2010 Fulbright Awards Ceremony and Alumni Reception

It is a pleasure to be here tonight to present the Fulbright Awards for 2010. 

The New Zealand-United States relationship is strong and very diverse. We work together on issues ranging from trade to education, from climate change to defence and aid. Bilateral trade in 2009 was valued at over NZ$8 billion and almost 300,000 people travel between the two countries each year.

We are two long-standing democracies who have much in common, historically and in today's modern world. We are natural partners in working together to tackle many of the world's challenges, whether bilaterally, in our own region or globally. The New Zealand Government is committed to continuing to strengthen this relationship even further.

One of the longest standing initiatives to build the relationship is the Fulbright Programme. Everyone here will be well acquainted with the origins of the programme. As Senator J William Fulbright said: "There is a multiplier effect in international education and it carries the possibility - the only real possibility - of changing our manner of thinking about the world, and therefore of changing the world."

Senator Fulbright would have expected us to focus on the future of the scholarships and their importance to the New Zealand-United States bilateral relationship.

Both our nations place a high value on education and innovation. We pride ourselves on the quality of the research that our countries produce. Even more important is the contribution this research makes to global society. The Fulbright Programme provides an excellent opportunity for sharing ideas and working together to tackle some of the big issues we face today.

As Minister of Research, Science and Technology, I am particularly pleased to see the number of you receiving Science and Technology Awards this evening.

Science and innovation is central to the Government's economic agenda, as it underpins innovation and productivity growth, increases business diversification and enhances our international competitiveness. The importance of this is reflected in the Government's increased funding for science and innovation in the 2010 Budget. The centrepiece of that is a $234 million increase over four years to support business research and development.

Science will also be a vital tool in meeting the global challenges we all face. Climate change, natural disasters, biosecurity threats and demand for sustainable, renewable energy are just some of these present and future challenges. 

These challenges will increasingly influence the nature and focus of international research collaboration.  It is vital we have strong international science links if we are to continue to expand and enhance New Zealand's science capability.

New Zealand and the United States have a long history of scientific co-operation.  The United States is New Zealand's largest RS&T partner. In addition to the many researcher to researcher connections, New Zealand and the United States share research programmes, such as in Antarctica where our research co-operation makes an important contribution to the understanding of climate change and the continent's ecosystems. The United States is also a valued participant in the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.

As countries, we are constantly sharing valuable information and ideas.

It is this flow of ideas that makes the Fulbright Programme so important to New Zealand. Past Fulbrighters have taken ideas discovered during their awards and made their mark on the World. Nobel Prize winner Alan MacDiarmid, anthropologist Dame Anne Salmond and International Court of Justice judge Sir Kenneth Keith all received Fulbright Awards, and became leading experts in their disciplines.

Tonight's Award recipients will carry on this long tradition of excellence in their respective fields.

To tonight's Fulbright recipients, I would like to pass on my warmest congratulations to you, your families and your teachers, on receiving this prestigious honour. No matter what your field of study, your work is important to help solve the great challenges that we all share. We wish you all the best for your travel and study in the United States and look forward to hearing of your achievements in the future.

Tonight we also welcome the American recipients of Fulbright Awards who are already in New Zealand. We hope that your time here will be rewarding, both professionally and personally. I encourage you to make the most of the opportunities you are offered while here and wish you all the best for your studies. 

Finally, we welcome all the alumni from the wider Wellington region and other parts of New Zealand who have made the effort to attend this evening. Your ongoing support and commitment to the programme is invaluable.

I know that all Fulbright recipients benefit greatly from their experience.  All make lifelong friends and connections. 

Most importantly all of you will be ambassadors for the New Zealand-United States relationship as well as the Fulbright Programme. Make the most of this opportunity.

Once again I offer my congratulations and best wishes to all the recipients, and my thanks to all those who are gathered here to celebrate this occasion with you.