On this day in 1915, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps took their first steps into a new country and a prolonged and doomed battle.

They left behind wives, sisters, brothers, parents and children. They did so for all of us.

The men who landed at Anzac Cove that day could not have foreseen how this date would become embedded in the consciousness of future generations.

The Gallipoli campaign saw the highest percentage of casualties of any military campaign in New Zealand’s history. Of eight and a half thousand New Zealanders who served there, nearly five thousand were wounded and over two and a half thousand lost their lives.

As the Gallipoli campaign unfolded, the Anzacs had to come to terms with a reality we can hardly imagine. Day and night, no-one was ever safe. Even between battles, people died from sniper fire, sometimes mid-sentence. There was little food or water, and no sanitation. Soldiers had to learn to make their own hand-grenades out of empty jam tins.

On Anzac Day New Zealanders reflect on the start of a campaign that was in many ways disastrous for the New Zealand and Australian forces. Why, then, despite these disasters, do we identify so strongly with this day?

Perhaps it is because it was at Gallipoli that we encountered the very worst that war could throw at us. Because we got through with honour and humanity intact. And, because, though our men came out battle-wary and horribly reduced in numbers, both New Zealand and Australia emerged with a new sense of certainty about our place in the world, and a friendship that would survive the years.

The courage of the Anzacs humbles us all. And it reminds us of the strength within each of us, our capacity to meet fear with courage, and to meet adversity with endurance.

Anzac Day is our day to honour all New Zealanders who have served in times of war. And in particular to acknowledge the veterans of wars still living among us, living links to formative events in our history. We remember the servicemen who fought in theatres of war throughout the world– in the Pacific, Asia, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and the Atlantic Ocean.

This year there is a special significance as we mark the 70th anniversary of the beginning of World War Two. In that war 11,625 New Zealanders were killed, a further blow to families and communities around the country, only a generation after ‘the war to end all wars’.

It is a privilege to be in the presence of some of our veterans today, and to be in the presence of your children and grandchildren.

I am inspired to see the large numbers of young New Zealanders who are standing shoulder to shoulder with those who fought in these times of war. I know that this will be repeated up and down the country, as ANZAC Day unites generations of Kiwis and binds us to our history as a country.

Today we mark our proud history of sacrifice and heroism, we remember those men and women who put their lives on the line for our country, and who fought for a better world.

To this day we send the young men and women of our New Zealand Defence Force to the world’s trouble spots in the knowledge that they will continue to serve their country with courage and dedication.

On our behalf they take part in efforts to keep peace, to create secure environments for humanitarian support and to rebuild infrastructure in areas of conflict.

Today we acknowledge their service.

As we lay these wreathes together let us reflect on our ties to each other and our shared pride in our country. Let us reflect on what is to be a New Zealander. And let us remember the large and small acts of kindness that our fellow country men have performed for us in years gone by, and that they still perform for us today.

Let us celebrate the Anzac spirit we continue to share with our Australian neighbours. For we who were brothers in arms are brothers still.

Finally today let us salute the Anzacs who fought for us.

We salute their willingness to fight to preserve our freedom and humanitarian ideals.

We salute their willingness to meet adversity with courage and honour.

They were everyday people who rose to heights of sacrifice and, in doing so, preserved the living standards of all of us, for generations to come.

They fought for each and every one of us, they fought for New Zealand, and they fought for our world.

That is why we have gathered here today.

That is why we honour them.

That is why we must never forget.

 

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TWITTER

I’m now on Twitter – a free social networking website that lets you keep in touch with what I’m up to.

We’re still in the set-up phase, but I already have over 600 “followers”. I’ll get more involved in future. In the meantime, you can follow my latest news by signing up here: www.twitter.com/johnkeypm

JOB SUMMIT UPDATE – THE 9-DAY FORTNIGHT

Today I announced that the Government is extending the Job Support Scheme to include medium-sized businesses with 50 to 100 workers.

The scheme, which came out of the Job Summit, lets private-sector businesses, workers, and unions negotiate voluntary agreements to reduce working hours to a nine-day fortnight. It was originally designed for firms with more than 100 employees, but we have expanded it after discussions with employers and unions. 

Under the scheme, the Government will pay employers $12.50 an hour per worker, for up to five hours a fortnight.

