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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:

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.

This arresting phrase – ‘Agriculture: New Zealand’s Silicon Valley’ – is not mine. It is Sir Graeme Harrison’s and I can’t improve on it. Sir Graeme, you will recall, is the founder and Chairman of ANZCO Foods, one of New Zealand’s largest exporters.

I like the phrase for three complementary reasons:

Mr President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.

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

Mr President, New Zealand remains resolutely committed to playing a constructive role in tackling climate change.

We accepted a responsibility target under the Kyoto Protocol’s
first commitment period. New Zealand is on track to meet that commitment.

Tēna koutou katoa. Nau mai, haere mai.  Welcome to Auckland.

New Zealand is delighted to be hosting this informal dialogue on climate change. We are very pleased that you could all make the long journey to our part of the world. It's great to see some old friends around the table, and to have some fresh faces here for these discussions.

E nga mana
E nga reo
E nga Rangatira
Tena koutou katoa

E Api, mihi mai whakatau mai

Whakatau mai ki a matau kua haramai nei i runga i te kaupapa o te ra

No reira, he huihuinga tangata, he hokinga mahara

Tena tatau i o tatau tini aitua, o tatau tini mate

Ko ratau ki a ratau, ko tatau o ratau morehu ki muri nei

No reira tena ano tatau katoa

Thank you for the invitation to address your National Hui and in particular thank you to Dr. Apirana Mahuika and his executive for hosting us here today.