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Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou.

Nau mai haere mai.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome.

I am pleased to be able to join you this morning at the 18th Annual Meeting of the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering.

First, I want to acknowledge the APG Secretariat and the APG co-chairs for their leadership, dedication and stewardship over the important work of the organisation.

Good morning, kia ora koutou.

Thank you very much for having me back at NetHui.

I was doing a count up this morning and I think this is probably my fifth NetHui event between NetHui and NetHui South.

Can I just begin my acknowledging Jordan Carter and Internet New Zealand. Thank you for the work that you do putting these events together.

The internet is everyone’s business

Thank you, Prime Minister for those remarks.

It’s wonderful to be here in Samoa for the annual RSE conference. What an inspired choice of venue and timing by Horticulture New Zealand.

It’s fitting that this conference is being held for the first time in a Pacific Island country as it recognises the invaluable role that countries like Samoa and their RSE workers play in the continued success of the scheme. It also gives employers an opportunity to see how RSE workers’ earnings are being used to support their home communities.

Good afternoon. Thank you Peter for that warm welcome and for the Chamber’s hosting of this event.

It’s good to see so many of you here today.

Can I start by acknowledging Mayor Lianne Dalziel and other local body representatives from around the region.

Just as central government has to make some tough decisions and trade-offs, so too do councils as we work together to rebuild this city.

Together, we’re making significant progress. Although, of course, there is still much to do.

Good morning and thank you all for the opportunity to speak to your annual conference here this morning.

I would like to begin by acknowledging your President, Dr William Rolleston; Chief Executive, Graham Smith; members of your National Board; and all other members here today.

My congratulations go to Dr Rolleston who has just been elected as the Vice-President of the World Farmers Organisation.

I met with newly elected WFO President Evelyn Nguleka and Executive Director Marco Marzano in Europe recently.

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

Welcome everyone, it is a pleasure to be here. This conference is a fantastic opportunity for us to gather together and generate great new ideas and launch new initiatives that will lead to stronger communities.

As a group, you already have a track record - the 2012 conference resulted in the One Fish Solutions; which is up and running helping organisations figure out where they are going, what they are doing, and how they can grow.

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

Welcome

I would like to thank our two co-chairs, the Hon Simon Power, Chair of the NZ-US Council and Stu Van Soyoc, President of the US-based counterpart organisation for assuming joint responsibility for the Partnership Forum. I think it is a great idea for us to get together once a year with Government, media, business and other stakeholders to take a helicopter view of the relationship.

Good evening and welcome to the launch of Implementing Medicines New Zealand, the new medicines action plan.

I am very pleased to launch this Plan today and to see so many familiar faces. I would like to thank the Pharmaceutical Society for hosting us this evening.

Special thanks to Richard Townley, Veronica Challies, and Jocelyn Rodrigues for their efforts in organising the proceedings.

Introduction

Mr Speaker, I move, That the Harmful Digital Communications Bill be now read a third time.

Cyberbullying is a real and growing problem.

It’s not a minor issue confined to a small group of people. One-in-five New Zealanders aged 13-30 years have experienced harmful communications on the internet.

We need to do something to stem these new and insidious threats.

Thank you for inviting me tonight.

It’s a pleasure to be here in Australia.

What happens over here, and what people are thinking, affects New Zealand profoundly.

That’s why I try to visit here regularly and talk to as many people as I can.

I want to acknowledge the warm relationship shared between our respective Governments – and the constructive engagements we have with Prime Minister Abbott and Joe Hockey in particular.

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

Thanks and acknowledgements:

• Guy Wills (general manager of NIG nutritionals)
• Matt Bolton (owner of Oete farms)
• Board and staff from New Image and Good Health

Apparently Captain James Cook had a taste for goat milk, and took a goat along with him on his maiden voyage to New Zealand. This was the beginning of a long established history of goat milk in this country.

Introduction

Thanks Alan. It’s a pleasure to be here today at the Perinatal and Maternal Mortality Review Committee’s conference ‘building capacity in the maternity sector’.

