New Zealand has not invested in R & D and skills and innovation to nearly the same extent as the great small advanced economies of the world. New Zealand's rapidly falling international performance in maths and science and reading is extremely concerning, and I worry, not because of a graph on a league table, but because of the strong link between educational attainment and higher wages. Higher wages and greater job opportunities underpin the choices that New Zealand families have in how they get to live their lives. Automation technologies, which span advanced robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, will unleash unimaginable change in our society and our working lives. 