Thank you for the invitation to address your Biennial Conference. It's good to be here. 

I last addressed the CTU at your Productivity Conference in March. I enjoyed that opportunity and I was pleased to get a good hearing, so when Helen Kelly and Peter Conway asked me to address this conference I was keen to accept.

After all, despite our different perspectives, your union and our Government share many of the same hopes and concerns.

We're both relieved to be seeing the back of the recession.

We're both concerned to see as many Kiwis in work as possible. 

We're both worried about the gap between New Zealand and Australian wages. 

We both want to see a more productive New Zealand, with a better-skilled, higher-wage economy that produces goods and services valued throughout the world. 

These are goals I am keen to work with you to achieve. The Government values the co-operation we have with the CTU across a range of areas and we want it to continue.   

But I'm upfront about the fact that we don't and won't see eye to eye on every issue. 

I remain optimistic however that the sum of our disagreements is no match for our shared interests. After all, the workers whose interests you seek to represent are the same New Zealanders whose interests my Government seeks to represent. 

In my speech today I want to share with you my view of where the New Zealand economy is headed, the challenges and opportunities the Government sees ahead of us, and our take on some of the issues that are of particular concern to you and your members.

The Economic Outlook:  Challenges and Opportunities

Like you, I'm very pleased that we have technically moved out of recession and that we are in better shape than many other countries. 

But I'm as conscious as you are of the challenges that lie ahead. 

The unemployment rate has been growing, although I'm confident it will peak at a lower level than Budget forecasts.

The Government is trying to keep New Zealanders in work by supporting businesses to keep their staff, setting the conditions needed to give them confidence to take on new workers, and supporting individuals to get back into employment. 

We are particularly concerned about high rates of youth unemployment.

That's why in August I announced a $152m Youth Opportunities package that provides nearly 17,000 additional places for young people aged 16-24 to take part in work, education or training. It's a great package and it's making a big difference to a lot of young people. 

In addition to our concerns about unemployment, the Government is conscious that the hangover from the recession means many families are still finding it hard to keep up with the cost of living. 

That's why we're focused on unleashing New Zealand's growth potential - so that Kiwis can find and keep jobs, workers can get ahead and families can improve their living standards.

We can see that growth potential in individual New Zealanders, and we can see it in the country as a whole - whether it's our agriculture industry, our tourism sector or our innovative businesses.

The Government's economic vision is about unleashing this potential. It's about backing sectors with growth potential and ensuring government policies maximise New Zealanders' can-do attitude, their ingenuity and their work ethic.

Our work programme for achieving this revolves around six key economic drivers. They are tax, innovation, education and skills, infrastructure investment, better public services and regulatory reform.  

My Ministers are working hard on these drivers, and we're interested in your ideas in each area. I'm going to speak briefly about each today, as well as addressing some issues of particular concern to the CTU. 

1. A world-class tax system

The first driver we're working on is ensuring New Zealand has a world-class tax system.

We want to make sure our tax system doesn't hold back people's potential or dampen their aspirations. That means operating tax policies that don't get in the way of people working hard, investing and saving, and that support Kiwis in their efforts to get ahead and improve their living standards.

While New Zealand's current tax system is OK, there's always room for improvement. So together with Victoria University, we have established a Tax Working Group to consider the medium-term tax policy challenges facing New Zealand. It will report at the end of the year. 

I will have more to say about tax after that. You should be assured however that the Government doesn't propose to make any changes to our tax system unless we can be absolutely satisfied that the benefits outweigh any costs. In making that judgment, we will carefully consider the impacts for everyday New Zealanders and the equity and fairness implications for all. 

2.  Innovation and business assistance

The second driver we're working on is innovation and business assistance. This covers government and business investment in research and development, in innovation and in developing new markets and products. 

We're looking at ways we can improve the value of the Government's investment in these areas so that it maximises our economic opportunities. 

It's about ensuring Kiwi employers and entrepreneurs are encouraged to make the most of smart ideas, both at home and on the world stage.

It's about ensuring our firms have the R&D edge needed to get good prices for their products, so they can grow, take on new workers and pay them well.

And it's about ensuring our clever Kiwi companies are able to connect with overseas markets and sell their goods on the world stage.

3.  Investment in infrastructure

A third driver is investment in infrastructure.

For too long a lack of infrastructure investment has been holding back the growth potential of New Zealand.  

We want New Zealanders to have the reliable public infrastructure they need to do their jobs as well and productively as possible. 

The Government has embarked on a $7.5 billion boost in infrastructure investment over the next five years to achieve this. We will be building and upgrading schools, hospitals, and roads, improving the quality of the state housing stock, and investing in ultra-fast broadband. 

In February we decided to fast-track almost half a billion dollars worth of this infrastructure investment to support jobs during the recession. That meant the start dates for projects like the Victoria Park motorway project and the Kopu Bridge were brought forward, allowing construction to begin and workers to be hired. So all through the country the impact of the Government's infrastructure investment is already evident.

4.  Education and skills

A fourth key driver we have identified is education and skills. 

The Government and the CTU agree that to improve New Zealanders' wages and living standards we need to get better at producing the goods and services the world wants, and be paid more for them.

That's what productivity growth is about. It's not about making people work harder and harder. New Zealanders are already amongst the hardest workers in the OECD. It's about helping our people to work smarter.

That's why education and skills are so important. 

I think the New Zealand education system already has a lot going for it, and that we can be proud to boast some of the world's best teachers, researchers and institutions. 

But we all know that we can do better. I am particularly concerned with the long tail of underachievement in our schools, perhaps as big as one in five young people, who are not getting the skills they need to succeed.

That tail represents a huge slice of unrealised economic and social potential. 

The Government wants to reduce the number of young people slipping through the educational cracks.

That's why next year we're introducing National Standards in literacy and numeracy.  

National Standards will give schools and teachers clear expectations of what children should be achieving.

They will ensure parents are well informed about their children's progress.

And they will clearly identify the kids who are struggling and need extra help. 

For those teachers here today let me say that the Government wants National Standards to be an aid to better teaching and learning rather than a cause of resentment in the sector. I am backing my Education Minister 100 per cent on their implementation and I am confident that unions can work constructively with her to make this policy work.

The Government is also focused on expanding the learning options for secondary-age students. Because we all know that some kids are going to be much happier taking apart a car in class than studying Macbeth.

That's why we're developing Trades Academies, and looking at ways we can get schools, employers and polytechnics to work together better. It's also why we're introducing a Youth Guarantee that in its first phase next year will allow 2000 16 and 17 year olds to undertake fees-free study at tertiary institutions. 

We're also aware of the need to improve the skills of those New Zealanders already in the workplace and the Government is keen to engage the CTU further about the ways we can do this. 

The Minister of Labour will be chairing a revitalised Skills Forum to focus on what we can all do in this area. The continued leadership of the NZCTU in this forum, together with other social partners, will be critical to its success. 

5.  Better public services

The fifth driver in the Government's sights is delivering better, smarter public services. 

The wider public sector makes up around a quarter of economic activity in New Zealand, so what we do here can make a real difference to the overall performance of the economy. 

The expectations New Zealanders have of their public services are rightly high. The recession and the corresponding dent in the public finances, means meeting those expectations will be a real challenge over the next few years. 

In next year's Budget we only have $1.1 billion extra to invest across the entire public sector. This compares to an average of $2.8 billion extra a year in Labour's last five Budgets.

Making those dollars stretch, while also meeting the public's expectations for frontline services, will require innovation, new thinking and some difficult trade-offs. We will need to do some things differently and we will need to ensure we get maximum value for every dollar. 

Some of you might say that the way around this challenge is for the Government to borrow more, and to allow for bigger increases in spending. 

The truth is the Government will already be borrowing at an average rate of $250 million every week for the next four years. This means government debt will double by 2014.

Additional borrowing on that scale can't continue indefinitely. New Zealanders trust the Government to manage the country's books responsibly, and we are determined to do that. So we simply must get better bang for every taxpayer buck. 

It's my sense that those working in the public sector appreciate these challenges and are prepared to play their part in improving productivity and the delivery of public services. They understand the pressures the Government's finances are under and the need for very careful spending decisions. 

It's with this in mind that the Government has set out our expectations to Chief Executives about future pay negotiations. We have made it clear that settlements must be fiscally sustainable within baselines, they must be responsible and they must demonstrate value for money. 

So in the coming years you can expect all public sector pay demands will be subject to high levels of scrutiny. Chief Executives will have to weigh them up against other demands, and prioritise them accordingly. A climate of restraint will prevail. 

So my message on this issue is straightforward. Next year's public sector pay negotiations will take place in a seriously constrained funding environment.  Every dollar spent on wage increases will be a dollar that can't be spent on pressures elsewhere. And there are very few dollars for elsewhere as it is. 

We cannot escape this fact nor wish it away. 

6.  Regulatory reform

Finally, number six, regulatory reform. I don't pretend this is the rock-star of public policy, it's hardly sexy. But I do think it makes a difference. 

It's about ensuring there isn't red tape getting in the way of good ideas and that laws and regulations make New Zealand a better place to work and live.