The scheme is aimed at businesses that may be facing temporary adverse circumstances. A temporary reduction in hours gives employers time to ride out adverse conditions and gives workers job security during that time.

The extended scheme will be available to businesses with 50 to 100 workers from Monday – potentially an extra 2000 firms and around 140,000 workers.

Businesses with fewer than 50 employees are also facing tough times. They are not included in the scheme – mainly because it is too difficult to administer for small workplaces – but we’re working on other measures to help them out.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CHINA

On Sunday I got back from a really successful and interesting trip to China. Premier Wen Jiabao said that he thought the relationship between our two countries has never been better, and I agree with him. 

In the year since the signing of the Free Trade Agreement, two-way trade with China grew by around 19% to over $9 billion, while our exports grew by 35%. China is now our second biggest source of imports and our fourth biggest export market.

A lot came out of the trip. Several Kiwi business leaders who travelled with me were able to meet very senior people in the Chinese government. The Chinese made it clear that they have drawn a line under the San Lu situation, and they want to see New Zealand involved in developing their agricultural sector – particularly around food safety. We also signed a new agreement on tourism, where the Chinese want to work with us.

There is almost infinite potential for New Zealand in China with its 1.3 billion people. They want to buy our food. They want to educate their children here. They want to buy resources. They want to come and visit. Somewhere around 53 million tourists a year come out of China but only around 112,000 of them visit New Zealand.

The door is open. It’s a matter of how boldly we step through it.

ON THE ROAD

On Monday afternoon I announced that the Mt Albert by-election will be on 13 June.

Later that day I headed up to Marton to speak at Grey Power’s AGM. In my speech, I pointed out that the National-led Government is absolutely committed to maintaining current eligibility rules for NZ Superannuation and Super payments at a minimum of 66% of the average after-tax wage. I also outlined what we are doing to constrain power prices, improve healthcare, and tackle violent crime. You can read the speech here.

On Wednesday I was in Auckland at a national hui with the claimant groups who are yet to settle Treaty of Waitangi claims. The National-led Government has a goal of 2014 for completing historical Treaty claims, and the hui was a chance to investigate how we can speed up that process.

I hope you will be supporting ANZAC Day services in your community this Saturday. I’ll be in Wellington for the Dawn Service at the Cenotaph and the National Wreathlaying Ceremony at the National War Memorial.

YOUR FEEDBACK

Thanks for your comments on my website and Facebook page in recent weeks.

I know how frustrating slow broadband is, and I sympathise with those of you still battling with dialup. Ultra-fast broadband has huge potential for New Zealand and we’re determined to get as many businesses, health facilities, schools, and homes connected over the next decade as we can.

We’re continuing to discuss proposed changes to Auckland’s local government structure with the region’s leaders, and we’re listening to the views of Aucklanders. Your comments are a great help. For more information about the proposed changes for Auckland visit www.auckland.govt.nz

I'm looking forward to your comments on this newsletter.

Best wishes

 

John Key

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The Government is to extend the Job Support Scheme to include medium-sized businesses with 50 to 100 workers, Prime Minister John Key says.

Mr Key today announced the expansion to the scheme, which came out of the Job Summit. The scheme lets private sector businesses, workers and unions negotiate voluntary agreements to reduce their hours of work to a nine-day fortnight.

Under the scheme, which three firms have taken up so far, the Government will pay employers $12.50 (the adult minimum wage) an hour per worker, for up to five hours a fortnight.

Originally for firms with more than 100 employees, the Government has now decided to expand the 9-day fortnight programme to cover smaller firms with 50 or more staff.

“The scheme was expanded following discussions with employers and unions since the Job Summit. They endorsed its expansion to medium-sized businesses because it may help save jobs,” says Mr Key.

“It is aimed at businesses that may be facing temporary adverse circumstances in the current economic climate.

“A temporary reduction in hours gives employers time to ride our adverse conditions and gives workers job security during that time.

“The extended scheme will be available to businesses with 50 to 100 workers from Monday. Expanding the scheme to employers of this size will make it potentially available to an extra 2000 firms and around 140,000 workers.

“It is difficult to estimate what the cost of the expansion will be. It is estimated that if around 6000 workers from medium-sized businesses take part in the scheme, it would cost around $4.5 million.

