Opening Biosecurity and Infectious Diseases Centre

Thank you for inviting me to Wallaceville this morning.

I'd like to acknowledge Acting Mayor Peter McCardle, Andy West, the staff of AgResearch, ESR, AsureQuality and MAF Biosecurity, as well as Sam Jackson and his whanau.

New Zealand's biosecurity system is the most robust in the world.

But it is impossible for any country, even a geographically remote island nation, like New Zealand, to isolate itself from all risks of imported pests and diseases.

Biosecurity risks are constantly changing.

Everyday we face new challenges as trade and passenger volumes increase.

Incursions come from many sources - they can be blown across the Tasman, or they can arrive attached to the hulls of vessels from ports all around the world.

A major biosecurity incursion would affect the livelihood of every New Zealander.

Not only could a biosecurity breach devastate primary production, it could put access to some of our best markets at real risk.

Front footing an incursion such as Foot and Mouth is essential to guarantee our place as a trusted and respected trader in the global marketplace.

Our international customers are more discerning than ever before.

As well as demanding the highest standards of animal welfare, and wanting to know the environmental impact of any production system, modern consumers expect their food to be safe and disease free.

When I became Minister for Biosecurity I made it clear that I take incursions extremely seriously and any breach should be treated with the utmost urgency.

So it is with pleasure I am here today to open the National Centre for Biosecurity and Infectious Diseases.

This hub will increase our capability to safeguard human and animal health.

It will also help protect the economy by providing centralised co-ordination and an emergency response centre in the event of disease outbreak, biosecurity investigation, and chemical and biological events.

The facility will bring together the largest concentration of bacteriologists, virologists and epidemiologists specialising in animal and human health.

The need for this facility has already been highlighted by recent world events such as Avian Influenza and more recently the H1N1 pandemic.

This Centre includes a specialist containment laboratory, the only infectious disease laboratory facility of its type in New Zealand.

As I see it, one of its most important uses will be as a response centre for major events, such as a Foot and Mouth incursion.

It will mean response management staff, sourced from a number of agencies, can work together under one roof if required, although we certainly hope it won't be a Foot & Mouth incursion.

Getting to this point has involved working collaboratively.

The facility's development has been a joint effort between many parts of the local community and the scientific institutions already on site.

I refer to Environmental Science and Research, MAF, AsureQuality, AgResearch, Upper Hutt City Council and finally and importantly, local Maori, who have had a very special involvement in the development of this centre.

It has taken years, much planning and hard work to get to this point.

I have the greatest pleasure in declaring this new facility open.