will play in your sector.

This is a time of great opportunity for New Zealand’s electricity sector and I commend the ENA for its efforts to promote greater innovation in New Zealand’s electricity market.

Thank you for joining me here today as I launch the Government’s first ever National Statement of Science Investment.

I’d like to acknowledge those who took the time to make a submission on the draft National Statement of Science Investment when it was published last year.

The final NSSI responds to feedback on the Draft that asked for a document more focused on the future and with a more comprehensive plan for science in New Zealand.

Mr President.

The 70th anniversary of the United Nations is a good opportunity to reflect on the organisation. 

For most of us, the United Nations has been one of the key international realities of our lives. 

It has been at the heart of and has shaped the significant developments of the post-World War II era.

But, as we all know, it is not perfect.

A lot can be said about the shortcomings of the UN.

They are many and some are serious. 

Thank you very much for the welcome.

I want to talk about the way that we approach economic policy in one area in particular – the housing market.

It’s certainly been topical lately.

The Government takes the approach that the best thing we can do for the economy is work to improve its resilience – its capacity to adapt.

That’s important because in New Zealand we have had times when our economy has not been resilient, when price signals have not been clear until it is too late – at which time they become extraordinarily clear.

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

May I begin by thanking the People’s Liberation Army for giving me the opportunity to speak at this historic university.

In particular, I would like to thank Lieutenant General Zhang Shibo, the President of the National Defense University, for hosting my delegation today.

It was a pleasure to have welcomed you to New Zealand last year.

This is my first visit to China as Minister of Defence.

I have visited China four times, and I feel more welcome every time I return. 

New Zealand welcomes the ambition contained in the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
And we support the substance of the Goals.

Indeed it would be hard not to.

E nga mana, e nga reo, e te iwi o te motu, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa

I’d like to acknowledge your Chief Executive, Linda Surtees, my parliamentary colleague and your MC, Ron Mark, all of the foster carers, social workers, NGO representatives and CYF and MSD staff here today.

Good morning everyone and thank you for the invitation to speak with you and to officially open your conference. 

Good afternoon, and thank you for having me here today.

It is a pleasure to launch this Treasury Guest Lecture Series focused on social investment.

As some of you may know, I actually started my public sector career at Treasury as a graduate in 1987.

It’s good to see so many people from other government agencies, tertiary institutions, NGOs and the private sector in the room.

I’m here today to talk about social services, particularly for the most vulnerable New Zealanders.

Introduction

It’s great to be here to open the New Zealand Nurses Organisation’s conference.

Thanks to Memo Musa, Chief Executive and Kerri Nuku, Kaiwhakahaere. I’d also like to acknowledge incoming President Grant Brookes and thank outgoing President Marion Guy for her dedication and hard work over the past six years.

The theme of your conference – nursing shaping our healthcare – is very relevant to how we can work together to improve healthcare in New Zealand.

Mr Speaker, I move that the Māori Purposes Bill be now read a first time.

I nominate the Māori Affairs Committee to consider the Bill.

This Māori Purposes Bill amends the Māori Purposes Act 1991 to improve the governance arrangements for the Wi Pere Trust.

This includes enhancing the Trust’s operational capability and removing unnecessary Crown involvement in the administration of the Trust.

Delivered by Piri Sciascia on behalf of Mr Flavell

It is 31 years to the day that TE MĀORI opened at dawn in New York.

What better context than today for relaunching the Te Māori Manaaki Taonga Trust.

It was from TE MĀORI that this Trust was born.

The profits from TE MĀORI were allocated to administer internships and scholarships to ensure that Māori were afforded the skills needed to care for their taonga.