It's in this context that the Government views employment law.

We think employment law should give employers the confidence to create new jobs and take on new employees and it should provide for fair and up-front working relationships.

Of course there is always a balance to be struck between ensuring employers aren't put-off hiring new staff on the one hand, and promoting workers rights and entitlements on the other hand.

Let me acknowledge today that there are a few areas of employment law where the Government and the CTU disagree about where that balance should be struck.

I'm not going to avoid talking about these areas today just because we disagree. But I do think they should be seen for what they are, a relatively small part of the Government's overall agenda. 

In our first 11 months in office we have progressed two key areas of employment law reform. 

The first was the introduction of a 90-day trial period for smaller employers.

I know your unions opposed that law. Well, let me give you my take. I think it's working. It's helping to ensure that those on the margins of the workforce, who might otherwise struggle to get a shot at a job, are getting a go.   

The Government has also put together a working group to look at how we can make the Holidays Act work better for employers and workers. I'm pleased the CTU is on that working group.

It reports back in December and it's my hope it will come up with sensible recommendations that will protect workers entitlements while making employers' obligations clearer.

Beyond these two areas, the National Party's election policy outlined some other possible areas for employment law reform. I know you are keen to hear how that work is progressing. 

Again, let me be upfront. I understand the Minister of Labour has taken a first look at these issues. The Cabinet is yet to consider any recommendations however. The fact that these issues have not been progressed more rapidly reflects where they sit in the Government's agenda - they're not a driving priority. 

That's not to say the Government is ruling out any future changes to employment law. We are a solutions-focused government, so if we can see employment law is causing serious problems for people, we will be prepared to look at it.

When I travel around the country people do raise employment law concerns with me from time to time. The most common problems they point to are with the confusing aspects of the Holidays Act, the lack of flexibility in the rest and meal breaks legislation and the potential abuse and costly nature of personal grievance processes.

The Government has responded to the first, we are responding to the second, and I'm flagging today that the Minister of Labour will take a look at personal grievance processes as well. 

ACC

Before I leave today, and in the spirit of the upfront discussion I want to have with you, let me take a moment to talk about the ACC issues that the Government is grappling with.

The National-led Government supports a comprehensive, 24/7, no-fault accident insurance scheme, that delivers certainty of coverage for New Zealanders. That is what ACC provides and that is what the Government is determined to maintain.  

However, we have been very concerned to learn that the ACC scheme is in financial dire straits. This is not a surprise we welcomed on assuming the Treasury benches.

Some have questioned whether it's truly the case. If only it weren't.  

The consensus is overwhelming. The ACC Board has confirmed it is the case, their independent actuaries Price Waterhouse Coopers Sydney have confirmed it, the Department of Labour's independent actuaries Finity Consulting have concurred. Even the Audit Office's independent auditors Ernst Young have verified the figures. 

Every single actuary and auditor who has looked at ACC's books has confirmed they're in trouble. You would be very hard-pressed to find a qualified auditor who has seen the books who would claim otherwise.

Whether we like it or not, the Government is now faced with the unenviable task of financially rescuing ACC. 

So the question for the Government is how we make up the funding shortfall.

The ACC Board has proposed a way forward - 64% hikes on levies for the Earners Account and 44% increases to levies on the Workers Account. 

I don't think levy hikes that big are fair on workers and I worry that imposing those hikes on employers could threaten jobs. But if the Government makes no changes to the law, that's what will happen. 

Some have said that all we need do is extend the period over which the scheme becomes ‘fully-funding'.

In fact we are already proposing to do that. The Bill we are introducing shifts the full-funding date from 2014 to 2019. But even with this change, the scheme still won't be in the black.  

So the Government has proposed further modest changes that strike a balance between levy increases on the one hand and reducing the scope of some unfunded entitlements on the other. 

Our Bill means that average levies will rise by a lot less than the ACC Board has been proposing. It's not a piece of legislation we're pleased to have to introduce. But the alternative is worse.  

Like you, I worry about what huge levy hikes would mean for families and I worry about the impact on jobs if we load those costs onto employers. 

In closing, I know the changes to ACC are controversial. I know your organisation has concerns about them. There will be a full Select Committee hearing on these proposals. I encourage you to put forward your views and I assure you that the Government will listen.

But let me be very clear about our motives - the Government is committed to saving the ACC scheme while minimising the cost burden on Kiwi families and that is what our proposed changes are designed to do. 

Conclusion

Looking back on the past six months since I last spoke to you, I can point to many areas where our interests have aligned.

In a way, the recession was a real driver for increased co-operation between the government, business and the unions.

The Job Summit was a case in point, where we all came together to devise ways of keeping Kiwis in work during the recession.

The summit inspired some great ideas and many of these came to fruition.  The nine-day fortnight, accelerated infrastructure investment, even the national cycleway. 

But more important than any one initiative was the clear understanding that we're all in this together.

I know the CTU and the Government will continue to disagree with each other on some issues. 

The reason I am here today however is that I think your members deserve a fair hearing and we deserve a fair hearing in return.

I look forward to continuing our discussions and working with you in the years ahead. Thank you.

It's great to be here once again. This is the third year in a row I have addressed your conference and it's an occasion I always enjoy.

This is of course the first time I address you as your Prime Minister. So today I won't just be talking about ideas, but I will also be highlighting action the new government has taken in the law and order area and action we will take in the near future. 

Because, make no mistake, improving law and order in New Zealand is a critical priority for the National-led Government. Our actions over the past 11 months have reflected that priority. 

That's because, like you, we share New Zealanders' concerns about growing levels of violent crime. We are determined to make our communities safer and to promote the security of law-abiding families. 

Those goals simply cannot be achieved without you, the officers of the New Zealand Police Service.   

Today I would like to thank you and the 11,880 or so police around the country for all that you do in service of this country. Your dedication, your sense of duty and your courage set you apart as the guardians and heroes of our communities. 

It takes a special person to take on the sacrifice and risk that so often comes with your role. That fact is highlighted when we remember those officers who have died in the line of duty in the past year. 

Let me acknowledge them:

Senior Constable Len Snee, fatally wounded in Napier on 7 May this year. 

Sergeant Don Wilkinson killed at Mangere on September 11 2008.

In seeking to protect their fellow New Zealanders and uphold the rule of law, these officers paid the ultimate price. 

My thoughts go out to their families, and indeed the families of all police whose support you depend on. 

Your work is incredibly important and it is highly valued by those you serve. Whether it's working with troubled young people, breaking up gangs, investigating homicides, or helping out with Disaster Victims Identification, the face of the New Zealand Police Service is one of professionalism and integrity. 

Most importantly, yours is the face of law enforcement.

In my speech today I want to focus on the steps the Government is taking to support you in that role.   

Since coming to office, National has worked hard to make this country a safer place for law-abiding New Zealanders, and a much tougher place for criminals.  We have used all the levers of Government in support of that goal; our law-making powers, our funding ability, and our leadership role.  

We've also brought some clear values to the law and order agenda.  

We believe improving public safety means ensuring there are appropriate consequences for offenders.

That requires laws that make it clear to those who threaten public safety that their behaviour is unacceptable and will be punished accordingly.  The policies of this Government reflect that belief and they will continue to do so. 

We also believe that the police make up the critical frontline of crime-fighting in New Zealand and that the Government must back them accordingly. That means ensuring you have the mandate, the legal back-up and the crime-fighting tools you need to work effectively.

That's why we have implemented policies to ensure there are more police on our streets, that you have better tools for protecting yourselves and the public from criminals, and that you are backed up by the legal powers you need to secure prosecutions.

Finally, this Government understands that the responsibility for preventing crime occurring does not fall solely on the police. To make our communities safer the Government must focus on the drivers of crime and ensure we tackle the root-causes of criminal offending. 

That's why this Government has focused so much attention on fighting criminal gangs, on reducing youth offending and on ensuring more of our young people get the start they need in life. 

Those are the values we have brought to Government.

When I spoke at your conference last year, those values were reflected in the announcement I made about the first 10 steps in National's Action Plan for Violent Crime.

It's worth revisiting those steps to measure the progress we have made.

1. Our first pledge was to clamp down on criminal gangs and the "P" trade they support.

We have acted on this pledge. 

We've given police the legislative teeth you need to recover property and proceeds of crime from criminals.   We have passed the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery Act) and the Sentencing Amendment Act. 

We have also directed that we're not just going to take away gangs' profits; we're also going to use those profits against them.  We will ensure that the ill-gotten gains of criminal activity are poured back into the fight against gangs and drugs. 

In addition, within our first 100 days of office, we introduced the Gangs and Organised Crime Bill. This legislation will be passed as a matter of priority. It doubles the penalty for participation in a criminal gang, gives police greater powers to investigate gang members and enables removal orders for gang fortifications.

It is supported by new Search and Surveillance and Anti-Money Laundering Bills.    These too will give police extra powers for investigating and fighting gang operations.

Finally, last week I launched the Government's Action Plan for tackling P. 

The plan calls on the full force of our arsenal. 

