Speech
At the International Conference on Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology
Nga hau e wha, nga iwi e tau nei, tena koutou katoa.
E nga mana, e nga reo, rau rangatira ma, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.
My greetings to all from near or from far. My greetings to those whom we respect and to the speakers.
Thank you for your invitation to open this conference, Professor Johnston. Your worship, Kerry Prendergast, distinguished guests. May I say that I am very honoured to be here this morning at the International Conference on Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, particularly since I am, albeit briefly, sharing the stage with those who are undoubtedly some of the greatest minds of our times. So, after these opening remarks, I will discreetly leave and allow the limelight to shine on those who have and will change the course of our world through sheer intellectual scientific ability.
This is the first conference of its kind in New Zealand. It is testament to the rapid progress we have enjoyed in this country in recent years in the field of science. We are delighted to host a conference such as this, and to welcome participants of this calibre. It is to be hoped that this is the beginning of a trend.
Our gratitude in particular must go to the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology and its contributing partners who have been instrumental in organising the conference.
The Institute, formed less than a year ago, is New Zealand's premier research organisation concerned with high quality research and research education in materials, science and nanotechnology. Part of its brief is the training and fostering of young talent. It is undoubtedly here that the biggest potential for science in New Zealand lies.
The Institute borrows its name from one of New Zealand's greats, our own Nobel Laureate Professor Alan MacDiarmid. I have had the honour and pleasure of meeting Professor MacDiarmid on a number of occasions. Last year, he visited Government House where he became a member of the Order of New Zealand, our country's highest honour. Professor MacDiarmid, it is a pleasure to meet you here again today. Welcome back to New Zealand.
By adopting Professor MacDiarmid's name the Institute has set itself a high challengeone however that it is likely to meet. The Institute's strategic plan makes interesting reading. One paragraph in particular caught my attention. In it, the Institute states:
We build on nga tapuwae o nga tupuna - the footsteps of our intellectual predecessors.
We build for nga tapuwae o nga mokopuna - the footsteps of our intellectual descendents.
This holistic, "big picture" approach is to be commended. This conference is part of this vision.
May I refer also to another part of the MacDiarmid Institute's strategic plan:
Scientific advancement is not fundamentally predicated on the breakthroughs of a few elite individuals but is a collective movement of peer understanding.
It seems to me that both are required - the occasional flash of brilliance, of insight into a scientific problem long studied. But as well, the collaboration of scientific minds within and across disciplines. And the daily hard, detailed and sometimes seemingly futile study and research. Above all, the dedication and determination to build on the work of others and to help provide a better world, scientifically speaking, for those who come after us.
I wish you well for your conference. I hope you will return home with new insights and enhanced vigour and enthusiasm for your individual disciplines.
It gives me great pleasure to declare the International Conference on Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology open.
No reira. Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.