Goff: AVEX Aviation Expo

Thursday, 9 October 2008, 4:19 pm Speech: New Zealand Government Hon Phil Goff Minister of Trade Speech Notes AVEX Aviation Expo Hamilton Thank you Wayne (Green, AVEX chairman). Deputy Mayor Peter Lee, Chairman of the Aviation Cluster John Jones, Hamilton International Airport Chief Executive Chris Doak, Chief of Air Force Air Vice-Marshall Graham Lintott - thank you for the invitation to visit the inaugural New Zealand National Aviation Expo. I also want to acknowledge the last surviving pilot of the Dambusters Raid of May 1943, Squadron Leader Les Munro. Les' exploits as part of 617 Squadron continue to inspire the men and women of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Our aviation industry owes much to the foresight and enthusiasm of its early pioneers - people like the late Ossie James who the as the founder of James Aviation... [read full story]