In addition to coming down on gangs, it restricts access to the precursor chemicals gangs use to make P; it establishes dedicated Customs drug-forces to stop drugs and precursors coming through the border; it provides 3000 more treatment places to get P users off the drug; it supports families and communities to resist P use and it provides the leadership and accountability needed to make sure we get results.

The Police Association has been warning about the P-problem for more than a decade. This Government has listened, and the Action Plan I announced last week is our response.

Taken together, our actions are sending a clear message to gangs and those involved in the P-trade: the Government is coming after your business and we will use every tool we can to destroy it. We will be ruthless in our pursuit of you and our actions will reflect that.

2. Our second pledge was to tackle increasing violent youth crime by bolstering the Youth Court with a range of new interventions and sentences.

We have acted on this pledge.

We have introduced new legislation and $82 million in new funding to support a strengthened range of up to 3000 new interventions for young offenders. 

Like you, we know that the young offenders of today are the unexploded time bombs of tomorrow.

We also know that we have the power to turn young people off a life of crime, if we get in early and intervene effectively.

Thanks to our new Fresh Start youth justice initiatives, from next year the following will be possible:

• Up to 1000 more young people a year will take part in Community Youth Programmes. These will be designed to keep at-risk young people out of court.  We will be calling on the proven success of the Police in running these kinds of programmes and we look forward to working with you to deliver them.   

We're also giving the Youth Court the ability to ensure that:

• Up to 300 more offenders a year can take part in a mentoring programme,
• 230 more can take part in alcohol and drug treatment and
• Up to 700 families of youth offenders take part in parenting programmes.

We're also funding new intensive programmes to change the behaviour of young offenders and get them back on the rails. These programmes are about instilling self-discipline, a sense of personal responsibility and clear boundaries.  We are increasing funding over time so there are hundreds of new places in these programmes:

• Up to 200 young offenders will be able to take part in 10-day long Youth Court supervised activity camps.
• More than 200 will be placed in innovative new youth justice programmes designed by experts. 
• Up to 30 young offenders will be placed on electronic bail.
• 175 more places will be created in supported bail programmes.
• 50 more hard-end young offenders will be able to take part in Supervision with Activity programmes of up to six months
• And 40 of the most troubled offenders will be able to take part in residential military-activity camps.

Taken together, the Government's Fresh Start package will help turn more young people off a life of crime, it will help make our communities safer and it will save lives.

3. Our third pledge was to toughen the bail laws and make it harder for criminals awaiting trial to get bail.

We have acted on this pledge. 

We passed the Bail Amendment last year to ensure that criminals who pose a risk to public safety can be remanded in custody.  This overturned the 2007 changes that had made our bail laws easier on criminals and harder on the public. 

We heard the fierce criticism those changes received from victims. We too were shocked that of the 5000 more offenders bailed under Labour's law, more than a third were facing serious violent charges including manslaughter and murder. 

So we acted. For the line-ball decisions, we changed the law and returned the benefit of the doubt to the public, rather than the accused. 

Looking ahead, we are also doing a review of specific aspects of bail to make sure it is effective as possible in protecting the safety of the public. 

4. Our fourth pledge was to remove the right of the worst repeat violent offenders to be released on parole.

We have acted on this pledge.

Within our first 100 days of office we introduced legislation to restrict eligibility for parole for the worst repeat violent offenders and to those accused of the worst murders. 

This legislation makes it clear that parole is a privilege not a right. The Bill is at Select Committee and a report-back is due late next month. 

5. Our fifth pledge was to train 600 additional sworn police officers.

We have acted on this pledge.

Even amidst the toughest economic times, our first Budget provided an additional $180 million for 600 extra police.

By the end of next year there will be extra 300 police in Counties Manukau, and by the end of 2011 there will be an additional 300 police throughout the rest of the country.

We also wanted to ensure that all police had a better means of protecting yourselves from dangerous, violent offenders. That's why in our first Budget we provided $10 million for the national roll-out of tasers. 

6. Our sixth pledge was to make it easier for police to catch and prosecute criminals by giving you the power to take DNA from people arrested for imprisonable offences.

We have acted on our pledge.

In our first 100 days of office we introduced legislation that will give you the power to collect DNA from people you intend to charge and match it against samples from unsolved crime scenes. This is the modern-day fingerprint and it will be a critical tool in helping police make New Zealand a safer place. 

This legislation has been reported back to the House by the Select Committee and getting it passed is a high priority in the Government's parliamentary agenda. 

7. Our seventh pledge was to give police the power to issue on-the-spot protection orders to help protect victims of domestic violence. 

We have acted on this pledge.

In our first 100 days of office we introduced the Domestic Violence (Enhancing Safety) Bill that will give police that power and allow sentencing judges to issue protection orders on behalf of victims. That Bill is now at the Committee stage of the parliamentary process and is tagged as a high priority for enactment.

8. Our eighth pledge was to set up a Victims Compensation Scheme funded by a levy on criminals, and to use those funds to upgrade services for victims.

We have acted on this pledge. 

In our first 100 days of office we introduced the Sentencing (Offender Levy) Amendment Bill. We will pass this law in time to ensure that levy collection commences from 1 July next year. Our first Budget also provided the $2.3 million needed to get the scheme up and running.  

This levy will help address the financial costs that fall on victims of crime and ensure that offenders are obliged to help address the harm that criminal behaviour causes victims.

We have also progressed a Bill which will ensure that victims of crime no longer have to be means-tested for the legal aid associated with attending inquests and Parole Board hearings. 

In addition we are reviewing the Victims Rights Act and victims' services generally, to reduce the impact of crime on victims by protecting them from potentially alienating experiences in the criminal justice system. 

And we have introduced legislation to remove the Provocation Defence from the Crimes Act. 

We believe this defence enabled offenders to use their defence to tarnish the character of their victims. It effectively provided a defence for lashing out in anger, and rewarded a lack of self control. So we are acting to change it.

9. Our ninth pledge was to increase the maximum sentences for offenders who commit acts of violence and abuse against children.

We have acted on this pledge.

Last year we passed the Sentencing (Offences against Children) Amendment Act.  This requires the Court to take into account the defencelessness of children when it sentences offenders.

We have also introduced a Child Family Protection Bill which gives the Courts some additional powers to protect children and families from all forms of violence and abuse. 

We are continuing to do work in this area, so we can ensure our laws send a clear message that crimes against children are utterly abhorrent to our society and should be punished accordingly. We will be making further announcements about this in the near future. 

10.   Our final pledge was to make our prisons work smarter by increasing drug and alcohol rehab and compulsory work programmes for prisoners.

We have acted on that pledge. 

We are funding an additional three Drug Treatment Units in our prisons, which will by 2011 double the number of prisoners able to undertake rehabilitation.

We are also ensuring 1000 extra prisoners will learn industry-based skills in prison. 

Taken together these policies will help reduce the reoffending rates of ex-prisoners.  They will result in fewer victims, a reduction in the cost of crime and safer communities. 

New Challenges

Ladies and gentlemen, these are the steps the National Party pledged to take and these are the actions the National-led Government has taken so far. 

It's been a very busy few months.

We have also been responsive in the face of emerging challenges.

Our response to the ‘boy-racer' problem is a good example of that. 

The cowardly attack on Sergeant Nigel Armstrong in Christchurch by a mob of illegal street racers and their friends was the last straw for the Government.

You the police told us you needed better tools for dealing with these offenders. The National-led Government listened to you and we took action.  

We have introduced legislation that will make it harder for illegal street racers to avoid penalty. It will also prevent some of the increasingly violent behaviour we are seeing when groups of illegal street racers get together.  

As we look to the future we can be sure that new challenges will emerge.

My pledge to you is that my Government will remain vigilant in our pursuit of safer communities.

Our actions will reflect that pledge.

I am conscious that we will do so against the backdrop of a challenging fiscal environment.

The Crown accounts are forecast to be in deficit for the next decade. Government debt is growing. There will be very little money available for additional public spending.

That presents a challenge for the Government as we try and get better value for every taxpayer dollar. 

It also presents a challenge for you as police, as you too try to achieve more within tighter Budgets. The Minister of Police has made it clear to the Commissioner that these decisions must be made very carefully so as not to jeopardise the safety of the public.

I think the police are well-placed to rise to this challenge. 

For one thing, the addition of 600 new officers to your ranks puts you in a position of strength. This extra manpower means you will increasingly be able to focus on the kind of proactive community policing that can prevent future crime from happening. 

As I travel around the country I hear numerous stories about the great proactive work police are already doing in their communities. 

The "Safer Porirua" project is a good local example, where police got together with the Porirua City Council and community agencies to improve public safety in their area. I've been told that the results have been huge, with reports of; improved public perceptions of safety, the lowest crime rates in the Wellington region, a reduced rate of serious and fatal road injuries, international accreditation as an "International Safe Community" and the Supreme Public Sector Excellence Award.

As you well know, police are taking the initiative on this kind of thing all over the country. Whether it's Blue Light programmes diverting young people from criminal careers, work with local high schools, or work with at-risk families and neighbourhoods. 

