Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to be part of this fantastic event.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to our international guests - the tourism buyers and international media – and to our New Zealand tourism operators, media, and invited guests.

To say I am blown away by the sheer scale of this event would be understating it.

To see more than 1,200 of you in one room brings home to me the vital importance of this industry. And the enthusiasm and excitement I have encountered during my walk around today, has reinforced my belief that tourism will play an ever-increasing role in taking this country forward.

This event proves there is huge confidence in New Zealand’s tourism sector, despite challenging times.

I know it isn’t easy doing business out there at the moment but your presence here, and the hard work and commitment you are putting into generating new and exciting business opportunities, should be applauded.

And while I am talking about hard work, may I take the opportunity to congratulate the Tourism Industry Association for a spectacular show.

This Government recognises the absolute importance of tourism to New Zealand’s economy.

In our first six months, we have:

• Made changes to the Resource Management Act to make things easier for small and medium enterprises.

• Invested $50 million into the New Zealand Cycleway project knowing that this will deliver jobs in the present, and an enduring, high-quality national tourism asset for the future.

• Funded a feasibility study into a large-scale convention centre that will be able to cater for conferences of up to 4,000 people.

• Approved an additional $2.5 million in government funding for marketing in Australia.

• Invested $440,000 to allow TIA to develop an Essential Skills training programme for tourism and hospitality workers.

There is more investment coming and together we will find solutions.

I want to talk to you about what I see as the most valuable tourism opportunity we have been presented with in recent times - and how I see us taking full advantage of that.

That opportunity is the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

The eyes of the world will be on New Zealand, with billions of television viewers and an estimated 70,000 fans here in person.

In short, this is the third-biggest sporting event on the planet.

This is an unprecedented chance to present the best of New Zealand to the world – and in doing so attract people to visit here and invest here.

We have been successful in securing games in 13 different venues from the top of the country to the bottom, and we must look after our guests in true Kiwi style.

We are doing all we can, as fast as we can.

The Eden Park resource consents have been approved, the redevelopment project is on time and on budget, and upgrades of other key stadia are also underway – some with government funding.

But it will be ordinary New Zealanders who will make the difference.

We are a not just a country of four million fans, we are a country of four million hosts.

It is through the involvement of all New Zealanders that we will maximise the experience for our visitors and send them away with a positive and warm impression of New Zealand.

We are working on involving the entire country in this opportunity, because it is the entire country that will reap the benefits.

The Rugby World Cup will leave us with a legacy that will extend far wider and far longer than the tournament itself.

Auckland will be a focus for the opening ceremony, and the last two weeks of the tournament when the semis and finals are on at Eden Park.

However it will also be the main gateway for international visitors.

Most great cities have great waterfronts.

Auckland is one of the most naturally endowed harbour cities in the world and we now need to make sure our main waterfront area lives up to that potential.

You will recall the transformation of the Auckland viaduct for the America’s Cup events a decade ago, and how this has remained a valuable and enduring legacy.

The Rugby World Cup presents an opportunity to further transform the Auckland waterfront - not just for the tournament, but as a legacy for all New Zealanders long after the visitors have gone home.

Over the past few weeks there has been a good deal of discussion, and even more speculation about the types of initiatives that might be taken by Auckland to maximise the impact of the Rugby World Cup in 2011.

That is a healthy process.

It is my view that there is an opportunity to turn Queens Wharf into an important public space.

This wharf has been waiting for an opportunity to be developed and opened up for years.

It should be a place of celebration, excitement, and fun for generations to come.

My vision is that it will be a place that all New Zealanders will be even more proud of - and a place that visitors and tourists will be drawn to, remember, and return.

I can confirm today that as a bare minimum we have secured Queens Wharf for a number of initiatives for the period of the Rugby World Cup.

At the very least this will see Queens Wharf loaned from the Ports of Auckland for the period of the Cup.

But I hasten to add that negotiations are continuing to purchase the wharf so it can be a legacy asset with a view to long-term development.

I have made it clear to the leaders of the region that this is an opportunity we must embrace. Over the coming days and weeks, through my Ministers, I expect urgent progress to be made.

The current agreement allows Queens Wharf to be the home of a Rugby World Cup ‘Live Site’ - a large open air space capable of hosting between 10,000 and 15,000 people.

This will be ‘party central’ - the focus of a mass public opening ceremony and the magnet for fans who can’t be at games during the six-week tournament.

In the event Queens Wharf is purchased, plans such as the development of an international cruise ship terminal would occur by 2011.

I see Queens Wharf as the cornerstone of this Rugby World Cup phase of the waterfront development.

However there are other major developments being pursued by the region as well.

The Jellicoe Street and North Wharf area will also be redeveloped by 2011. This will see the street and surrounding area developed into a high quality boulevard with shops, restaurants, working wharves, leisure attractions and a Rugby World Cup viewing area.

The result will be stunning.

I know Auckland City Council is also planning a Marine Events Centre for the Halsey Street extension wharf at Viaduct Harbour.

The completion date for the centre is being brought forward to have it ready by 2011. This large, multi-purpose events centre is yet another project that, combined with the others, will propel Auckland’s waterfront into a spectacular, world-class attraction.

It will make the New Zealand tourism industry richer.

Not just temporarily, through hotel nights, food, and entertainment for six weeks in 2011, but by leaving a legacy of infrastructure that will enhance the visitor experience long after the cheers have faded and the scores are forgotten.

It is unlikely this opportunity will present itself again.

The plan for Auckland’s waterfront could be a development whose speed and scale really does justify being called transformational – and of national and international importance.

This is they sort of action that I believe will help bring New Zealand out of this recession faster and in better shape.

It would show a confidence in ourselves and a belief we can make things happen.

We are a Government willing to act when the time is right.

However, this is not a decision we can make on our own.

Auckland needs to unite to bring this to fruition.

The Rugby World Cup will be a party on a scale never seen in this country before – but it will require Auckland to come to the party first.

My simple challenge to the leaders of this city is to make it happen.

Enjoy the rest of your conference – and thank you for inviting me.

Social Media