 Joseph, Matthew, Brian, thank you so much for inviting me this morning. I'm very excited to be here, to all of our dignitaries, welcome. And after meeting a number of you before I came in, I said, this is a really impressive group. So if I could just take a second, I'd like to take your picture. So just in case when you get really, really famous, I'll have it. When I had a chance to see the program and what you're doing this week, it made me think of a couple of things. One is that I've been involved with the Sundance Institute for many years. And one of the best things that we did at Sundance were our labs, where we'd have young producers, directors, writers, they'd come together with mentors. And they'd work together to collaborate, to work on their different fields, and really created some really impressive people. And when I look around here today and see what you're doing, I'm saying, boy, they're doing the exact same thing. The second thing is that when I looked at what you're going to be doing this week, it reminded me of probably my most famous predecessor, and probably the greatest role model for any diplomat, and that's Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin, who is the iconic American diplomat, who embodied the spirit of creativity and innovation. And old Ben could only have dreamt of having a group like this together for Kiwi Connect, or for any important conference such as this one, which does exactly what Ben Franklin had in mind, with sessions about the importance of education, collaboration, hard work, and dedication to entrepreneurship and innovation. This focus is in our DNA, and I'm sure it's in everyone in this room. Many of you have your eyes focused on the future, and that's a really good thing. I want you to know that you're part of important connections between New Zealand and the United States that go back generations, that encompass trade, people-to-people ties, and even on the battlefield. In fact, right here in Northern Whitemans Valley, there's some old military buildings built by the U.S. Marines during World War II, when they came to partner with New Zealand to defend this great country and the Pacific. Our relationship with New Zealand has never been closer, and has at its core shared values of democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and open markets. Traditionally, New Zealand exports to the U.S. have been largely primary produce, most of which was packed and shipped off to far distant shores. But the world is evolving, though primary industries remain important, ideas and some products move at the speed of light. Today, it doesn't matter where you develop a good idea, it can dramatically change the world. New Zealand is no stranger to innovation as this country was built with the help of the ingenious application of number eight wire. And now, New Zealand, yes, right. I was in Waiheke Island last week, and they had a beautiful art sculpture that was made solely out of number eight wire. It was really incredible. But New Zealand today is wired in a very different sense. Innovative companies have made incredible strides, and New Zealand is a respected major player on the world stage. And as you can clearly see by looking around the room today with who is here. We at the U.S. mission recognize this deep well of creative excellence. We are proud to have engaged closely with innovative companies and industries in recent years to build bridges and with counterparts in the United States and to support the exchange of ideas and people. This is important because innovation and creative industries are not just good for business today, but they will lead to a smarter, greener, and a more sustainable future. The landscape here is changing and in a very good way. In the last few years, New Zealand has had an increase in incubators, accelerator programs, dedicated university programs, and collaborative working environments for startups. In the United States, we've seen how people with vision, drive, and talent have reshaped the way we do business and interact with the world. And we are confident that exchanges with American venture capitalists, pioneers, and mentors will be mutually beneficial. Visits from well-known innovators like Alan Schaff of Imager allow new companies to tap into the wisdom of these American pioneers, whether it is getting capital, pitching an idea, or moving from being an entrepreneur to a manager to CEO. Ironically, one of our Keystone projects does not have a very innovative name or title. It's called The Project and has become one of the premier conferences regarding innovation and online space. This year, Project 15, which will be in April, partners with Auckland University of Technology and Social Media NZ, which will address, and the title will be Taking Innovation Global with American innovators and entrepreneurs who will share their experiences, their best practices, and their lessons learned. We have also supported visits from American social entrepreneurs like Tia Johnson-Brown from the Ashoka Foundation's Youth Venture Program at the Festival for the Future. And we'll continue to partner with people like Kiwi Connect and all of you who recognize that we can only find the best way forward by coming together. When we were driving here today, I was really impressed by the beauty of this valley and as the mayor said, I've only been here a few weeks, but it's really magnificent. I asked him how he was so lucky to be mayor of such a beautiful place. But what all of you are doing here, promoting sustainable development in a smart way that will preserve this natural beauty of this valley and hopefully many places to come. And I hope that someday that Whitemans Valley will be as well known in New Zealand and be a driver of innovation as Silicon Valley is known in the United States. I thank you for allowing me to come to speak to you today. It's really a great opportunity. I look forward to meeting all of you and I hope you have a very, very productive week. Thank you very much. Thank you.