This isn't the side of policing that shows up in the arrest statistics but it is incredibly important, and ultimately it has the power to reduce our crime rates. With more police on the beat, more of this kind of work will be possible, and more crime will be prevented. That's a smart approach for the future and it's one this Government is keen to see more of.   

I also think that as we look to the future new technology will help you save time on form-filling and administration so that you can commit more time to frontline duties. 

Finally, you should know that the Government understands it is not the police alone who should be charged with responsibility for making our communities safer.

In fact, we all have a role to play in reaching that goal.  We all have a role in addressing the drivers of crime and making New Zealander a better, safer place to live.   

The Government is working hard to lead that progress and address those drivers of crime. 

It's about strengthening our economy to provide more jobs and better living standards. 

It's about making our education system more effective so that fewer young people fall through the cracks.

It's about providing better support to vulnerable families and the children they are raising.

It's about many actions that, taken together, add up to a stronger, more prosperous, country.

These are the priorities your Government is focused on. 

In closing, let me wish you all the best for an excellent conference

The New Zealand Police Service has a critical role to play in making this country a better place. 

I value your service and your hard work and I thank you for it. 

Know that when you leave this conference, and return to your daily work of serving this country, you will be backed your fellow New Zealanders and you will be backed by this Government. 

Thank you. 

Thank you for being here.

Let me acknowledge my Ministerial colleagues.  Let me also acknowledge our serving police officers, customs officers, treatment providers, community workers, volunteers and all of you who care deeply about New Zealand.

It is my privilege to regularly meet with groups like this one to celebrate some of the success stories of our country. 

Today my speech has a different purpose.  I want to talk about a problem that is wrecking lives, wrecking families and fuelling crime.

I'm here to speak about "P".  Methamphetamine, crank, ice, crystal.  Call it what you will.

Everyone in this room knows something of its horrors.  Some of you will have family members or friends who have struggled, or who are still struggling with it.  All have heard stories about the harm it does.

‘P' is a seriously addictive, viciously destructive drug. It's hugely damaging to those who take it and the people who share their lives. It comes hand in hand with violence. It allows gangs and organized crime to flourish. It entices young people into criminal careers. 

P hurts not just users and their families but also law-abiding New Zealanders who suffer from the crime it creates. 

To fuel their habit, many P addicts steal from others, typically stealing $1840 worth of goods each month to fuel their habit. They also finance their habit by dealing drugs in our communities, with a typical P user selling drugs worth up to $5100 a month to our children and loved ones. 

We have all read about the hideous violent crimes that have been committed by P users.  A P-fuelled car chase down the Auckland motorway ending in the death of an innocent 17 year old.   A samurai sword-wielding man on a violent rampage. William Bell and the RSA shootings.

Sadly, P is a very New Zealand problem.  We have one of the highest proportion of P users in the world.   

Some say we can't fight it. It's been around too long. The gangs will never give up.  There's nothing we can do. 

I don't accept that.  And this National-led Government won't accept that.

We will confront the P problem, using the full force of the Government's arsenal. 

My speech today will outline our plans for doing that.

My announcements draw on the work of a cross-Government taskforce that has been led by my Department for the past four months.

It's called on the best experts available, including my Chief Scientist Professor Sir Peter Gluckman. It's involved people who have been battling P for years including treatment providers, frontline police officers, Customs officials, researchers and community action groups.  

I have valued the input of Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne as we have put this plan together. He is delegated with responsibility for the National Drug Policy and he will have a critical role in making our plan against P work. 

I set up that taskforce with a clear mission.  Tell us what we can do to tackle P.

The resulting government action plan on methamphetamine contains a comprehensive set of policy changes.

Let me share its highlights.  The Government's plan has five main prongs:

1. We will restrict access to the precursor chemicals P is made from.

2. We will use new powers to break drug supply chains by attacking the gangs and criminal organisations that make, supply and distribute P.

3. We will ensure more P addicts get the treatment they need to quit by providing more treatment capacity and better routes into treatment.

4. We will support families and communities to stop people from becoming P users in the first place.

5. We will provide the leadership needed to ensure that government agencies charged with the responsibility for tackling P get results.

I'm going to outline each of these steps in some detail. 

Controlling Precursors

The first step is about making it harder for people to make P in New Zealand by controlling the availability of precursor chemicals.

As you may know, the main precursor chemical for the making of P is pseudoephedrine.

In New Zealand, pseudoephedrine (or PSE) can be bought over the pharmacy counter in a range of cold and flu medications.

What seems like straight-forward pain and symptom relief to you and me is gold to a drug-cook. 

It's just about all a first time P cook needs to get their drug enterprise started. That's why P cooks are prepared to pay crews of workers to buy it up at pharmacies. And it's why they have developed sophisticated techniques for manipulating pharmacists into giving it to them. 

Of course PSE is also sourced from offshore. However Police find evidence of domestically-bought cold and flu medication in up to one third of the P labs they bust each year.

So there's no doubt that the PSE available in many cold and flu medications is fuelling our P problem.  

That's unacceptable to me.

But I do accept that PSE offers relief from cold symptoms to many New Zealanders.

So the question is, can we provide that same level of relief while also restricting the availability of P to drug-cooks?

That's what I asked my Chief Science Advisor.

Professor Gluckman advises that clinical evidence shows there is a safe and effective alternative to PSE available for cold and flu relief.  It's already being used in up to three quarters of the cold and flu medications Kiwis use.  It's called phenylephrine.

For most people, medications based on this chemical are just as effective as those containing PSE.   

However, there's still a small group of people who may in some circumstances benefit from using PSE-based products instead.  

Based on this advice, and the advice of drugs experts, the Government has decided to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 to make pseudephedrine a Class B2 controlled drug. This will make pseudoephedrine a prescription-only medication. 

Legislation to achieve this will be introduced to Parliament shortly. 

When this law change is enacted it will mean that - as with other Class B2 controlled drugs - very tight restrictions will apply to the circumstances in which a doctor can prescribe pseudoephedrine and the quantities and way in which they can prescribe it. 

However, the alternative - phenylephrine -  will continue to be available in over-the-counter medication. 

This will be a blow to P cooks, and it's a blow I'm pleased to be delivering.

Happily, professor Gluckman has advised that we can be confident this decision won't affect the health of everyday Kiwis. 

I am also prepared to take further action if need be.

The Government's Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD) has made a preliminary recommendation that pseudoephedrine should in future be de-listed as a medicine altogether, meaning it would not be available on prescription. 

Before authorising an outright ban of this sort, I first want to see how effective the new restrictions are and to gather more information.

Accordingly I have asked Medsafe to review the status of PSE as a medicine under the Medicines Act.   If they did recommend a ban, and the Government went ahead with it, I am advised that patients with a specific medical need for pseudoephedrine could still have access to it in tightly controlled circumstances.

I am also concerned about the seemingly ready availability of some of the other chemicals used in the production of P.

Stories of retailers selling in bulk are worrying.  But at the same time I don't want to unduly restrict the availability of these chemicals for law-abiding citizens.  There is a balance to be struck.

So I have asked Ministers Dunne and Collins to examine further means of restricting criminals' access to other chemicals involved in P production. They will report back to me with their recommendations by no later than May next year.

Breaking Gangs and Drug Supply Chains

The second part of the Government's plan is about coming down on the gangs and organized crime syndicates who peddle P for a business.

We know they will respond to a pseudoephedrine ban by trying to get more precursors and P in from overseas, through our ports and through our mail system. 

We will be ready for them.                                                   

At my direction, the New Zealand Customs Service is mobilising its resources against the trafficking of P and its precursors.

Today I am pleased to announce that Customs is establishing new dedicated anti-drug taskforces. 

Customs will direct these taskforces to undertake a series of high-intensity detection and investigation operations aimed at increasing the seizures of P and its precursors.

These taskforces will have access to the specialist detection equipment needed to blitz the channels that P smugglers use to import drugs and precursors into New Zealand.

More than 40 Customs officers will be redeployed to these specialist drug-taskforce duties.

Their work will include undertaking intensive inspection exercises to detect P and its precursors in cargo, fast freight and mail streams.  They will use new techniques that allow them to detect who is bringing in the P, who they're bringing it in for and when they're doing it. 

I'm not going to give the P smugglers a tip-off by revealing what those techniques are.  But what I can tell you is that a trial of them has been very successful. 

Over a two week period in August Customs trialled their new anti-P approach.  It resulted in 26 separate seizures totalling 46 kg of methamphetamine precursors.  This single operation resulted in seven arrests and it prevented the manufacture of up to 13kgs of P, representing a street value of up to $13m.

The impact of this operation on P dealers was swift.  Our intelligence tells us that as a result P became harder to obtain and the street price for precursors spiked.

And all that was achieved in just two weeks. So you can be sure, with the specialist taskforces running on a regular basis, P smugglers will find it very tough.

But breaking up drug supply chains is about more than what happens at the border.

It's also about the gangs and organized crime syndicates who make P in clandestine labs, distribute it, peddle it to users, and profit from its use. 

My Government is coming after them as well.

In response to the priority I have placed on tackling P, the New Zealand Police have developed a new Methamphetamine Control Strategy, which will be operating from November this year.

