Mayor Bob Simcock, Councillors, and representatives of key partners to the park - thank you for this invitation to open the new Tetra Pak building.

Congratulations on the speedy construction of this impressive building.

The Waikato Innovation Park and its development has been a real team effort.  

Five years ago, the park was established through a $2 million foundation grant from WEL Energy Trust, $2 million from the Hamilton City Council and $2 million major regional initiative funding from the Government.

This second building has been funded by the park, supported by $2 million from the Government's Enterprising Partnerships Fund and a further $2.4 million from the Hamilton City Council.

Strong regional and industry support was required before the Government would consider co-investing in the park. The vision, determination and strength of the regional partnerships have delivered a local and national facility that you can be very proud of.

The Waikato Innovation Park is uniquely located at the heart of the country's dairy industry and close to a major cluster of agri-technology exporters.

The proximity of two CRIs - AgResearch and Plant and Food - as well the University of Waikato and the Waikato Institute of Technology provides further strength to the park. All of these organisations have worked together to support the work of the park, its tenants and surrounding industry.

This clustering around our areas of competitive advantage, to improve international competitiveness and the rate of productivity growth, forms the basis of this Government's economic strategy. We need to reinforce and support what we are already good at, and become better at it.

The firms in the park, ranging from brand-new and small to well-established and large, form a network support for each other.  They are mutually reinforcing,  with the large firms investing in the small firms and the small firms innovating on behalf of the large firms.

The combination of scale and innovation found at the park are vital ingredients for our economic growth.  New Zealand firms need to see themselves as part of a global economy and draw on global relationships and innovations to support our own growth.

The very tenancy of this new building is a reflection of these global relationships. It comprises two major multinationals - Tetra Pak from Norway and Tandberg from Sweden.

This second building is a major step forward for the park in realising its aspirations to be the premier agri-technology commercial and innovation park. It is the second building in what I understand is planned to be a 15-building park.

These are bold aspirations but the kind of aspirations that are needed if we are to realise the growth and expansion envisaged by this Government.

It now gives me great pleasure to declare the Tetra Pak building open and welcome its new tenants, from both home and abroad.