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I want to thank you all for the opportunity to be here today.

I know that in this room sit many of the leaders of the Adventure Activities sector.

As leaders, you will be seeking clarity from the Government on the new Adventure Activity health and safety regime and I want to give you that today. 

We have four new audit providers on board.

The new audit providers are taking bookings, and every operator is getting free support from the Government; there’s a financial incentive in place.

Mr Speaker, I move that the Vulnerable Children Bill, the Children, Young Persons and Their Families (Vulnerable Children) Amendment Bill, and the KiwiSaver (Vulnerable Children) Amendment Bill be now read a third time.

In this country, from the moment a child is born the Government is there to provide support – for them, their parents, and their wider family.

We have free education, and our schools are the envy of many countries.

Madam Chair and conference delegates. Good morning and thank-you for your kind invitation to open your conference today.

We are about to make major, positive changes in the way citizens do business with government. The changes in customer service - and the ICT transformation needed to achieve this - represent the biggest reforms since the 1980s.

I’m very pleased to be here today – thank you for inviting me to open your conference.

The electricity industry plays a vital role in the daily lives of all New Zealanders. It has a proud history, and of course engineers have been an essential part of this.
 
I would like to acknowledge the contribution the Electricity Engineers Association has made for more than 85 years, including providing valuable feedback on government proposals and reforms.

Secretary of State John Kerry

I am delighted to be here - thank you for inviting me.

I well recall our first telephone conversation soon after your confirmation. We spoke of the urgent need to focus the debate and galvanise actions, to combat the rapid decline in global fish stocks, sea level rise, ocean acidification and the loss of biodiversity.

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

Thank you Amy and David for the warm introduction and thank you to Volunteer Wellington for inviting me to speak about tonight’s awards.

I am delighted to be a part of this wonderful new event.

As most of you will know, this week is National Volunteer Week.

Around the country, we have a full calendar of events, activities and celebrations designed to promote and recognise the dedication and achievements of volunteers. 

Good morning.  It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the launch of Connect Smart Week.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the contribution made by our sponsors and partners.

By supporting Connect Smart you play a key role in ensuring that New Zealanders the length and breadth of the country are empowered to make themselves and their businesses more secure online.

In addition, we have about 50 partners for the Connect Smart campaign, including government agencies, businesses and non-government organisations or industry bodies. 

Good morning. Thank you for inviting me to celebrate the opening of this new development with you.

I would like to acknowledge:

• Minister Anne Tolley
• Sally Webb and Bay of Plenty DHB board members
• Council members
• Members of the Runanga
• Ron Dunham the CEO of Lakes DHB.

I would also like to acknowledge staff, patients and neighbours.

You were subjected to dust, ever changing places to park cars, changing entrances and having to walk right around the campus - thank you for your patience.

Thank you for inviting me to be with you today.

Firstly, I’d like to welcome Professor Chris Evans, Professor of Taxation at the Australian School of Business, James Alm, Chair of the Department of Economics at Tulane University and Michael Keen, Deputy Director at the Fiscal Affairs Department, at the IMF.

The strength of the New Zealand tax system is its highly cooperative nature so it’s great to have such world leading speakers here with us. I'm sure tax policy and IRD's Business Transformation programme can only benefit from your expertise.

As an American entrepreneur wrote recently... "The opportunities at the intersection of health and technology will enable humanity to create health and wealth on a global scale ... seizing huge business opportunities while generating tremendous positive social impact for everyone, everywhere".

That is the amazing opportunity before you and your ideas and your businesses.  And that’s why this healthcare congress is so valuable.

Many people underestimate the importance of the health sector here in New Zealand. It amounts to one-tenth of the economy.

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

It’s a pleasure to be here in Manila on my first visit as New Zealand Trade Minister alongside a delegation of New Zealand companies. 

I’d like to acknowledge in particular the business chambers that have supported today’s event.

Prime Minister John Key was to have visited Manila with a business delegation in November last year before plans were put on hold by the tragedy that was Typhoon Yolanda.

I’d like to start by thanking the hosts of this conference – the Salvation Army, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, and the New Zealand Police – for inviting me to open the two day Prevent People Trafficking Conference. 