“We realise that businesses with fewer than 50 employees are also facing tough times. These firms will not be included in the scheme, mainly because the scheme is too difficult to administer for small workplaces.

“However, work is under way on measures to help small firms, and there will be further announcements on this in due course." Tweet

E ngā iwi o te motu kia ora huihui tātou katoa.

Let me begin by paying tribute to those who have brought us to this point.

They worked hard for many years often with little progress and often without encouragement.

Every group represented here today will have members who worked hard to achieve justice.

It is important to acknowledge their effort and contribution because we are the ones who have benefited from that hard work.

Completing the historical settlements process is a high priority for me, and it is a high priority for this government.

One of my predecessors, the Rt. Hon Jim Bolger, signed the first large settlement on behalf of the Crown. He and his Government believed the political risk of establishing the historical settlement process was worth taking.

It is our ambition to complete the job that they began.

Breaches of the Treaty by actions of the Crown have caused great harm to Maori. It is time those breaches were dealt with and the wounds they have caused were healed.

Both Maori and the Crown benefit from settlements. Maori gain a settlement package that provides redress for those breaches.  While the Crown, in negotiating that settlement and providing redress, has its honour restored.  And all New Zealanders benefit from the resulting improvement in the Crown-Maori relationship.

In short, settlements address our past and they invest in our shared future.

I am impatient to see all Maori standing strong, economically independent and fulfilling their true potential.  I see the completion of historical Treaty Settlements as an essential part of achieving that.  Because only when the wrongs of the past have been addressed, will we all truly move our sights to the promise of the future. 

The National-led Government has a goal of 2014 as the date for the completion of just and durable settlements of historical Treaty claims.

By 2014 our target is for Deeds of Settlements to have been completed with all outstanding groups.

We believe all New Zealanders stand to gain from a faster completion of the historical settlements process. 

It will build better relationships between Maori and the Crown.

It will benefit the cultural, social and economic development of Maori groups and the wider communities in which they live. 

It will allow all New Zealanders to cast our eyes to the next ridgeline we must climb, and the brighter future that lies beyond. 

The question today is how will we achieve that goal?

Let me start by acknowledging that there are many aspects of the settlement process that are already working well.  We don’t want to interfere with those aspects, and we’re not interested in a fundamental policy re-think.  

The previous Government learned that lesson in 2000 when settlement progress stalled for most of that year while settlement policy was reviewed.

Even so, there are certainly areas where experience suggests we can do much better.  And I’m confident that with good will on both sides we can make these improvements to the settlement process while continuing to move ahead.   

We believe, for example, that we can increase settlement momentum by being more flexible about the way Maori and the Crown work together in the settlement process.  We want to move forward together with Maori in this process.

We would also like to encourage more Maori engagement in designing a settlement and determining how it will be achieved.

The Crown is ready to take a more collaborative and open approach to settlements to ensure this can happen. 

A settlement is not simply an agreement between two bureaucracies; it is a political compact between Maori and the Crown.  It is about creating a new and better relationship. Political leaders on both sides must engage and take risks if mutual goals are to be agreed and achieved.

The Government knows how important these relationships are.  That’s why we are lifting the level of political engagement with the settlement process.

It is why I am here today and my colleague the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance is also attending.  We are here because getting this right is a priority for us.  

Together with the Minister for Treaty Negotiations and the Minister of Maori Affairs we form a tight and powerful team dedicated to the task of completing the settlement process. We will also work together on Maori issues across the public sector generally.

Our increased political engagement is also reflected in the re-establishment of a Cabinet Committee devoted to the settlement process.

We are considering the placement of the Office of Treaty Settlements to ensure it has the leverage necessary to continue to lead the settlement process within the public sector.

We have also instructed Government agencies with roles in the settlements process to give those settlements a high priority. We see them as core business for those agencies, not optional add-ons.

Where necessary, we will also provide more resources for the settlement process to reflect the high priority we place on settlements and to allow public sector processes and performance to reflect that priority.  

Taken together we believe these ideas for improvement will considerably increase the momentum of the settlement process. 

I am grateful too that we come to this process in partnership with the Maori Party.  Ours is a mana-enhancing relationship and the ideas I have just discussed reflect many of the ideas and views held by the Maori Party.  These include the emphasis on greater speed, the importance of high level political engagement and the use of external facilitators.

After our meeting today I may be asked why we are making settlements a high priority at a time of economic stress.

