Opening of the 59th Annual Meeting of the New Zealand Entomological Society

Thank you for inviting me to open your conference, and in particular thanks to Phil Lester. 

New Zealanders have a fascination with insects. Partially this is because our islands lack a wide range of other fauna (except of course birds, lizards and marine mammals). It is also partially because New Zealand insects were able to evolve without the level of predation that occurred in other places. So New Zealand insects are among the largest and unusual on the planet. Virtually every literate New Zealander will know about the weta.

Insects also tell us about the origins of our land. They take us back to Gondwanaland, and tell the story of our land and its connection with the ancient, now submerged continent of Zealandia. New Caledonia and New Zealand are linked by more than tourism.

Economically, insects are both problems and solutions.  For example, bees are vital to agriculture and horticulture, and create the honey industry. New Zealand is also very sensitive to the impacts of exotic insect pests on our primary industries, environment and people.  But exotic insects can also be valuable biocontrol agents, attacking some of our worst pests.

A prime example of this is the success of the clover root weevil parasitoid. This AgResearch programme specifically targets a pest which causes hundreds of millions of dollars damage to pasture. Controlling the clover root weevil delivers a monetary benefit to the economy and to individual farmers.

New Zealand was one of the first countries to recognise the importance of biosecurity.   We must continue to be a leader in this field, as climate change creates new biosecurity challenges and opportunities.  Our environment will progressively become more favourable to many insects not yet found here.  Some of these have the potential to be major pests in their own right, while others will bring new diseases. 

Your science will help us to assess and prevent risks, manage pathways and respond to new incursions. The science you undertake will be critical in leading our future biosecurity management in New Zealand.

That is why it is important that you continue to share your interests and enthusiasm for entomology with others in the community.  The Government wants science and technology to make a fundamental contribution to transforming New Zealand's economy and improving our social and environmental well-being.  We all need to help to raise the profile of science and lift the capability of New Zealanders to engage in the debates on the ideas raised by science and technology.

There are a number of entomological projects that are raising public interest in science.  For example, the Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust has people of all ages growing, reporting, tagging and recapturing monarch butterflies.  While focusing primarily on monarchs, their website and information has expanded to native butterflies.  Their website forum gives everyone a chance to talk about butterflies and get their questions answered by amateurs or professionals.

Another useful initiative is the BioBlitz.  Next Saturday I will be launching BioBlitz in the Auckland Domain.  This is a great chance for entomologists and other researchers to find, identify and count anything that grows, crawls, hides, hops, flies or swims in the Domain.  It's also a great opportunity for scientists to share their enthusiasm and knowledge directly with the public.

The Government has played a part in raising the profile of science.  We have appointed Professor Sir Peter Gluckman as the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor. Both he and the inaugural Prime Minister's Science Prizes awarded recently have received excellent media coverage.

At a more fundamental level, the science system is undergoing its own metamorphosis.  We are making changes to CRIs, so that they are funded to fulfil a core purpose and can take a more long-term strategic view of the science needs in their sectors. We are merging the Ministry and Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, which will unify the top level policy and funding strategy. I am also establishing new priorities for funding, so that the Government clearly communicates what it expects from research funding. These are the biggest changes the system has seen in nearly two decades and will improve how science delivers for New Zealand.

Entomologists will continue to have an important role in delivering those results. I encourage you all to continue to share your interests in insects and their importance to our lives with the wider community. May you have an informative, interesting and enjoyable conference.