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.

Firstly I just want to acknowledge TIA Chairman Grant Lilly, Terry Ngan and Stephen Hamilton from Horwath HTL, and Garth Simmons from Accor.

I was pleased to accept the role as Associate Minister of Tourism when the Prime Minister gave it to me earlier this year. As MP for Rotorua, I have long been aware of the major role that tourism plays in the New Zealand economy. It is this Government’s ambition that tourism can make an even stronger contribution to New Zealand’s economic performance.

Thank you for inviting me to the meeting today. It is my pleasure to be here to express my support to the Network and to hear how your work is progressing. 

Ladies and gentlemen, warm greetings and good evening to you all.

It’s a great pleasure to be here this evening to open the 2014 edition of the Diverse Bananas, Global Dragons Conference.

In New Zealand we value the contribution of every person that has made this country their home. I’d like to say that as people put their faith, trust and commitment in New Zealand, so must we to all who choose to make New Zealand their home.  

E ngā iwi, e ngā mana, tēnā koutou.

Tēnei te mihi atu kia koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te rā, huri atu te pō, nau mai te ao!

Nā reira, tēnei au ‘He muka nō te taurawhiri o Hinengakau’ e mihi atu nei kia koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātau.

It is always good to come home.

I love the kaupapa of this hui – featuring ‘Te taura whiri o Hinengakau’ -  the plaited rope of our tupuna, Hinengakau.

Kia ora tātau. Good morning, and thank you for your warm welcome.

Passion, dedication, and innovation.

Those three words describe the individuals and organisations represented in this room today. As the Minister responsible for mental health and addiction, I am privileged to be in a position to see how much these qualities are exemplified in the mental health sector.

So I would like to thank you now for those qualities and all that you bring to your work every day – work that makes a huge difference to so many across New Zealand.

Thank you to Better Border Biosecurity (B3) for hosting this important conference. The theme is “10 years on – Adding Value to New Zealand’s Plant Biosecurity System through Research”.  

Today I want to talk to you about the importance of biosecurity to New Zealand, and the importance of scientific research to back it up.

I want to start by acknowledging the B3 partnership as a great model for working together on research.

Given the theme of your Conference – "Rising Asia: Messages for the Next 20 Years", it took me no time to select a topic for my speech – "TPP and Trade Integration in the Asia-Pacific".

I acknowledge firstly, Pastor Kenneth Fuliese, for blessing our fono with your presence and your gift of words.

Thank you to our accomplished Master of Ceremonies – Memea - and I am always happy to be in the company of Fa’amatuainu Tino Pereira who has provided such fine leadership to the work of the Pacific Advisory Group and in particular the evolution of the Pasefika Proud fono.

Mr Speaker, when the previous Minister of Local Government introduced this Bill, he followed on from the good work of his predecessors, particularly Hon Nick Dr Smith.  Dr Smith initiated the Government’s Better Local Government reform programme back in 2012.

I now add to those credits the fine work that Hon Chris Tremain did in 2012 / 2013.  This included the preparation and introduction of this Bill.

This Bill is the final legislation in the better Local Government programme. 

Tēnā koutou katoa

Thank you for inviting me here today to speak with you on this very important topic, the future of the New Zealand health system.

I am appreciative of this unique opportunity provided by your Chief Executive, Dr Dale Bramley, as well as the Board members and members of the Waitemata DHB Executive Leadership team. Tēnā koutou katoa.

I want to mihi in particular to Awhina Health Campus and its partners.

Today is a very important day, and a long time in the making. This is the start of a new era of biosecurity partnership between the Government and industry.

We’re here for first signing of the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) for Biosecurity Readiness and Response Deed, between Kiwifruit Vine Health and the Ministry for Primary Industries.   

Mr Speaker,

I move that the Appropriation (2014/15 Estimates) Bill be now read a second time.

It’s a privilege to deliver the National-led Government’s sixth Budget.

It’s a particular privilege because this is the first Budget in six years to focus on managing a growing economy rather than recovering from a domestic recession and then the global financial crisis.

A growing economy supports employment and higher wages. It provides opportunities for families. And it pays for public services that New Zealanders rely on.