I am delighted to be here with you all today to take part in celebrations to acknowledge the many great achievements in the Marine Park over the past 10 years.

It is particularly an honour as a National Minister of Conservation to be here a decade on since the last National-led Government introduced the legislation that came to create this park. The Hauraki Gulf is one of New Zealand’s many iconic outdoor playgrounds and holds great importance to the community.

There is always room for improvement and thanks to the many contributions you have all made, we have a really exciting package of initiatives that collectively make up the Anniversary celebrations that I am privileged to be able to launch today.

Auckland is always a dynamic place and the 10th anniversary of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park is a milestone worth celebrating. We have an opportunity to position the marine park as a key asset for Auckland.

There is increased understanding and support for the importance of protecting, enhancing and promoting the marine park’s unique features. There is a lot of work involved and I would like to acknowledge the significant achievements of the Hauraki Gulf Forum under the leadership of John, Mike and the recent chair, Laly Haddon. The Forum has championed co-ordinated and integrated management of the Hauraki Gulf and this work is delivering real benefits. The Forum’s role facilitating co-operation and integration is also well demonstrated by the fantastic programme of initiatives we are recognising today.

We heard earlier from Mike Lee about the fantastic success of both mainland and island restoration in the Marine Park and how many of our rarest species are now thriving in the safe havens created when we undertake to maintain sanctuaries free of introduced pests. These achievements would not have been possible without the ongoing dedication of many community restoration trusts and volunteers and I thank you all for your commitment.

Waitakere City Council recently applied to DOC to include all reserves in the Waitemata Harbour and bordering reserves - approximately 55 separate reserves in total – in the marine park. I am delighted to announce this application has been approved and will be gazetted shortly.

This is the first addition of public land to the marine park and Waitakere City Council is to be congratulated for enabling this significant contribution. I also acknowledge the role of the Forum in facilitating discussions and the desire of DOC to encourage further council land to be included.

DOC has also received a letter from Forest and Bird signalling the intent to vest three of their reserves on Waiheke Island into the marine park. Reports on this to the Hauraki Gulf Forum and Conservation Board are expected in March.

This is the second time the opportunity for private land to be vested in the Marine Park has been progressed, which is fantastic and a credit to Forest and Bird. I would also like to acknowledge Rob Fenwick for vesting the first area of private land (also on Waiheke Island) into the marine park in 2009.

It is fitting that we are celebrating the 10th Anniversary here on Motutapu Island, which, combined with neighbouring Rangitoto Island, is well on the way to becoming our largest pest free island sanctuary - and only 30 minutes from downtown Auckland.

There is so much to offer out here and from my perspective I really enjoy initiatives that are focused on getting more New Zealanders involved in conservation and out enjoying the conservation estate. I’m a firm believer that the more often people see and experience our natural landscapes and wildlife the more they come to care about it and get involved in preserving it.

This is why the marine park concept, the role of the Forum and the collective efforts of iwi, agencies, communities, trusts, organisations and business are so important. By continuing to pool our collective experience and efforts to inspire support and involvement in making the marine park concept a reality, the next 10 years promise to be really exciting.

Thank you.

Posted by staff in Speech at 17:16

Good afternoon and thank you for inviting me here today.

As a fellow Cantabrian it’s great to be here to acknowledge the steps you have taken to ensure the food you produce and serve is of the highest quality. I’m appreciative of everyone who takes responsibility for producing safe food. We saw the results just last weekend of what can go wrong when you’ve eaten something that’s a bit off. Now I don’t have any evidence, but it was clear that the Crusaders weren’t themselves over in Brisbane. I am prepared to accept that maybe some dodgy chicken was in play – it’s the only legitimate reason I can think of that explains such a performance.

Perhaps I should give Todd a call and let him know he can be assured it is safe for the boys to eat at any of the Ballantynes cafes. There are plenty of certificates here to back that up. I take pride in knowing that the Food Control Plan formed the basis of your literacy and numeracy training programme and I congratulate you all in completing the module.

You may have heard that the rules that determine how a food business meets its responsibility to provide safe and suitable food are about to change. The intent of the Food Bill is to bring New Zealand’s outdated prescriptive food laws into the 21st century by adopting a more risk-based approach. The Food Control Plan - which you are now familiar with - has been introduced by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, in conjunction with local councils, as a way of easing the food sector into this new way of thinking about food safety.

More than one thousand food service and catering businesses throughout New Zealand are voluntarily using templated – or ‘off-the-peg’ – Food Control Plans to manage food safety and Ballantynes is among the first to adopt this new approach to managing food safety in the Christchurch region.

Your four cafes – the Contemporary Lounge Café, JB's Café, The Tearooms and Dilmah t-house, plus the food production kitchen - are now exempt from the requirements of the Food Hygiene Regulations. Food Control Plans have been tailored to meet each of the cafes and food production kitchen’s specific operational needs, so it’s now up to you to show customers that you’re serious about food safety.

Another aspect of the proposed changes – in which I must acknowledge your achievements - is the national foodservice grading scheme. The grading scheme will be a consistent and effective system to enable people to choose where they want to eat based on a business’s performance against set food safety criteria.

I am delighted to Ballantynes are supporting the Authority’s trial and I commend your efforts in achieving an ‘A grade’ across all four cafes. So thank you and keep up the good work.

Posted by staff in Speech at 17:44

New parks and private land are to be added to the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park to mark its 10th anniversary, Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson announced today.