The Strategy is about disrupting and undermining P-related criminal activity.  It specifically aims to:

• Use intelligence in new ways to target gangs,
• work with customs to investigate syndicates who bring in P precursors illegally,
• target P cooks and
• seize funds and assets gained through P-related activity.

I won't go into much more detail than that today.  Because if I reveal the specific Police plans we can be sure the P dealers will adapt accordingly.

You can be sure that the Police will have more tools for fighting P at their disposal than ever before. 

Critically, their strategy will make use of the new legal powers this government is making available to the Police through our range of tough new anti-gang legislation.

These include:

• The Gangs and Organised Crime Bill.  When enacted this will give Police new powers to disrupt criminal gangs involved in the P-trade, including new powers to intercept gang communications, meaning they will find it easier to prosecute key gang figures.  It will also strengthen the law that makes it an offence to be a member of a criminal organisation, double the penalty, and make gang membership an aggravating factor in sentencing. 
• The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Bill.  When enacted this will help detect and trace the profits of domestic criminal groups.
• The Search and Surveillance Bill. When enacted this will provide a more powerful search and surveillance regime, with new examination powers, more straight-forward rules around the use of surveillance devices, and enhanced powers to retrieve electronic evidence.

Most importantly, the new strategy will see Police using new legal tools to hit the gangs where it hurts the most.  In the back-pocket.

The Criminal Proceeds (Recovery Act) and the Sentencing Amendment Act we passed this year make it easier for Police to recover property and proceeds of crime from criminals. 

I expect the Police to use these new powers to take the criminal profits from those who make money from the drug trade.  Because I want to see these ill-gotten gains used to control the drug market. 

So today I am announcing that the recovered proceeds of crime that are returned to the Crown will be used to fund anti-P initiatives. This will include additional Police and Customs initiatives to fight gangs and organised crime syndicates. And it will include expanding drug treatment services. 

We will take the profits from the criminals and use them to heal those they have harmed. 

My message to gangs is clear:  this government is coming after your business and we will use every tool we have to destroy it.  We will be ruthless in our pursuit of you and the evil drug you push. 

Better treatment for P-users

Ladies and gentlemen, I am convinced that the two parts of the plan I have just outlined will make a dent in P supply, and ensure there is less of it in our communities.

But they alone won't be enough. 

Because for as long as we have large numbers of P users, and for as long as there are people who want to experiment with P, this ugly problem will plague our country. 

So the announcements I am making today are about fighting criminals.  But they are also about reducing demand for P, by helping addicts quit and deterring new users.

At the moment, too many P users who are ready to quit are not getting the help they need, when they need it.

Earlier this year the New Zealand Herald ran a series of stories about the effects P has on our communities.

One mother told of her desperate attempts to get her son into detox. 

After four years on the drug and constant urging by his family he had finally realised he needed to stay in a specialist addiction service.

But the shortage of treatment beds meant there wasn't a place available. He would have to wait for five to seven weeks.

She watched him cry on the phone, begging to get treatment.

He struggled for several weeks, but without the treatment he needed, fell back into his addiction.

The mother said that for her family it was like holding their breath and waiting and hoping they would get back their happy, wholesome son, brother and father.  They sought help and were told to keep waiting. 

I am determined to do better for families like those.

I am determined to help more P users to quit for life.

So today I am announcing the development of a dedicated treatment pathway for P users.

Starting this year the Ministry of Health will invest an extra $22m in the clinical services needed to ensure there is P treatment available for more than 3000 additional patients over the next three years. 

This investment will be made across different addiction services that cater to the varying needs and backgrounds of P users.

I have asked the Ministry of Health to make their investment wisely, and to ensure that only proven providers are funded to provide these services.

The Government's investment will allow around 2700 additional people to have ready access to one of 20 dedicated new ‘social detox' beds.

These are specialist services where addicts can get the immediate intensive support they need to address their P problem, and that will link them with the follow-up services in their community to help them stay off the drug.

The new funding will also allow up to 400 additional patients to get a longer course of treatment in one of 60 new residential beds that we will fund in specialist facilities, with treatment lasting up to four months. That's a 60 per cent increase in the amount of residential addiction treatment available. 

It's a huge step forward.  But it won't happen immediately.    

It's critical we ensure that these addiction and treatment services are staffed by properly trained employees and proven providers.  There simply aren't enough experts to dramatically expand addiction services overnight. But we can start improving them right now and keep building on them year after year.

So the Government's investment will build up over three years, with up to 700 additional patients receiving treatment over the next year, increasing to 1040 the year after that, and 1400 at full roll out.

This investment will make a difference to hundreds of families. But I don't pretend it will be enough to turn all P users away from their habit. Because some simply won't put their hands up for treatment.

We must to do all we can to encourage them.

Part of the responsibility for doing that falls on Government. 

Police and the Courts already have the power to divert known P-users into treatment.  I have asked my Ministers to ensure they are doing all they can to ensure this power is used wherever appropriate. 

But I am also making it clear to other government agencies that they have a role in helping P addicts get treatment. 

If someone turns up at a Work and Income office for example with obvious signs of P addiction then I want the Work and Income officer to know what he or she can do to help them. 

So I've asked the Ministry of Health to report back to Cabinet early next year about how we can ensure all frontline government staff are properly equipped to provide P users with the information and support they need to get treatment. 

In most cases however, we have to accept that the Government doesn't have the most important role in getting P users into treatment.

Instead, that burden lies with the family and loved ones of P users.

They are the ones who best know the havoc that P addiction wreaks upon their sisters, daughters, brothers and husbands.

So it worries me greatly when I hear stories of families who are at their wits-end trying to get a user to face up to their P-problem.

Too often, they find themselves without the support they need to intervene.

My Government is going to do better for these families.

For a start we will beef up and promote the alcohol and drug helpline so that people know who to call and can get expert help if they're worried about someone using P.

We will also ensure there's a better website with dedicated information on P use, and advice about what they can do to help.

Most importantly, I want to give families and medical professionals the power to help those who aren't ready to help themselves.

It's deeply sad to hear stories of families who know their loved one has a severe P addiction, who can see the harm that addiction is doing to themselves and the people around them, but who are powerless to force them to get help. 

Evidence suggests that once addicts are de-toxed from the drug, they are more able to make rational decisions and accept treatment.  So we need to get them to that first step, get the drug out of their system and get them into effective treatment. 

Right now the only relevant legal tool available to families who want to force their loved ones into treatment is the Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Act 1966. This Act is outdated and little used. 

It's time there was a more effective legal means for families and doctors to get P addicts into compulsory assessment and treatment.

So I have asked the Minister of Health to review the Drug Addiction Act to ensure that compulsory assessment treatment for severe alcohol and other drug dependence is readily available by civil court order. 

Some may argue this is an incursion on the rights of individual drug users.  Well I say that ignoring their problems isn't good enough.  We have a responsibility to free them from their addiction, if forcing them into treatment is the way to achieve that then so be it.

Supporting whanau and communities to resist drugs and help users into recovery

The steps I have just outlined focus on treating known P users. But we also have to prevent new people getting hooked on P. 

I'm interested in what works. And I'm advised that the best tool we have for putting people off drug abuse is ensuring they get good advice from the people they are closest to, the people they look up to and respect in their own communities.  It could be a family member, a teacher, a coach, a kaumatua or their friends.

So if we're going to get on top of P then every New Zealand community needs to take ownership of the problem.   Our schools, whanau, clubs, and businesses all have a role to play in stamping out P use.

Our Government will help them do that. 

We will promote new Drug Education Guidelines for schools and as I outlined earlier we'll be promoting the drug and alcohol helpline and improving online advice.

We will also continue to fund ‘Community Action on Youth and Drugs' programmes in 29 parts of the country. These programmes support schools, sports clubs and other groups to keep people off drugs. I've directed that they include a specific focus on stamping-out P.

But I know that the efforts of non-Government organisations are just as valuable as our own. I'm heartened by the great work we're seeing these groups do in our communities, and the willingness talented people are showing to help fight P.

In the audience today are members of the Stellar Trust, which is one example of the kind of voluntary organisation that the Government wants to work with as we tackle P.   Today let me acknowledge all those involved in fighting P, and thank you, and others in organizations like yours, for all your efforts. 

We need your help, we are very grateful for it and we want to work alongside you. 

You have a vital role in ensuring fewer people try P and in making our families and communities stronger to fight against it. 

Leadership and Accountability

Ladies and gentlemen, in speaking of these plans I am conscious that their success will depend on the efforts of our frontline government agencies.  Our Police, customs officers, health and other workers. 

I will make their Chief Executives accountable for delivering on this plan. 

They will have to report to me every six months on the actions in the plan, the impact they're having and the progress they are making. 

These indicators will be very clearly set out in a public document I will release next week.  They will be clear, measurable and individual departments will be held responsible for achieving them.

If departments don't make progress towards this plan they will answer to me. I will expect their best efforts and, in return, where they are struggling the Government will stand ready to act. 

