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It is my pleasure to be here today to launch the Porirua Social Sector Trial and I want to congratulate those involved on the action plan we have before us.

As most of you here will know, this plan aims to reduce the number of Porirua people needing to use the Wellington Hospital Emergency Department and also the number of people being admitted to hospital for conditions that could have been avoided.

Your Excellency Michael Potts, Australia’s High Commissioner to New Zealand;

Your Excellency Peter Chan, Singapore’s High Commissioner to New Zealand.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Good morning.

As Minister of Energy and Resources, it’s my pleasure to welcome and host you here in Parliament this morning to award permits for the Government’s second annual Block Offer.

Many of you were in Auckland earlier this year when I announced the areas available for competitive bidding in Block Offer 2013.

I want to firstly acknowledge my colleague Mojo Mathers and also Rose Wall, Health and Disability Commissioner, Paul Gibson, Disability Rights Commissioner with the Human Rights Commission and Dame Beverley Wakem, our Ombudsman.

It feels good to be amongst friends. I want to recognise those in this room who have played such a key role in bringing this report to fruition.

I welcome representation from right across the disability community, disability sector organisations, government officials and families and friends.

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

Good morning everyone. It is a real pleasure to be here this morning in my home town!

Thank you to Volunteering Mid & South Canterbury for inviting me to join in recognising the wonderful job done by the volunteers in this region.

I would also like to acknowledge and congratulate the newly elected Mayor of Timaru, Damon Odey. It is great to have you here to help recognise the valuable contribution made by these volunteers.

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to address your annual conference. It is great to be here with so many of the people who make racing in New Zealand happen.

Having had this portfolio for nearly two years now, I’m impressed by the passion and commitment of the people involved at every level.

Over the last few months I’ve been attending the code conferences to talk about some of the recent issues and challenges facing the industry.

Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you at your annual conference this afternoon. This is my fifth time in six years.

My speech today is in four parts, and covers the major objectives of the Government’s health plan: helping families stay healthy, better performance, best use of every dollar, and a strong and trusted workforce.

Five years ago New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted National into Government.

The National-led Government immediately set about implementing its plans, and we have made steady progress to help deliver more jobs and higher incomes for New Zealanders.

We were also determined to focus on education; which we felt had been neglected for too long.

We found quite a bit that needed attention.

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

Good afternoon everyone. I am delighted to join you at this first full year annual meeting of Charities Services.

Brendon – thank you for the invitation. Members of the Independent Charities Registration Board – Roger, Caren and Kirikaiahi it’s good to see you all again.

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

It is my great pleasure to join you this morning.

Thank you Ken and members of the National COGS Committee for inviting me to share in launching the COGS Profile.

Since it began in 1986, the Community Organisation Grants Scheme, affectionately known to us all as COGS, has been a vital source of government funding for non-profit community organisations.

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

Thank you Stuart for your warm greetings this evening. I am delighted to be here tonight to celebrate the launch of the Institute of Directors’ third Mentoring for Diversity programme.

I acknowledge Vice President Michael Stiassny, CEO William Whittaker, other members of your Council, and all the mentors and mentees here tonight who have been part of this programme since it was launched in 2011. 

E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga karangatanga maha, tena koutou katoa.

Tenei te mihi ki a koutou katoa nga mana whenua o tenei whenua Tauranga Moana, me nga rangatira o Nga Pae o Te Maramatanga hoki.   Tena koutou, tena tatou katoa.

I acknowledge the iwi of Tauranga Moana, who have upheld the sacred expression of kaitiakitanga over your special landing places.   

I am delighted to say a few words of welcome and of acknowledgment of this very significant day for you all in your study journey.

I want to formally extend a welcome to Gary Banks, the Dean of the Australia New Zealand School of Government  and lecturers on the programme Michael Di Francesco, Zina O’Leary and Claudia Scott. I am also delighted to acknowledge Michael Mintrom, the Course Director of the Executive Master of Public Administration, Tim Wigg and Rosie Colosimo - the programme managers.  

Thank you for inviting me here today to talk about base erosion and profit shifting (or “BEPS” as it’s known as).

BEPS is a matter of growing importance and an issue of real concern to both the OECD and the G20. But there is nothing new in ensuring that international tax rules are robust – it’s been an important part of our international tax reforms in recent years. For that I am immensely grateful and greatly comforted as it means that our tax rules are in a strong position to face this issue.

Thank you to Clive Lansink – the National President, Jonathan Godfrey – your vice president – and all the board members of Blind Citizens New Zealand for your invitation to be with you today.

Mr Speaker, I move that the Immigration Amendment Bill (No 2) be now read a first time. 

I nominate the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee to consider the Bill.

Mr President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would first like to acknowledge the Government and the people of Poland, and thank them for generously hosting our discussions over these two weeks.

Amidst all the complexities of the scientific and political debate about the right way to meet the challenge from anthropogenic greenhouse warming, certain rather large realities impose themselves on that debate:

I am delighted to be with you today, to take part in this very exciting conference hosted by Imagine Better and Parent to Parent.

And I take this opportunity to mihi to Lorna Sullivan who has been a leading light, an icon in this field. 

Your organisations have earned a cutting edge reputation for making a tangible difference – a difference that can be seen – in improving the quality of life for disabled people, children and families.  

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to be here. It gives me great pleasure to speak to you today about global food security, and New Zealand's journey to become a ‘kitchen of the world’.

Ladies, gentlemen and distinguished guests, I’d like to thank the organising committee for inviting me here today. I am delighted to be here at the China Hi-Tech Fair, China’s largest and most important hi-tech event which has been presenting the latest scientific, technological and economic developments for the last 15 years.

Good afternoon to you all - thank you for taking the time out of your Saturday afternoon to join us for today’s event.

I would like to acknowledge Hekia Parata, Chris Finlayson and Pania Tyson-Nathan who have also joined us here today.

We are doing things nationally, regionally and locally to improve the health of New Zealanders.

National

Talofa lava, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Bula vinaka, Namaste, Malo ni, Halo ola keta, Mauri, Fakatalofa atu and greetings.

Good morning. 

I’d like to acknowledge:

Welcome and acknowledgements

Thank you for inviting me to address the Western Bay of Plenty Disability Support Trust, and thank you Jane Moore, Trust Chairperson, for your very warm welcome.

I would like to begin by acknowledging our engaging speakers this morning:

Mr Speaker, I move that the WorkSafe New Zealand Bill, the Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Bill (No 3), and the Mines Rescue Bill be now read a third time.

It gives me great satisfaction to support these Bills at third reading.

Following the release of the report of the Royal Commission on the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy in 2012, this Government committed to implementing the Royal Commission’s 16 recommendations by the end of 2013.

Good morning and thank you for the invitation to speak.

For over a century, dams and the infrastructure associated with them have been a vital but often overlooked part of the fabric of this country.

Back in the 1880s, gold dredgers dammed a tributary of the Shotover River to provide hydropower for the nearby mine.

Early freezing works and dairy factories ran on hydro and it even helped power early municipal lighting at Reefton on the West Coast.

Today we still tend to associate dams with generating electricity for the national grid.