The new additions feature over 300 parcels of land in Waitakere City Council coastal parks and reserves bordering the Waitemata Harbour, from Whenuapai in the north to Kelston in the south east.

Forest and Bird have also signalled they wish to have three of their reserves on Waiheke Island vested into the park.

Anniversary festivities, to be held on Saturday on Motutapu Island, are a great opportunity to celebrate both these new additions and the marine park itself as a significant natural asset on Auckland’s doorstep, Ms Wilkinson says.

"This marine park is enjoyed by so many New Zealanders, not just Aucklanders. Its conservation values are unique and it is fantastic to see the continued work being done to ensure future generations can enjoy it.

"Thanks to pest control and eradication programmes an increasing number of islands are pest free sanctuaries, providing safe homes for some of our rarest native species.

"I would like to congratulate the Hauraki Gulf Forum for the work it has done to encourage the inclusion of more reserves in the park and thank the Waitakere City Council and Forest and Bird for actively becoming involved."

The marine park consists of 1.2 million hectares including marine reserves and more than 50 islands within the Gulf, the most well known of these being Tiritiri Matangi, Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands, Great Barrier Island, and Kawau Island.

It includes public conservation land as well as areas of public land administered by local councils and private land that has been vested in the park.

Posted by staff in News at 15:26

Happy New Year and welcome to you all. Let me start with a special greeting to the Chinese community gathered here tonight, to the many distinguished guests and to all those involved in organising this fantastic dinner.

It is a pleasure to be with you to help celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Tiger in my home city. It is said that people born in the Year of the Tiger are often well-liked, outgoing and never give up on their goals. Perhaps most significantly at this time, tigers are a symbol of bravery and boldness, qualities that will be required this year.

New Zealand faces a lot of challenges in 2010. We are gently emerging from the recession, yet still reeling from its impact. As Minister of Labour I am very aware of the impact job losses have had on hard-working New Zealanders. Unemployment remains an issue, but I’m confident we are turning the corner and will soon see more jobs being created and people returning to the workforce.

We know that we can’t return to the failed policies of the past decade if we are to truly capitalise on all the potential this country has. It’s not acceptable that we underperformed so badly in fair weather, with our economy not even managing one percent annual growth between 2005 and 2008. There will be decisions made this year that will no doubt risk being unpopular. But sometimes being brave and bold requires you to put aside the need to be liked and do what is right for the country in the long term.

This Government doesn’t want to aspire to merely redistributing the wealth we have. We want to grow the pie so everyone gets a bigger piece. The Chinese community has made substantial contributions to our nation already and has a significant role to play in the future this Government envisions. Chinese New Zealanders are widely recognised for their vast entrepreneurial skills and work ethic, traits that will be in high demand as we seek to expand our economy.

You probably know that China is now our second largest trading partner, with two-way trade worth $10 billion last year – a figure that will continue to grow. The opportunities available in the Chinese market are huge and the business contacts you already have and are capable of creating are of great benefit to New Zealand. You are well placed to assist in opening doors to China for more of our products and giving an insight into how business operates in all Asian economies.

New Zealand is an incredibly diverse nation, with people of all races and religions. I consider that to be a huge advantage and something worth celebrating. Chinese New Year events like the one we have gathered together for today have become an important part of the New Zealand cultural calendar. It not only provides the opportunities to demonstrate the richness of Chinese culture, but to celebrate and recognise the contribution it has made to the development of this country and its role in all of our futures.

As we look ahead, we must aspire to achieve more and I hope that the Year of the Tiger will bring out the best in each and every one of us.

Posted by staff in Speech at 16:57

Good evening.

Thank you for inviting me to attend the opening of the sixth West Melton Art Exhibition. It’s a real pleasure to be back again this year and to see the exhibition moving from strength to strength. Chris Finlayson, the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, is unable to be with us tonight, and sends his apologies. He has asked me to convey to you his best wishes for a successful show.

Exhibitions have been called the ‘building blocks of art history’, for their important role in moving art from the private to the public domain. Showing the work of emerging artists alongside more established names is a good way to build confidence and experience. Exhibiting for the first time can be a daunting prospect, and it must be reassuring to have the support of others when starting a career in the visual arts.

To this end, it is good to have well known landscape painter Tim Wilson as this year’s guest exhibitor. Anyone who has been moved by the power and beauty of our natural environment will see this reflected clearly in his work.

Tim’s style – sometimes referred to as a ‘magical realism’ – captures the physical qualities of New Zealand landscape as well as its unique spirit. Tim, we all acknowledge the effort you’ve made to be here to show your remarkable work.

Government continues to play an important role in supporting arts, culture and heritage. In so doing, we make a sound investment in New Zealanders’ wellbeing, our international image and our economy.

From regional museums and historic places, to the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and our presence at the Venice Biennale; support from government acknowledges that these institutions and events enhance our reputation, enrich our lives, and provide wider opportunities for the increasing number of New Zealanders working in the creative and cultural industries.

We also need a balance between government funding and private sources. A healthy arts sector is dependent on local support, autonomy, and the dedication of committed individuals. In this sense, community galleries are foundation blocks for the wider sector.

Thank you, John, for your ongoing commitment to the arts in Selwyn and Canterbury, and for making this exhibition possible. Congratulations to all of the artists whose work is on show here, and to those who win awards tonight.

I hope that the exhibition will be a resounding success and that the West Melton Exhibition continues to be an annual fixture on Canterbury’s arts calendar.

It is my great pleasure to declare this exhibition open, and to wish you all a very enjoyable evening.

Posted by staff in Speech at 17:27