The answer is a simple one.

We think settlements are good for Maori and good for New Zealand.

We are here today to seek your help in bringing more urgency to the completion of this process and to the opening of a conversation on how the settlement process can evolve to meet our common goals. 

I am confident that together we can bring the benefits of settlements to Maori and to the wider New Zealand community much faster than has been the case in the past. 

There is hard work ahead of us, but with the determination and commitment shown by so many so far, I am confident we will be able to stride side-by-side on our journey towards 2014.   

I will now ask my colleagues, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Minister for Treaty Negotiations and the Minister of Maori Affairs to speak.

Tēnā koutou katoa.

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Thank you for inviting me to speak to you this evening.

I’d like to acknowledge Simon Power, your President Les Howard and the Board of Grey Power, and the many delegates who have travelled here from around the country.

It’s great to be at your AGM again.

There have been a few changes since I spoke to you in Christchurch last year.

Last November, the National Party won a popular mandate to lead a new Government, and we put that Government together swiftly with the help of our support parties – Act, United Future, and the Maori Party.

Since then, we have been working hard to deliver on the promises we laid out in the election campaign and to address the issues that matter to New Zealanders.

We have completed all the actions we promised to deliver in our first 100 days in office – on the economy, law and order, education, health and electoral reform.

And we are continuing to put in place our Jobs and Growth Plan to protect New Zealanders from the sharpest edges of the global recession and to prepare for future growth.

I will speak in more detail about our progress in government shortly, but before I do that, I’d like to thank you for the good work you do as a voice for the over-50s.

Grey Power has a long history of standing up for the interests of older New Zealanders and I appreciate the good relationship you have with the National Party and with our Ministers, and particularly with our Minister for Senior Citizens John Carter. The Government and Grey Power may not always agree, but we will always listen to your concerns.

Because it is important that we acknowledge – as a nation and a government – the huge contribution that older New Zealanders make to our families, our communities, and our country.

And it is just as important that we ensure older New Zealanders are treated with the respect and the dignity that they deserve.

With this in mind, I was pleased to read a few weeks ago about an OECD study into income distribution and poverty in the developed world. It found that only 2 per cent of older people in New Zealand were living below the poverty line, and that this was the best equal result among the 30 countries in the OECD.

This is not to say that we are perfect. I know that many older New Zealanders are struggling to cope with rising living costs and find it very hard to make ends meet.

But it is a sign of how well we respect and treat our older people.

And it’s a sign of how important New Zealand Superannuation is for maintaining and supporting the incomes of our over-65s.

NZ Superannuation

NZ Super is particularly important right now.

The credit crisis and the global downturn is having a big impact on older people, many of whom live on fixed incomes.

The collapse in a number of finance companies has meant that many New Zealanders have lost savings.

And the dramatic fall in interest rates – which is good news for families with a mortgage – is bad news for those who rely on the income generated by their savings.

These factors reinforce just how important universal government-funded superannuation is.

I am aware that the OECD has recently suggested that the Government should look at raising the eligibility age for superannuation. I have a response to that suggestion – we will not be doing that.

The National-led Government is absolutely committed to maintaining current eligibility rules and NZ Super payments at a minimum of 66% of the average after-tax wage, rather than letting it drop back to 65%, as would otherwise have happened. As I said many times during the election campaign, I put my name behind that assurance.

In addition to this, the tax cuts on 1 April increased the after-tax average wage and this will raise superannuation payments in future years.

Tackling the Recession

New Zealand, along with the rest of the world, is facing a global recession on a scale we haven't seen for more than a generation. This is having some very serious implications.

Export volumes have fallen. Unemployment is rising. Many businesses are struggling. Families are finding it harder to make ends meet.

At the same time, Government revenues are going down and spending on unemployment benefits is going up. The Government is in deficit and Crown debt is rising.

There is, as you know, no magic lever we can pull to suddenly turn things around. But we are working hard to protect New Zealanders from the sharpest edges of this recession and to prepare for future growth.

We are doing this in four ways.

Firstly, we are providing a large fiscal stimulus to the economy by maintaining spending in areas such as health and education, and fast-tracking infrastructure investment. On top of this, we have delivered on our election promise to reduce personal taxes on 1 April.

