First, may I acknowledge Nevil Gibson, Editor-in-Chief of the National Business Review, and the regional head of Bayer, Hans-Dieter Hausner.

Thank you for inviting me, as the Minister of Research, Science and Technology, to speak at the third Bayer Innovators Awards ceremony.

Bayer has a long history of successful products in New Zealand - in healthcare, agribusiness and high-tech materials.  It's also a very important global player in research and development, investing more than six billion New Zealand dollars globally last year.

This is a significant figure financially, as it very clearly marks Bayer's serious commitment to research-led innovation. That commitment is also, of course, strongly reflected in the Innovators Awards that Bayer has established in New Zealand.

The National Business Review has long sponsored business innovation. It is a particular commitment of publisher Barry Colman and Editor-in-Chief, Nevil Gibson.

The purpose of the awards is to recognise and acknowledge New Zealand's best and brightest innovators.  The awards celebrate people, companies and their innovations. 

Innovation is about the future of our economy. The awards recognise that innovation is a growth engine for the economy.

Peter Drucker once defined innovation as "the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth".

The focus of this Government is economic growth.  Higher levels of growth that will push us up the OECD scale will only be achieved if New Zealand becomes more innovative. This needs to happen across both our traditional sectors of the economy and in emerging areas.

Our success in agriculture is built almost entirely on innovation.  There are many places in the world with good rainfall and sunshine.  Few, however, have shown the innovation of New Zealand's agricultural sector. New Zealand has led improvements in animal health, in pastoral productivity, farm management and scientific application of fertiliser and feed supplements, and in milking systems.

In the industrial and service sectors, we have seen innovation in engineering and manufacturing of agricultural aircraft and marine craft. New Zealand also has recent success in contemporary fields such as digital film, lightweight materials, and GPS technology.

In each case, individuals have seen a gap in the market, and developed innovative ideas and processes to bring new products and services to the market. It often depends on a single person's vision, but it can also involves teams of people working to a common purpose.

To quote Nobel laureate Albert Szent-Gyorgyi: "Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought."

The Government has a role to support and assist innovation. We do this by providing funding for research and business assistance. People often talk about "picking winners". Governments are not always very good at picking winners. What we need to do is ensure that winners get their chance.

Awards such as the Bayer Innovators Awards play an important role in recognising success. We need to show the value and the impact that innovative people and their ideas have on our society.

Two weeks ago, I set out my four key themes for Research, Science and Technology. In summary, these were:

• improving the migration of science from the laboratory to the marketplace


• a more strategic approach funding and delivering public good enabling research


• boosting economic growth through more effective market-driven research


• simplifying the system.

These themes are not my own. They came from discussions and input from people right across the sector. But they were based on my earliest instincts about research and development policy.

We all understand that serendipitous discovery is a great source of innovation. New Zealand has great science and great scientists. Where we need to focus is on getting that discovery out into the economy where, bluntly, it can make us money. That is the essence of the first theme and the focus of these awards tonight.

We also need business to be very clear, almost demanding, about where it needs research and development. The better business communicates their needs, the more likely it is that researchers in the universities and CRIs can contribute to their success.

Our vision is very simple. Innovation means increased productivity, economic growth, wealth, jobs and a better standard of living. We should celebrate people who are fulfilling that vision.

Looking through the biographies of the finalists, it is interesting to see the range of innovation. We are looking at leaders in software development, health technologies and biofuels, amongst others.

It is notable that all the finalists in the Agriculture and Environment section are innovating to respond to climate change. This is a tremendous opportunity for New Zealand science, especially given our distance from key export markets. This Government recognised that opportunity in the Budget, with the announcement of funding for the Centre for Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research.

These awards recognise the role of design and engineering in innovation. Having been to companies such as Buckley Systems, with world-class expertise in magnets for the semiconductor industry, and Hamilton Jet, who use design to stay ahead of much larger competitors, I appreciate how much these disciplines can contribute to the economy.

It is good to see that innovation with a sense of fun and recreation is recognised, in the nomination of Kiwitub. New Zealand is certainly a country that promotes fun and recreation to drive new opportunities. The bungee is a New Zealand innovation. Others such as Martin Jetpack are also focused on adventure tourism.

What really stands out is that this group of innovators has a clear market opportunity in mind. These innovations address big themes around recognising opportunity, whether it is responding to climate change, or saving money on healthcare.

I congratulate Bayer and the National Business Review for their initiative with the Innovators Awards. Events such as the Bayer Innovators Awards are good opportunities to celebrate success.