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, I don't see the announcements I have made today as the conclusion of all that we will do on P.  These are critical steps.  But if further action is warranted, we will take it.  I am confident that with a clear focus we can make progress together. 

But I'm also realistic about how big the problem is.

I'm not going to claim that when this plan is fully rolled out P will be stamped out for good.  I'd love to promise you that, but I can't.

Throughout the world, wherever leaders have promised to stamp out drug use altogether they have found that to be an elusive goal.  Because drug-dealers and drug-users are notoriously adaptable. 

That's why we have to come at the problem from all directions.  By cracking down on precursors, breaking supply chains, providing better routes into treatment, supporting families and communities and strengthening leadership and accountability.

None of these steps will work in isolation. 

But I am confident that, taken together, they will make a difference.

That difference will save lives.

It will reduce the amount of P on our streets.

It will give families hope.

It will make P dealing harder for gangs. 

It will make our communities safer.

It will free people from the pain of addiction. 

If we can make progress towards those goals we will make this country greater.

We can make that progress, we will make that progress, and that's why I'm proud to be tackling P.

I look forward to working with you to do that.     

Thank you.  

E nga mana

E nga reo

E nga hau e wha

Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa

To the powers

To the voices

To the four winds

I greet you all

Mr President; Distinguished representatives of the States of the United Nations; Mr Secretary General.

I have addressed this Assembly in te reo Mäori, the indigenous language of New Zealand, and I bring warm Pacific greetings from all New Zealanders.

I am deeply honoured to lead New Zealand's delegation to this General Assembly for the first time.

Like every New Zealand Prime Minister since 1945, I stand here today to reaffirm my country's commitment to this United Nations and to the United Nations Charter.

The founding members of the United Nations gathered in San Francisco in 1945 to create this Organisation out of the ashes of the most destructive war and the most debilitating economic depression in modern history.

They believed in the ‘larger freedom' of a world where collective action might avert common crises. 

They believed in the Rule of Law, where all States would be held to a universal standard, and in a world where all peoples, faiths and cultures, could flourish. 

They believed in a future where every human being would be ‘free from want', and ‘free from fear'.

And they wanted an international organisation and architecture that could deliver on those beliefs.

Distinguished representatives, New Zealand was active among those founding members in San Francisco.

And, as a small, independent, and diverse country in the Pacific, New Zealand still has a stake in this United Nations - this great meeting place of all States.

I have benefited personally from efforts to secure these ideals.

My family fled persecution in Europe, and I was privileged to grow up in a new world where a child of immigrants is now accorded the extraordinary privilege of leading his country and addressing this Assembly on its behalf. 

Distinguished representatives, we meet at a time of many challenges.

With 130 Heads of State and Government assembled here this week, this General Assembly represents our greatest opportunity since the World Summit in 2005 to reaffirm our collective resolve.

New Zealand embraces this opportunity.

Today I will focus on some of the most pressing issues demanding our collective response.  

Mr President, the crisis in the global economy continues.

We must remain resolute in our efforts to stabilize the global economy to enable a return to sustainable growth.

New Zealand welcomes the actions of the G20 over the past year. But in commending these efforts, we call on the G20 to heed the voice of the world's small economies and to ensure they are also heard in global decision-making.

Distinguished representatives, free and fair trade will be the principal engine for driving developing countries out of poverty and bringing greater prosperity to all.

An essential component in our response to the global economic crisis must therefore be a balanced and ambitious conclusion to the Doha Round of world trade talks.

A genuinely global agreement that reduces tariffs, eliminates export subsidies, reduces domestic subsidies and increases market access will see benefits flow to all States.

At a time when all countries are suffering from the brunt of the current economic crisis, further delay is inexcusable.

As one of the world's first truly open economies, New Zealand has an unwavering commitment to trade liberalization and to the pursuit of bilateral, regional and global free trade agreements.

We support the call of the UN Secretary-General for the immediate suspension of price controls and other agricultural trade restrictions to reduce soaring food prices and help millions cope with the highest food prices in thirty years.

And so, I call on all those States and groupings that have broken their undertakings and reintroduced protectionist measures to reconsider.

These actions are as harmful as they are unacceptable.  Agriculture, which is so important for developing countries in particular, is one of the sectors most affected.

Distinguished representatives, the escalation of poverty is a result of the economic crisis.

New Zealand is naturally proud of the efforts of the UNDP to strengthen its focus as the UN's largest development agency on poverty and on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

For its part, New Zealand pledges to continue to increase its Official Development Assistance, with a clear focus on the Pacific Islands region.

Aid effectiveness is just as important as the quantum of aid; and that is why, last month, we committed to the Cairns Compact that will strengthen development coordination in the Pacific Islands.

Distinguished representatives, the major focus of the General Assembly this year must be the challenge of climate change. 

Climate change demands innovation and a global response.  The world cannot afford to contemplate failure at Copenhagen.  Political leadership is needed, and it is on display.

At the Climate Change Summit this week the leaders of the world's three biggest economies showed their determination to both make Copenhagen a success and to take action themselves.

All countries must take action that reflects our individual circumstances, responsibilities and capabilities.

For our part, New Zealand is committed to securing a durable and meaningful agreement on climate change.  An agreement that is both environmentally effective and economically efficient.

I have set a target for New Zealand of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by between 10 and 20% below 1990 levels by 2020, if there is a comprehensive global agreement.  This is a per capita drop of 35 to 42 percent since 1990. 

New Zealand is acutely conscious that most of our greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock methane emissions, which so far no technology can reduce.

At the same time we are proud of our role as a food producer to the world and the contribution we can make to assuring food-security for the world's people.

Our challenge is to find a way to balance growth in agricultural production with the need to reduce emissions and reach climate change targets.    

This is not just a challenge for New Zealand, but one for the world.

Agricultural emissions make up 14% of all emissions worldwide.   As demand for food rises, so will those emissions.  Yet so far the only known way to achieve emission reductions from agriculture is through reductions in output.

That is not an acceptable response.  Not for New Zealand.  And not for a growing world that seeks freedom from hunger.

A better response to this challenge must be found.   In my view that response must draw on the power and possibility of science.   

Just as New Zealand is proud of its agricultural producers, so are we proud of our role in agricultural research.  This research has resulted in scientific and technological advances that have improved production and fed millions.

But advancing research in the area of emission-reduction requires a commitment so broad that it is beyond the capacity of any one country.

This is a challenge that requires collective action and it is collective action I call for today.

New Zealand has developed a proposal for a Global Alliance on the reduction of agricultural emissions.

This Alliance would undertake international research and investment into new technologies and practices to help reduce agriculture-related emissions, and for greater co-ordination of existing efforts.

Through a Global Alliance we can find solutions faster, make better use of the money that is being spent around the world and encourage all countries and companies to do more.

We have been delighted with the interest received in our proposal so far and we will continue working with others to explore the concept.

Today, my call to other agricultural producers of the world is to rise to this challenge and join New Zealand in this research effort.

Distinguished representatives, I now want to address some of the security crises that we confront.

Yesterday I had the honour to observe the High-Level Security Council meeting on disarmament and non-proliferation.

As a country with a proud record of promoting nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, I was heartened by the expressions of support for a world free of nuclear weapons.

We must take full advantage of this historic moment to advance the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation agenda.   We owe it to our generation and to those who follow us to progress our vision for a world free from nuclear weapons.

As a proudly nuclear-free nation, and as a country that has been at the forefront of this debate since the 1970s, New Zealand stands ready to play its part.

We are optimistic about the prospects for progress.

Last week New Zealand presided over the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.  Preventing the spread of nuclear weapons through the implementation of safeguards under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is a fundamental pillar of the Agency's work.

Next year sees the five-yearly review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

New Zealand will actively work with our New Agenda Coalition partners for a meaningful outcome at that conference, to bring us closer to a truly secure world.

We will also continue to address the humanitarian harm of conventional weapons. We will work for a robust, action-oriented outcome later this year at the second Review Conference of the Anti-Personnel Landmine Convention.

Looking back, I am proud of the role New Zealand was able to play in the negotiation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The government attaches priority to passing legislation to enable us to ratify this very significant treaty.

New Zealand also continues to play its part in maintaining and promoting international peace and security.

Peacekeeping remains one of this organisation's most essential tasks, and its most solemn responsibilities to its members.

While UN peacekeeping has been significantly strengthened since the testing it underwent in the 1990s, the demands now being placed on it are severe.

I want to express my profound gratitude to those civilians and military personnel who place their lives at risk to support peace and live up to the ideals of the United Nations Charter.

Ensuring UN peacekeeping is as effective and responsive as possible must therefore remain one of this organization's most urgent priorities. 

The United Nations provides the legal mandate - and often the operational effectiveness - for our joint efforts to achieve and maintain peace and security.

New Zealand is firmly committed to supporting UN peacekeeping - both its own operations and others it has mandated such as those in which we are involved in Afghanistan, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste.

All too often, the UN, has however, found itself unable to respond to emerging crises.

New Zealand therefore strongly supports the concept of Responsibility to Protect.  I am pleased at the solid foundation the General Assembly's recent debate on R2P has laid for its implementation.