This is my first key opportunity speaking to members of the maternity sector. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your commitment and dedication in providing important healthcare services to New Zealanders.

Health overview

Good afternoon.

It is my privilege to be here today to celebrate the opening of The Drugs, Health and Development Project Trust’s (DHDP) new Masterton premises. 

I would like to thank Bill Logan, Chair of DHDP, for inviting me to speak this afternoon.

I would like to acknowledge DHDP’s other Board members: James Heslop (Vice Chair), Catherine Healey (National coordinator of the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective), Dana de Milo, Nick Hall and Kate Kerrisk. 

I congratulate the organisers of the conference on the choice of topic: building trust. There is nothing more important than trust for the effective functioning of a democracy. There is nothing harder to restore once trust is lost. There is no greater risk to the improvement of public services through the use of improved ICT than lack of trust.

Thank you, Tony. I am very pleased to be here to mark World Refugee Day, being officially held on Saturday.  I want to begin by thanking the New Zealand Red Cross and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for co-hosting this lunch. I want to also acknowledge the other Members of Parliament here today, the UNHCR Regional Representative, Thomas Albrecht, former refugees and other distinguished guests.

Introduction

Good morning. I would like to thank Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and Mayor Lianne Dalziel for being here today, as well as other representatives from local government.

I would also like to acknowledge Sarah Stuart-Black, the Director of the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, and all of the MCDEM staff who are here today.

Thank you for the huge amount of work that you have been doing.

It’s a pleasure to be here at the first-ever New Zealand Symposium on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Thank for the invitation to speak with you this morning. 

I want to acknowledge the New Zealand Medical Association and Conference Matters for organising this conference year after year and for the critical role primary care plays in improving population health outcomes and lifting performance across the health sector. 

The GP CME conference is a great educational, information and knowledge sharing platform for our clinical workforce, which brings together a diverse range of health practitioners in one place at one time.

The title of my speech today is "Managing Through Tough Times".

I came up with the idea of this function when I was out running about six weeks ago and felt the time was right for the Government to communicate two very important messages to our farming families and communities.
 
Firstly, I want to acknowledge that these are challenging times for many farmers and the wider rural community, particularly in the dairy sector, but that we expect much improved conditions in the longer term.
 

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

I am delighted to be attending my first Conference of States Parties in my role as Minister for Disability Issues. This is a role which allows me to advocate for persons with disabilities at the highest levels of Government.

The New Zealand Government warmly welcomes the appointment of Ms Catalina Devandas Aguilar as Special Rapporteur on Disability. We believe her wide and long standing experience working for the rights of persons with disabilities will serve her well in this important role.

It is great to have the opportunity to address this 39th session of FAO.

I'd first like to acknowledge Samoan Minister Le Mamea Ropati who is doing a great job chairing the conference.

I attended a wonderful dinner on Saturday night with the South Pacific countries. This proved to be a valuable opportunity to share ideas and engage socially over some lovely Italian food.

I acknowledge that FAO is increasing its focus on small island states and the unique challenges they all face. New Zealand endorses this approach.

Tēnā koutou katoa.

Firstly I’d like to acknowledge Oliver Hartwich and Rose Patterson. Thank you for inviting me to the launch of the New Zealand Initiative’s report on maths education, I think.

As the Minister of Education speaking at the launch of a report that is critical of the education system I confess to feeling a little like Marie Antoinette approaching the guillotine.

From the outset I would say there are some findings I agree with your researchers on, and some about which I possess less certainty.

Opening

Thanks John. It’s great to be here today to speak at your second primary caresymposium.

I’d like to thank the Heart Foundation, PHO Alliance and the Health Promotion Agency for organising today’s event.

I know you’re all busy people, so it’s good to see so many of you here to share your ideas on good practice and innovation.

Primary care

Primary care plays a crucial role in improving the health outcomes of New Zealanders, and lifting performance across the health sector.