Prime Minister John Key opened the 2011 Local Government New Zealand annual conference in Wellington on Monday, where delegates from across the country braved the blustery weather to come together and focus on the future.

Mr Key acknowledged the role of local authorities in building strong, vibrant communities and leading those communities through difficult times, as seen in the past year with the Pike River Mine disaster and the continuing earthquakes in the Canterbury region.

He especially noted the hard work of Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn, and the mayors of Christchurch City, Selwyn District and Waimakariri District Councils during the hard times their communities have faced.

Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and LGNZ President Lawrence Yule also spoke at the opening.

On Monday conference delegates also had the opportunity to hear from NZICT chief executive Brett O'Riley and entrepreneur Melissa Clark-Reynolds on building 21^st-century intelligent communities and growing a green future.

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide also addressed the conference this afternoon.

Conference 2011 ran until Tuesday 12 July, when presentations on ultra-fast broadband, digital strategies and population trends were made, as well as speeches from Christchurch Deputy Mayor Ngaire Button and Harry Verhaar, head of strategic sustainability initiatives at Philips Lighting.

The LGNZ Annual General Meeting was held on Wednesday 13 July.

The full text of the Prime Minister's opening address is available on the Beehive website.