Speech to Sprout Summit on prioritisation in New Zealand’s science, innovation and technology system

It’s a pleasure to be here at the Sprout Summit, surrounded by people who are quite literally designing the future of agrifood, ag‑tech and deep‑tech innovation in New Zealand. The theme of this year’s summit “The Catalyst: Connecting Industry, Innovation, and Investment”, is timely. It speaks to the kind of system New Zealand needs to build: one where science, ideas, and capital connect seamlessly, and where innovation can move quickly from concept to commercial reality. New Zealand is at an important economic turning point. After several difficult years, marked by high inflation, weak productivity and declining business confidence, the economy is slowly turning a corner, notwithstanding external shocks. Strengthening that recovery, and our ability to rebound after shocks, and lifting New