New Zealand also strongly supports the International Criminal Court.  It is a fundamental tenet of our domestic legal systems that wrong doers must be brought to justice.  The ICC is the mechanism for applying that same principle to persons accused of the most serious international crimes. 

Distinguished representatives, New Zealand takes very seriously its responsibilities for creating and maintaining peace and security in its region and in the world. I am therefore pleased to confirm New Zealand's candidature for the United Nations Security Council for 2015 - 2016, in elections to be held in 2014. 

In advancing its candidature, New Zealand does so as a state committed to upholding the international Rule of Law, and to providing a strong and principled Pacific voice on behalf of small States like ourselves with an interest in a fairer and more secure world.

We all have a stake in a world where peace and the Rule of Law prevail, where all States are secure and can prosper, and where all people are guaranteed the human rights and fundamental freedoms promised them in the Charter.

But we also know that solutions to the problems we collectively face do not lie with aspirational goals and promises that can be - and far too often are - quickly and quietly forgotten or ignored.

Hard, pragmatic decisions must be made.

Enforceable solutions must be implemented.

We know that effective, collective action is in every country's long-term, national interest.

That is what New Zealand believed in 1945; and I recommit now to taking action to live up to the ideals of the UN Charter, here, in this great chamber, this evening.

Let me begin by thanking all those who have come here today to hear this address.

It’s great to be with a group of people who share a passion that means so much to me. 

That passion is the potential of New Zealand’s young people.

As youth workers, as youth justice experts, as community leaders, you devote much of your energy to young Kiwis, and in doing so you make an important contribution to our country.

After all, it is our young people who, more than any other group, will determine the future shape and prosperity of New Zealand. 

When our young people flourish, we all benefit. 

For it is their efforts that will boost the economy of tomorrow and, in time, pay for the public services we rely on. 

For New Zealand to become more prosperous, for our living standards to rise, for there to be more and better paid jobs, we need the next generation to be more capable, more skilled, and more ambitious than the generation before. 

Judging by most of the young people I meet, New Zealand’s future looks bright.  

As I travel around the country, visiting schools, workplaces, marae, I am constantly impressed by the enthusiasm and energy displayed by our youth.  They are ambitious for themselves and they make me optimistic for New Zealand.

As Prime Minister I am determined to ensure our young have the opportunities they need to deliver on this potential and ambition. 

I want them to have the skills and experiences they need to succeed, to acquire productive jobs and good living standards for them and their families, here in New Zealand.

The Government’s policy priorities reflect this aspiration and today I will make a series of announcements that reflect that. 

The first set of policies is about providing young people from deprived communities with activity programmes in their school holidays.  

The second is about equipping our youth justice system with a better set of tools for dealing with young offenders.

I will detail these exciting policies in just a moment. 

But it’s important that you don’t consider these policies in isolation. 

They need to be seen in the context of the Government’s broader policy agenda for improving the lives of young, and indeed all, New Zealanders.

Because you know and I know, that doing better for our young people means doing better across a range of fronts. 

It starts with valuing families. 

That means respecting the vital role of parents, and doing all that we can to support the financial security of families.

The Government’s task is to make decisions – day by day and policy by policy – that will strengthen the economy so that it can provide Mums and Dads with the jobs they need, the incomes they deserve, and the financial security they want for their families.

The tough times of late show just how important this is. 

When the economy falters, it is everyday Kiwis who pay the price.  

The opposite is also true.

When the economy rallies, it is everyday Kiwis and their children who benefit.

The Government is working hard to strengthen our economy. 

From better infrastructure, to regulatory reform through to a better tax system, we’re making and will continue to make, the changes that are needed to make New Zealand’s economic engine run faster.

Economic policy is very important to me. 

Not because I think wealth necessarily brings happiness, but because I know that a lack of work and a lack of money reduce people’s security and choices. 

I simply want better for New Zealanders. 

The Government recognises that providing opportunities for young people is also about supporting families to support their children, whether through Working for Families, access to early childhood education or quality healthcare.   

I have been proud of this Government’s efforts to preserve these entitlements and improve these services, despite the magnitude of the recession. 

We are focusing on reducing bureaucracy, pushing resources to the frontline and getting better value for every taxpayer dollar. 

By doing these things we will be able to continue to preserve families’ entitlements and services into the future. 

We know that supporting our young people is also about valuing education.  

I view education as a liberator. 

It is the single most important rung on the ladder of opportunity. 

By and large, New Zealand has an education system to be proud of. 

But too many young people slip through the cracks and leave school without the skills and qualifications they need to succeed.

That’s what is motivating our National Standards policy. 

National Standards are designed to ensure primary school children are on track towards getting the basic literacy and numeracy skills they need to succeed.   

We have consulted with parents and teachers on a set of National Standards that will describe the basic literacy and numeracy skills every child should be expected to have at each year of their primary education. 

The final standards will be published in October.

From next year, we will require all year 1-8 schools to report to parents in plain English about how their children are doing compared to these National Standards. 

If children aren’t reaching the standards we will require schools to tell Mums and Dads so they can work with their schools to do something about it.

We’re also working with our schools and education providers to give them more flexibility to educate kids who may not do so well in a traditional academic environment.   

We know that some kids will get more from pulling an engine apart than studying Macbeth. 

So our Trades in Schools programme and Youth Guarantee are about ensuring that teenagers have more choices, are better engaged in education and better prepared for the workforce.

Finally, the Government knows that supporting our young people is about ensuring that, even in the toughest economic times, when they leave school they have access to opportunities for work, training, or further education. 

That’s why I was pleased to announce our $152 million “Youth Opportunities” package at the beginning of the month.

It provides for up to 16,900 opportunities for young people aged 16-to-24, who may be affected by increasing levels of unemployment over the next 18 months.

There is a range of initiatives from increased places in Limited Service Volunteers, more provision of polytechnic and wananga training through to government funded schemes designed to encourage businesses and communities to offer jobs to young people. 

We’ve been impressed by the take-up of the package so far, with almost 600 jobs being offered to young people as a result of the “Job Ops” policy. 

But we’re keen to see even more take-up.

You can all help with that. 

Of particular interest to those in this room may be the ‘Community Max’ policy. 

Community Max is designed to get young people working on worthwhile projects in their communities.   

If you come to us with a community project that fits the criteria, we will provide funding for the wages of youth workers for up to 30 hours a week at the minimum wage, a supervisor for every four young workers, as well as a training payment for every worker. 

It’s a great opportunity and one we’re keen to see being rolled out up and down New Zealand. 

So have a think about how you or your organisation might get involved. 

But the reason I’m here today is to announce two new packages aimed at young people under the age of 18.

BREAK-AWAY PACKAGE FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

The first policy is a Break-Away Package costing $12.1 million over four years which is designed to increase opportunities for young people in school holidays.

This package will give children from deprived communities a break away in meaningful activities during the school holidays.

It will give foster caregivers a break away from their responsibilities.

And it will give selected young people a break away in fun and challenging activities with high-profile role models as a reward for turning their lives around.

Many New Zealand families already choose to get their kids involved in holiday activity programmes.  

They might, for example, send their kids to a rugby training programme for a week, on a surf lifesaving course, a kapa haka programme or a karate workshop. 

Kiwis like these programmes, not only because they give kids somewhere to be during the day while Mum and Dad might be at work, but also because they give kids a new range of experiences quite unlike those they get from school. 

Young people on a school holiday programme get the opportunity to develop new skills, to face some challenges, and to meet new young people in a new environment. 

Opportunities like this can be invaluable. 

But sadly the young people who may be most likely to miss out on these opportunities are also the ones who might gain the most from them.

I’m talking about young people in some of New Zealand’s lower socio-economic communities, where Mum and Dad might not be able to afford the programme fees or the programmes might not be on offer at all.

Instead of going on an athletics camp the kids from some of New Zealand’s poorest families might find themselves at a loose end in the school holidays with very little to do. 

I want to make sure that more families have the chance to get their children involved in meaningful activities in the school holidays.  

I also want to boost the efforts of the many great community providers who work with young people. 

This includes providers with a physical activity or sport focus such as the YMCA and families centres like Mangere East.

Holiday Activity Programmes

So today I am announcing that, starting this summer school holidays, the Government will roll out 15,000 one-week holiday activity programme places for young people aged 11-17.

This will increase to 30,000 places a year from next year onwards.

I want to see a diverse range of programmes, from drama to outdoor-adventure to organised sport. 

The key requirements will be that the programmes are safe, include physical activities and provide positive experiences.

The needs of different age groups will also have to be catered for. 

These programmes will geographically target young people from deprived communities and families under stress. 

Starting this summer, high needs areas in Auckland will be targeted. 

Over time, we will roll these funded school-holiday programmes out to other parts of New Zealand. 

Residential Respite Camps

Today I am also announcing 500 residential holiday respite camp places for children and young people who are being cared for by foster parents and extended whanau.

The camps will provide full residential care, and structured recreational programmes for children and young people in the age ranges of 5 to 7 years and 8 to 12 years.

The programmes will give foster caregivers a break, and they will give young people a positive experience in the school holidays. 

