State Dinner for the King of Tonga

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E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi o nga hau e wha, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa – nau mai haere mai ki te Whare Kāwana o te Whanganui-ā-Tara.  Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, greetings to you all— malo e lelei—and welcome to Government House.

I specifically acknowledge: His Majesty King Tupou VI of Tonga and Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau’u; Dr Ana Maui Taufe’ulungaki, Minister for Education and Training; Rt Hon John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand and Ministers of the Crown; David Shearer MP, Leader of the Opposition; Your Excellency Mark Talbot, New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Tonga; and Stafford Aho, Consul-General of Tonga.

It is an honour for Janine and me to host this State Dinner for Your Majesties and to offer our hospitality to you and your delegation on behalf of the people of New Zealand.

Your Majesty—I want to begin by acknowledging your late brother, His Majesty King Siaosi Tupou V.  He was a good friend of New Zealand, and he played an important role in Tonga’s transition to democracy.  Though saddened by his passing, it was an honour for me to lead New Zealand’s delegation at his funeral.  Your late father, King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, was also a good friend of New Zealand throughout his 41-year reign – one of the world’s longest serving monarchs.

Your Majesty, this evening has special significance.  This is your first State visit to New Zealand as King and it marks a new chapter in the close relationship between Tonga and New Zealand.  We look forward to strengthening the ties further between us in the coming years.  New Zealand, as always Tonga’s friend, will continue to stand beside you as a fellow Pacific nation.

The friendly relationship between our two countries is underpinned by extensive family links and a shared Polynesian heritage.  The more than 50,000 people identifying as Tongan in New Zealand adds to our communities and social fabric.  The arts and culture of Tongan New Zealanders have become a distinctive pattern and contributor to New Zealand’s economy and New Zealand’s society.  And of course, Tongan New Zealanders have also given much, perhaps “too much”, to New Zealand sport!  It was the New Zealand Tongan community that, if you will excuse the pun, “kicked-off” the 2011 Rugby World Cup when they welcomed your rugby team at Auckland International Airport.  Others who have contributed to the community in New Zealand include people honoured at investitures, church leaders and leaders of the Tongan community around the country. 

Tongan New Zealanders are increasingly visible in academia and in our universities and in other educational institutions, and many Tongans travel to undertake tertiary study here every year.  These ties underline the potential for expanding education links, which I know is an area close to Your Majesty’s heart, and an important part of your visit to New Zealand. 

We value Tonga as a trading partner.  A Tonga-New Zealand Business Association, set up in Nuku’alofa in 1993 to assist in promoting bilateral trade, has made good headway.  More recently in 2011, the Auckland-based New Zealand Tonga Business Council was established to further promote our bilateral trade.

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the New Zealanders of Tongan descent involved in the community, arts and culture, sport and in business and trade partnerships that are here tonight.  I welcome you and thank you, individually and collectively, for your contributions to the rich and diverse tapestry of New Zealand’s society, culture and economy.

Your Majesty, New Zealand also welcomes a number of temporary visitors from Tonga, including seasonal workers.  Tonga is a lead participant in the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, with about 1,400 workers a year coming here to undertake temporary work in New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture industries.  These workers make important contributions to both of our economies, and foster people-to-people links.

New Zealand and Tonga also have close defence ties—an area that both Your Majesty and I have some first-hand personal knowledge!   The Tonga Defence Service’s relationship with the New Zealand Defence Force is the longest it has had with any defence partner.  That relationship has its origins when Tongan citizens served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the First World War.  More recently, we recognise the important role the Tonga Defence Service has played within the Combined Task Force of RAMSI, and in Afghanistan and Iraq.

More widely, we also acknowledge Tonga’s contribution as an important regional voice, including in the context of the Pacific Islands Forum, the primary vehicle for our regional links.

Tonight, then, we celebrate our special bonds of friendship and community; our shared Polynesian heritage; and our range of bilateral links from the arts to sport to education to trade to defence.  Ours is a friendly relationship built on close and mutual warmth and respect between our two peoples. 

Your Majesties—in that spirit of shared community and shared commitment, on behalf of all New Zealanders, I welcome you both, and your delegation, to Aotearoa New Zealand.