The tax cuts will provide a billion-dollar boost to households. They are part of National’s plans for rewarding effort and providing better incentives for New Zealanders to get ahead.

Secondly, we are supporting New Zealanders on low incomes by maintaining the entitlements they receive.

As well as continuing NZ Super payments at a minimum of 66% of the net average wage, we are maintaining funding for the SuperGold Card.

We are also maintaining Working For Families payments, student allowances, and benefits. And we are adjusting these over time so that they keep pace with inflation.

On 1 April we also lifted the minimum wage to help the most vulnerable workers tackle rising living costs.

Thirdly, we are getting better value out of government spending. We are continuing our line-by-line review of expenditure, reducing bureaucracy, eliminating low-value government programmes, and moving resources to the frontline.

We want New Zealanders to get better public services across the board, from the standard of education your grandchildren get at school, through to the standard of care you get in our hospitals – and I’ll talk a bit more about that shortly.

Finally, we are continuing to put in place our Jobs and Growth plan. This is a ‘rolling maul’ of initiatives aimed at retaining and growing jobs and preparing the economy for future growth.

This includes the retail and wholesale deposit guarantee schemes introduced at the end of last year. The government now guarantees deposits in New Zealand banks, and many building societies, credit unions, and finance companies.

We have introduced temporary additional support through our ReStart Package for those worst hit by redundancy. ReStart is already helping around 1400 families.

We have launched our Small Business Relief Package which makes it simpler and less expensive for small businesses to manage cash flows and pay taxes.

We are fast-tracking $500 million of infrastructure investment in school improvements, state housing upgrades, and roading projects. We are also investing $1 billion extra in the state highway network over the next three years.

We are reducing red tape to remove the barriers that stand in the way of improving our infrastructure and encouraging investment in new industries and jobs. We have started streamlining and simplifying the Resource Management Act, and we will also reform the Building Act.

We are developing the best ideas from the Prime Minister’s Job Summit. These include the “nine-day working fortnight”, increasing education options for young people, and the national cycleway.

The Job Support Scheme is already helping workers keep their jobs at Fisher & Paykel, and Summit Wool Spinners in Oamaru. Around 60 other businesses are considering joining the scheme.

Finally, our first Budget will set out a credible medium-term plan for economic recovery and getting the Government’s finances in order.

Together, these initiatives are designed to help boost jobs and get our economy growing again.

Because, despite the gloom, we need to realise that we are in a better position than many other countries.

Our banking system is in better shape than most. Our interest rates have fallen a long way, and quickly. And we have some natural advantages that I believe will see us come through this recession a lot quicker and better than other countries.

We produce a lot of food, and we do that extremely well. Visitors want to come here, see our unique landscape, and share our cultural experiences. 

And we have people who are extremely creative and clever at doing amazing things with some pretty scarce resources.

Yes, we are in for a rough patch. 

But I’m confident we can come through this recession more strongly than most countries, and that these tough times can be a springboard for better times ahead.

In the meantime, we will continue to address the issues that matter to New Zealanders.

Electricity Prices

Rising power bills are a major concern for people on fixed incomes. Many older people tell me that they go to bed earlier in winter to keep their power bills down.

Just as there is no magic lever we can pull to turn our economy around, there is no magic switch we can throw to suddenly turn on cheaper power. But there are a number of steps we are taking which are designed to constrain the growth in power bills.

We have started reforming the Resource Management Act. This will reduce the costs, uncertainties, and delays associated with new projects, and make it easier and cheaper to build new power stations.

We have started streamlining investment in Transpower’s transmission network, so that upgrades in the National grid can happen more quickly and efficiently. By improving the grid, electricity from different power plants will be able to move around the country more easily.

We have announced a wide-ranging Ministerial Review into the electricity market. This will look at the performance of the market, electricity regulation, and governance issues. It may be that the review throws up some sensible short-term improvements that can be made fairly quickly. If this is the case, we will act on these immediately.

And before Easter, we announced plans to work with the Green Party to fund a home insulation, clean heating, and energy efficiency programme which will start no later than 1 July. We will have more to say about this soon.

In the short term, these four steps won’t have a big effect on power bills. But over the longer term, I expect that they will help constrain electricity prices and that we will see fewer stories about electricity retailers putting up power prices ahead of inflation.

Health

Health is another area where we are determined to make big improvements.

