Student CHOGM

Ladies and Gentlemen, I greet you in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - English, Maori, Cook Island Maori, Niuean, Tokelauan and Sign Language.

Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and (Sign)

May I specifically greet you, Minister of Revenue and Member of Parliament, Hon Peter Dunne; President Royal Commonwealth Society Commonwealth Trust, Darryl Stevens; Your Excellencies High Commissioners; Distinguished Guests and Student Delegates.

It is a great pleasure for my wife Susan and myself to be here tonight, and for me to speak with all who are involved in the Student Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting with that very satisfying acronym "CHOGM".

It feels most appropriate too, given the reason for this gathering, that we are dining tonight in the Banquet Hall of Parliament. There is nothing quite like working "on location" and the atmosphere created within Parliament and its associated Government Buildings will certainly have lent an air of authenticity to the whole experience for participants.

In every New Zealand setting, whoever speaks ought first to establish a place to stand before the audience. 

In that regard, I am speaking first as Governor-General of New Zealand - a country which has a long history with, and a deep affinity for, the Commonwealth of Nations.

Our country's constitutional values are aligned with those of the Commonwealth, which holds as its core beliefs the principles of equality, justice and democracy. In each of the three, there is a case for saying that New Zealand leads by example.

Secondly, I am speaking as a member of the Royal Commonwealth Society and as someone whose professional and personal history has given me an insight into the great value of our membership to this international partnership.

Thirdly I spent much of the last decade as a working Ombudsman in New Zealand who had a role in helping deliver a Commonwealth Secretariat training programme for newly appointed Commonwealth Ombudsmen.

The Commonwealth has a record of providing a multi-national approach to solving world problems. While the challenges it has faced over the decades have evolved to reflect changes in world politics, the principles of peaceful negotiation have been of ongoing benefit to its nation members, and to the world as a whole.  The Commonwealth has come to be a symbol of supporting what is called "good governance".

Yet the future of the Commonwealth is only as strong as its future members and leaders.

That includes students who are involved in this Student CHOGM, as well as students right around the world who may be involved with the Commonwealth at some level.

Your understanding of the issues which face each member country, as well as the bonds which unite them, are important if we are to continue embracing and applying the positive principles which have characterised this partnership to date.

I congratulate you for taking part in this initiative.

The theme of the Commonwealth this year is about respecting difference and promoting understanding. These are issues I am advised you are debating over these two days.

I would suggest that these are central to the future success of the Commonwealth as they are relevant to solving a wide range of problems, from poverty and exclusion, terrorism and extremism to inequality and injustice.

They are also themes which have a resonance for me, as a New Zealander born to migrant parents of an ethnic minority.

I believe New Zealand has much to offer in progressing these themes. We are a nation whose peaceful and productive future depends on respecting the differences between our people, and promoting understanding.

New Zealand in 2007 is a country whose national identity is fashioned by cultural difference. It has been that way for hundreds of years.

That is because we are a nation of migrants who joined the original inhabitants, the tangata whenua, as British and then many others from European nations, from Australia and the Pacific, from Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Being in this setting tonight brings to mind a phrase of former Prime Minister and Governor-General, Sir Keith Holyoake, thirty years ago.

 "We are," said Sir Keith, "a multi racial society.  We are British we are Maori. We are Polynesian.  We are also Chinese, Danish, Yugoslav, Indian, Dutch and others.  Some might see this cultural diversity as a liability or as a source of friction.  We do not.  It is a strength."

If Sir Keith had been here today he would have added Korean, Filipino, Samoan, Hungarian and then some.

One only needs to look at our most recent Census figures to see that we are continuing to forge a positive future out of our diversity.

Today more than half of all children born in New Zealand are, to some extent, of Maori, Pacific or Asian descent.

Whereas 30 years ago, 86 percent of New Zealanders were European, today, just over two thirds of New Zealanders identify as European. Just under a third identify as Maori, Asian and Pacific.

We recognise and practice many faiths. The recent Census revealed that fewer of us identify as Christians, while there are a growing number of followers of Eastern religions and of people with no religion at all.

We can expect the dynamic of our people to change even further in the years ahead. 

As it does, it will become increasingly important that we respect and celebrate our differences and promote understanding between all our people.

A well-known Maori proverb expresses well how important it is that we embrace diversity. It goes:

The tui sings, the kaka chatters, the pigeon coos.

New Zealand has many qualities of which we can be proud. But the one that perhaps places our small country apart in the world is that we have reason to say we represent a benchmark for diversity, where many cultures live peacefully, and productively, side by side and whose governments for a number of years have made a principled contribution to international affairs. 

However, I believe we still have some way to go towards ensuring we are a fully inclusive and tolerant society - one that harnesses its diversity for the broader good of the nation.

To this end, your consideration of these issues, as leaders of tomorrow, are critical.

The Student CHOGM, which places each of you temporarily in the shoes of leaders of other Commonwealth member countries, is an enlightening way to consider these issues in an international context - to consider these issues through the eyes of nations with unique perspectives from our own.

You will then have the opportunity to apply these learnings to our own distinct New Zealand setting - both today, and in whatever path you choose to follow in the years ahead.

I congratulate you once again for your participation in the Student Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

I began speaking in all the New Zealand realm languages.  May I close by speaking in Maori issuing greetings and wishing you good health and fortitude in your endeavours.

No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa