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(Address to Importers Institute "Smarter Importing" conference, Heritage Hotel, Auckland)

Thankyou for the invitation to your conference.

(Address to The Capital Business Show, WestpacTrust Stadium, Wellington)

Good afternoon. It's good to be here in such a hive of business activity.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thankyou for your invitation to speak. I accepted without a second thought.
It's good to be here, for two separate reasons.

It's Budget day, of course, so I'm breakfast and Michael Cullen is lunch. This is not your main news feed for the day, but I can give you a taste of what's coming up.

It's a pleasure to be here. It's good to be in a place that defines itself as New Zealand's "knowledge city".

You will have noticed there's been a change of Government and you will have noticed, I hope, that the change is not just cosmetic.

It's my pleasure to be here for the launch of The Great New Zealand Business Venture. I guess I'm representing the Prime Minister, who can't be here. She was keen to come and said to me again earlier this afternoon that she hopes this idea fizzes.