St Patrick's College Wellington

I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Maori, Cook Island Maori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language. 

Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the morning (Sign).

I specifically greet you: Chris McCarthy, Chair of the Board of Trustees of St Patrick’s College Wellington and your fellow trustees; Fr Paul Martin, School Rector and your fellow staff; Hon Justice Denis Clifford, Chair of the Board of Proprietors and Judge of the High Court; Hon Bill English, Deputy Prime Minister ; Fathers, sons and Old Boys; Distinguished Guests otherwise;  Ladies and Gentlemen. 

It is with pleasure that I join you for this year’s St Patrick’s College Wellington Big Boys Breakfast. 

At the outset, can I say how good it is to reconnect with “St Pat’s Town” as this school is fondly known in Wellington.  As a Catholic, and as an old boy of another Marist school, namely Sacred Heart College in Auckland, visiting this school is somewhat akin to catching up with extended family—I will forebear from saying which part.

I want to congratulate the College on reaching its 125th Jubilee which it celebrates this year.   Only a handful  of New Zealand schools have reached such a significant milestone.  Under its motto—Sectare  Fidem: Hold firm to your faith—St Pat’s has a proud history of nurturing boys into becoming confident and able young men. 

In particular, I want to add congratulations on the success earlier this month in winning the McEvedy Shield, the prestigious school athletics competition.  That St Pat’s overcame  Wellington College, the previous holders of the Shield and a school with more than twice the number of students, speaks volumes of everyone’s tenacity and hard work.   Well done.

When I last visited here in October 2007 I attended the leadership assembly and presented number of  leadership awards.    On that occasion, I spoke about key leadership qualities and the importance of trust and respect.

I will this morning take a different tack by speaking of the importance of participating in our democracy.  
Earlier this month, I attended what may possibly be the last significant reunion of the 28 (Māori) Battalion at Orakei Marae in Auckland.

It was a poignant gathering, in that of the more than 3000 men who served in the Battalion during the Second World War, fewer than 50 now remain.

2010 marks 65 years since the end of the War, a conflict that devastated our world.  Historians estimate it claimed the lives of 50 million people worldwide, including one in every 150 New Zealanders.   Many more were injured and maimed, and many grieving families were left behind.

It was a war in which all New Zealanders gave their greatest national effort, at home and abroad, and on land, at sea and in the air.  New Zealanders then fought to defend their nation and cherished democratic values from an evil totalitarian ideology. Their honourable service reminds us that democracy can never be taken for granted.

While New Zealand is a young country by modern standards, ours is an old democracy.  New Zealand has been self-governed since the 1850s and all New Zealanders have had the right to vote, regardless of wealth, race, religion or gender, since 1893.  It is a creditable record of democracy.

During each week one can be reminded by reading the world section of our newspapers that many of the civil liberties that we enjoy as New Zealand citizens, and particularly the right to vote, continues to be denied to millions of people throughout our world. 

In November this year, New Zealanders will vote in their local elections for city, district and regional councils and for district health boards.  Despite voting being by postal ballot, the numbers voting in these elections has traditionally been, for a country with a highly-educated rights-conscious community, downright abysmal.

Yet these councils and boards play an important role in providing essential services without which our society and economy would literally grind to a halt.  Some people suggest councils deal with the apparently "boring" issues such as roads, rubbish and rates.

But they also deal with parks, sports facilities and making grants to community organisations.  It has also to be said that good roads, good public transport, good water and sewerage services, and good environmental management, are vital for economic development.

District Health Boards provide services on which our lives literally depend.  Eight years ago both Susan and I were seriously injured when a car crossed the centreline on State Highway 1 near Warkworth. We would not have survived the head-on collision if it was not for the medical treatment we received from New Zealand’s hospital and health services. The care we received is something for which I will continue to be grateful.

Participation in democracy, however, is about more than just voting.  It is about serving on juries, making submissions on central and local government proposals, and responsibly exercising the right to assemble and petition the government.

Some of the young men here today will turn 18 this year and will be eligible to enrol to vote in this year’s local elections.  I urge you to do so, and indeed, I urge your fathers to not only encourage you to vote, but to do so themselves! 

Those who turn 18 in 2011 will have the opportunity to vote in the General Election to elect our next Parliament. While New Zealand’s turnout in national elections remains high by international standards, it too has dropped in recent years.

The significance of this cherished right was well made by famous New Zealand suffragette Kate Sheppard after New Zealand became the first nation to grant women the right to vote.  She said:  "Do not think your single vote does not matter much. The rain that refreshes the parched ground is made up of single drops."

New Zealand then is a nation with a strong democratic tradition. It is a society marked by a modern economy, a principled political culture and of high standards of education and health.   That legacy has been built and protected by successive generations over many years and gifted to us today.

My challenge to this audience, a gathering of young people soon to become adult members of the community, is to become engaged with our democracy.   It is incumbent upon you, as New Zealand citizens, to take responsibility for ensuring the legacy you have inherited is not only preserved but continues to flourish.

And on a note emphasising citizenship and its responsibilities, I will close in New Zealand’s first language Māori, offering everyone greetings and wishing you all good health and fortitude in your endeavours. 

No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.