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Mr Speaker,

I have been surprised by some of the reaction I have had to my decision to retire. All sorts of motivations have been ascribed to my decision.

One of my cabinet colleagues – who is always concerned about how these sorts of things look for the Government – was keen to spread the rumour that the real reason could be traced to the existence of a series of incriminating photographs.

I was alarmed at the speed at which Murray McCully was able to invent such a scenario.

Thanks, Sir John, for those remarks.

Ladies and Gentlemen …

A woman from a small South Island town borrowed $250 from a payday lender over the internet.

The loan was for two weeks and with interest and fees she was due to pay back $375 from her loan of $250.

But she was not able to pay the full amount back within the two weeks.

Good afternoon and thank you for your welcome.

I enjoy speaking to the Trans-Tasman Business Circle because I always get a huge amount out of sharing ideas with you, at the coalface of the extremely vital trade relationships with our biggest trading partner.

Some of you have probably heard me say that I haven't met an Australian I don't like, but it's true.

And I suspect it's a sentiment that's reciprocated – not for me specifically, but for New Zealanders generally.

If you were to ask me to say in a few words why financial literacy is important to me, it would be something like: "Because it contributes to the financial wellbeing of New Zealanders".

That's because it does what it says – the more financially literate we are, the better placed we are to make decisions that enhance our wellbeing. No matter who we are. That’s why summits such as this are so important.

I’d like to acknowledge Labour MP Lianne Dalziel, Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard, FMA chief executive Sean Hughes and the FMA board, members of the FMA Establishment Board, and members of the board of Infinz. It's a pleasure to be here at this event again.

My thanks to Infinz for the invitation to speak at an awards ceremony which celebrates excellence and achievement in the finance industry.

Thank you for inviting me to open your symposium today.

I’d like to acknowledge the Counselling Services Centre, Auckland Sexual Abuse HELP, and Rape Prevention Education for hosting this symposium.

As many of you will know, I’m retiring from politics at the election, so this is probably the last time I’ll speak to you as a sector.

I’d like to begin by expressing my appreciation for the open and co-operative way in which you’ve engaged with me and my officials over the past two-and-a-half years.

Good morning and thank you for inviting me to speak at your workshop today.

I’d like to acknowledge my fellow MPs, and members of the judiciary, criminal bar, Government departments, NGOs, and the Law Commission for attending this workshop.

As you’ll be aware, I have decided to retire from politics at the election, so this will be one of the last times I speak to the sexual violence sector.

I have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you over the past two-and-a-half years as Minister of Justice.

Thank you for inviting me to speak today.

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the staff of the Canterbury Community Law Centre for their dedication, resilience, and hard work following February’s devastating earthquake.

With their premises red-stickered, not to mention what they were dealing with at home, they were quick to establish themselves in Recovery Centres, helping people get access to emergency Red Cross grants.

Within days they had also set up outreaches in Ashburton, Timaru, and Greymouth.

Good afternoon.

I’d like to acknowledge fellow MPs and members of the judiciary and the legal profession for being here today to mark the opening of the Public Defence Service in the Wellington region.

This PDS branch will service district courts in Wellington, Porirua, and Lower Hutt, as well as the higher courts, including the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

It is also from this location that the Public Defender for the southern region will ultimately lead the expansion of the PDS into the South Island.

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Today I would like to speak about the Government’s plans for reform of the Family Court and the wider justice system.

One of the first decisions I made after being appointed Minister of Justice was to move away from using bricks and mortar solutions to resolve inefficiencies in the justice system. Building more court houses and appointing more judges gets us precisely nowhere if the justice system itself remains slow and overburdened.

Commerce Minister Simon Power today announced that David Mayhew is stepping down as Commissioner for Financial Advisers, effective from 30 April or earlier upon the establishment of the Financial Markets Authority.

“Mr Mayhew has advised me that the substantive work of the commissioner will have been completed by April and the remaining work can be subsumed by the FMA as soon as it is established,” Mr Power said.

Thank you for inviting me to open this forum. I would particularly like to acknowledge the Institute of Policy Studies for hosting this important public debate, fellow MPs, and all the organisations and NGOs here today from the coalface of dealing with crime.

I’ve been asked to speak to you about government policy on the costs of crime in the public sector.

Good afternoon.

I’d like to acknowledge the members of the judiciary and the legal profession for being here today for the official opening of the Papakura - Pukekohe Public Defence Service.

The opening of this branch is significant because it marks the completion of the PDS rollout to the Auckland region.

It’s a journey which began back in 2004 when the idea of using an in-house, high-quality legal aid service, through the use of salaried staff rather than contracted lawyers, was trialled in the Auckland and Manukau courts.

Ladies and gentlemen, this event is the annual opportunity for the legal profession to celebrate the valuable work the foundation does as New Zealand's only funder of pure legal research, independe

Mister Speaker, I move that the Alcohol Reform Bill be read a first time. 

Good morning and thank you for inviting me to speak today. 

Thank you for inviting me to open your conference.

The companies you represent form an integral part of New Zealand's economy.

Alcohol Healthwatch Alcohol Law Reform Forum.

Thank you for inviting me to speak today at your 14^th Annual Conference.

It's nice to be back in the presence of my old law firm, if only for the afternoon.

I'd like to thank the Rotorua District Community Law Centre for hosting this hui and the Canterbury Community Law Centre for helping to organise it.

Since I took on the Commerce portfolio nearly two years ago, many mum and dad investors have told me they're disillusioned with our financial markets.

Thank you for inviting me to speak today as part of the panel on the Future of Electoral Law.

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.

I'd particularly like to acknowledge Institute President Murray Clearwater.