  We prove the MHV vertex expansion for all tree amplitudes of N=4 SYM theory.
The proof uses a shift acting on all external momenta, and we show that every
N^kMHV tree amplitude falls off as 1/z^k, or faster, for large z under this
shift. The MHV vertex expansion allows us to derive compact and efficient
generating functions for all N^kMHV tree amplitudes of the theory. We also
derive an improved form of the anti-NMHV generating function. The proof leads
to a curious set of sum rules for the diagrams of the MHV vertex expansion.
