Of course as a small country you're not necessarily in the strongest negotiating position unless you're negotiating with other small countries.

Innovation applied across the board of development is having a huge impact, and can have more. All sorts of technology can provide shortcuts, can overcome obstacles which once seemed insuperable.

People are optimistic about the future.

Never look back' is my philosophy.

If you neglect those who are currently poor and stable, you may create more poor and unstable people. There has been a tremendous concentration of donor interest in countries that are seen as particularly fragile - but it becomes harder to mobilise money for sub-Saharan, plain poor countries.

It's fair to say that, for much of my lifetime, New Zealand certainly was a property-owning democracy and working people, ordinary people, had assets.

In terms of having views and being prepared to express them, yes, I think New Zealand's had a leadership role in a lot of things.