There will be 250 places from December this year, rising to 500 from next year. Initially we will focus on the younger aged group.

The Te Puna Whairoa Children’s Health Camps will be the first provider of these programmes. 

The Prime Minister’s Youth Programme

Finally, I am pleased to announce a highly-targeted new Prime Minister’s Youth Programme for 100 selected kids. 

This new programme will, each year, reward and foster achievement for young people aged 14 to 17 who have overcome adversity and made positive changes in their lives. 

This programme will be aimed at kids who have been recognised by community leaders as having done what it takes to really turn their lives around.  

They might for example be identified by a teacher, a local police officer, or a youth worker. 

I want the programmes to be a real reward for young people who’ve made mistakes but have picked themselves up and chosen to play by the rules and make the most of themselves.   

Over the course of the week-long programme, these young people will experience a mixture of fun and challenging activities that will open up future opportunities for them. 

What will make the programme unique is that, as part of the reward, a number of high-profile New Zealanders have offered to lend a hand and help raise the sights of these young people.

These include several high profile rugby stars – either All Blacks or super rugby players - actor Oscar Kightley, ex-All Black Norm Hewitt, and netball guru Raewyn Henry. 

I want the young people involved in the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme to be given the opportunity to spend time with these icons and learn from their experiences.

I’m sure that other high-profile New Zealanders will be prepared to invest their time in the young people on the programme and I look forward to their contribution.

The camps will be run by experienced providers, but the involvement of these icons will make them really special. 

We are expecting the programme to kick off in January 2010. 

FRESH START PACKAGE FOR YOUNG OFFENDERS

The second set of policies I’m announcing today is aimed at a much smaller, but often higher-profile group of young people – youth offenders.

Our extensive Fresh Start package of youth justice policies is aimed at those who have veered off the rails and who have found themselves in trouble with the police and the youth justice system. 

These range from Community Youth Development Programmes for at-risk youth who are yet to come before the courts, right through to military-style activity camp programmes for the worst youth offenders.

There are not many young people in this position.

Perhaps a few thousand at the most. 

But it is vital that we offer them an effective range of opportunities – based on the severity of their offending – to turn their lives around and give them a fresh start. 

If we don’t, not only are these young people likely to fall far short of their potential but, most significantly, they may pose a serious threat to the future safety of our communities.

The earlier we get these kids out of the crime cycle the less havoc they can wreak.

To do this, the youth justice system needs a greater range of tools than it currently has.

That’s what this Government has set about providing.   

We want to ensure that judges, when faced with a youth offender, will be able to tailor a package of measures that they believe will address that young person’s criminal behaviour and help them turn their life around.

I have previously announced our plans for bolstering the Youth Court with a new and strengthened range of orders, including longer sentences and military-style activity camps.  

Today I am going to announce more of the funding and implementation details of these policies and some new initiatives.

The legislation required to make the key changes needed is currently before a Select Committee.

We have been listening to the submitters who have come forward to comment on that Bill. 

The responses have helped inform today’s announcement. 

The feedback we have heard from some submitters has been about the great youth programmes that are working well but are currently under-funded by the criminal justice system. 
 
Today I am pleased to announce the Government’s plans for a broad range of these kinds of interventions, which we will fund with $72.4 million over four years.

New Community Youth Programmes

The first new set of interventions will be targeted at lower-level youth offenders, whose offending is yet to land them in court.

We want to get to these young people early and steer them away from more serious offending. 

There are already some great structured activity programmes out there that could help turn these kids’ lives around.  

These include the Police-led Youth Development Programmes and similar programmes run by community organisations.  

They are run by experts and include a mixture of activities that help young people to learn new skills and even develop new passions. 

Today I am announcing that the Government will fund up to 1000 places for young people at risk of offending to take part in Youth Development Programmes of this sort. This year 250 places will be available and this will increase to 1000 a year following that.

Young people will be referred to these programmes by the police, the courts, or other community leaders – for example school principals.

Funding for these programmes will total $9.8 million over the next four years. 

Mentoring, Parenting, and Drug & Alcohol Orders

The Government will also ensure that the Youth Court has new rehabilitation orders and access to a large number of funded places in programmes that tackle some of the root causes behind youth offending.

There are three things that everyone agrees can help rehabilitate a young offender. 

Working with parents to strengthen their role in the child’s life. 

Ensuring youth have access to ongoing mentoring from respected and well-qualified people. 

And helping them tackle their issues with alcohol and drug abuse. 

The Government wants to back what works.

We will put $9.4 million over four years into youth justice funding for programmes like these. 

This will create up to 300 places a year in mentoring programmes.

Up to 700 places a year in parenting programmes.

Up to 200 places in community-based drug and alcohol programmes. 

And up to 32 places in residential-based drug and alcohol programmes designed to help offenders with very serious addictions.

Court-Supervised Camps

We also want to ensure that youth offenders at the lower end of the scale can be directed into physically and mentally challenging activity programmes.

I want to see more of these kids, who may otherwise stick to old habits, getting a real chance to change themselves for the better. 

At the moment, hundreds of young offenders who come before the Youth Court are referred to a Family Group Conference.

If they successfully complete the plan agreed at the conference they can be discharged without being sentenced.
 
The Government wants to support these kids to help them turn their lives around at this early stage.

We will provide new Court-Supervised Camp Programmes to deliver more options for the Family Group Conferences and the Court.

An intensive adventure-camp experience could be the start that encourages a troubled teenager to get their life back together. 

I’m talking about programmes run by experts that take kids away from their normal environment and give them the rev-up they need.   

And that are then followed up with intensive mentoring so that the positive changes really stick.

The Government will provide $5.4 million in funding over four years to support up to 200 places in a new range of these Court Supervised Camp Programmes. 

These will include up to 10 days on an intensive adventure-camp experience as part of Court-ordered family conference plans.

Failure to compete these programmes will result in offenders being returned to Court and more serious sanctions being imposed.

Greater Youth Court Powers

I’m also keen to ensure that the Youth Court has the powers it needs to ensure that court orders are complied with, and that when offenders are released back into the community they can be closely monitored.

Today I am confirming that the Government has allocated funding to allow up to 30 high-risk youth offenders a year to be electronically monitored in the community while under a court-ordered Intensive Supervision order.

We have also allocated funding to expand the proven ‘Supported Bail Programme” which will provide intensive supervision and monitoring for up to 175 young offenders a year while they are on remand.

Innovation Fund

Finally, I’m announcing today an annual fund to encourage communities to come up with new and innovative solutions to youth offending.

Many of those responding to the Government’s proposals have said they have better ideas for helping youth offenders. 

This fund gives them the chance to prove it.

We will fund organisations with proven track-records to target up to 230 young people who are at risk of getting into a cycle of crime.  

We will provide $4.6 million over four years for this fund to encourage new ideas and new approaches. 

We expect, for example, that many providers will focus on new ways of dealing with Maori offenders, who are badly over-represented in the youth offending statistics.

Supervision with Activity Orders and Military-Style Activity Camps

I think the policies I have announced today will vastly improve the way our youth justice system deals with young offenders.

But I hasten to add that these programmes complement, not replace, the Government’s plans for military-style supervision with activity programmes and residential military-style activity camp programmes.

We are providing 50 additional places in supervision with activity programmes, and doubling the maximum duration to six months, followed by up to six months supervision.

We are also providing 40 places in residential military activity camp programmes for more serious young offenders.

These provide up to three months residential training, using army-type facilities or training methods, followed by up to nine months intensive support to meet each offender’s individual needs.

I know these programmes have come in for criticism from some quarters.

But I make no apologies for backing them. 

The current system for dealing with the more serious young offenders just isn’t working well enough. 

We have to be prepared to come at the problem differently and give new solutions a go. 

The military-style options I propose will provide serious young offenders with a structured environment and a complete package of support to address the causes of offending. 

Yes they’ll involve some marching exercises. 

Yes, they’ll involve military facilities. 

I support that. 

But they’ll also include long-term mentoring, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes, education, and an assisted move back into the community. 

Taken together they just might deal to some of the unexploded time-bombs currently sifting through the Youth Court. 

And that’s something I’m proud to back. 

All in all, the Government’s extensive range of initiatives in our Fresh Start Package for Youth Justice, together with our increased funding for interventions, will result in up to 3000 extra places in youth justice programmes each year.

These policies will go a long way towards dismantling some of New Zealand’s ticking time bombs.

They will turn more young people off a life of crime.

They will help make our communities safer.

And they will give more at-risk New Zealanders the opportunity for a fresh-start.

Conclusion

Ladies and Gentlemen, today’s announcements are about doing better for the next generation.

I want every young Kiwi to be able to find a way onto the path of success.

And I want our children to have great expectations for what they can achieve. 

We owe our young people the opportunities they need to deliver the very best of themselves. 

They owe us their very best efforts in return.

After all, the future success of our country, the future success of each of us, relies on unlocking the potential of a new generation. 

Just as the Government is working hard to ensure that potential is released, I know the people in this room are giving back to your communities.

I think together we can make a real difference to our young and to our country. 

So I thank you and I welcome you on board a great mission.