As you know, in recent years our public health system has been struggling.

We have a chronic shortage of nurses and doctors. We have long waiting lists for elective surgery and appointments with a specialist. We have 21 District Health Boards running deficits that total around $160 million. Too much money is being tied up in bureaucracy and red tape, and not enough is getting through to frontline care for patients.

National has a plan to tackle these problems and provide better, sooner, more convenient care for those who need it. This plan has four major goals.

Firstly, we will give doctors and nurses more say over how healthcare is provided, by establishing clinical leadership and clinical networks across the system. Around the world, clinical leadership is recognised as a big driver of better healthcare.

Secondly, we need to save the public health system from its slide into financial crisis, and restore it to financial health.

Thirdly we will shift from the current centrally-driven health system which is hugely bureaucratic, towards a more sector-driven health system.

And fourthly, we will reduce waiting times for elective surgery such as hip replacements. The number of elective surgeries that are performed needs to more than keep pace with population growth and our aging population.

We have already taken some important steps.

We have announced the first of several elective surgery supercentres to reduce hospital waiting lists, and we will train the extra doctors and nurses to staff them.

We are funding a 24-hour Plunket-line service and a full 12-month course of Herceptin for Her-2 positive breast cancer sufferers.

And we have launched a “voluntary bonding scheme” that offers student loan write-offs to graduate doctors, nurses, and midwives who agree to work in hard-to staff communities or specialties.

You can expect to see lots more progress in coming months towards lifting the quality and performance of our health system and the frontline care that patients receive.

Law and Order

The front line of law and order is another area in desperate need of support, and we have taken some big steps since coming into office.

I would like to acknowledge the great work that Simon Power has been doing as Minister of Justice to deliver on our election promises and confront violent crime.

In our first one hundred days we passed new laws that make it harder for the wrong people to get bail, and provide tougher sentences for crimes against children.

We also introduced several new bills that we are driving through Parliament.

These pieces of legislation clamp down on gangs by doubling penalties for participation in a criminal gang, and make it easier for police to intercept gang communications.

They allow police to issue on-the-spot protection orders for suspected victims of domestic violence.

They put victims at the centre of the justice system by requiring offenders to pay into a Victim Compensation Fund.

They enable police to collect DNA from people they arrest and ‘intend to charge', and to match their DNA against samples from unsolved crimes.

And they would remove the right for the worst repeat violent offenders and the worst murderers to get parole.

We have started training new police officers to boost the number of frontline police by 600 before the end of 2011. This includes 300 new police officers for South Auckland.

We have also introduced legislation that targets youth offenders.

This gives the Youth Court the power to issue a new range of compulsory orders including parenting lessons, mentoring programmes, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

It extends the jurisdiction of the Youth Court to include 12-and 13 year-olds accused of serious offences. And it creates tougher, more effective sentences, including a military-style activity camp programme that targets the most serious young offenders. 

This programme will consist of up to three months residential training, using army-type facilities or training methods. It will provide clear boundaries, and reinforcement of self-discipline, personal responsibility, and community values. And it will include up to nine months of intensive support and mentoring to meet each young offender's individual needs.

But we also know that we can’t just tackle violent crime with a prison van at the bottom of the cliff.

That’s why last month Simon hosted a Ministerial Meeting on the Drivers of Crime attended by 100 experts from around the country. I expect this will, over time, lead to a number of initiatives that result in less crime, safer communities, and fewer victims.

Conclusion

Whether it is tackling violent crime, improving our health system, confronting rising electricity prices, or responding to the recession, the new Government is doing what we were voted in to do – take action on the issues that matter to New Zealanders.

We are delivering on the promises we made in the election campaign.

We are maintaining the entitlements that people receive – including NZ Super.

And we are protecting New Zealanders from the sharpest edges of the recession and preparing for future growth.

Before I go tonight, there is one last thing I want to say about the National-led Government and our relationship with you.

It’s the same thing I have been saying to audiences around the country. The government does not have the answer to every problem. There is only so much we can do. The challenges we face in this recession and in every policy area are challenges that we can only solve by working together with all New Zealanders.

I started this speech by acknowledging the huge contribution that older people make to their families, our communities, and our country.

And I want to end by pointing out that in these challenging times, your experience, your insights, and your wisdom are more valuable than ever.

Thank you very much.

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