Citizenship ceremony

E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi o te motu e huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou, kia ora tātou katoa. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, the warmest of greetings to you all.

I specifically acknowledge: Hon Chris Tremain, Minister of Internal Affairs; Your Worship Len Brown, Mayor of Auckland—tēnā korua.

It is a great pleasure for Janine and me to welcome you all to Government House in Auckland for this citizenship ceremony. 

Today is Waitangi Day, the anniversary of the day on which Te Tiriti o Waitangi—the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed 173 years ago.  As this is our national day, I could think of no better way of celebrating our national identity than by hosting a citizenship ceremony and welcoming new New Zealanders into the New Zealand family. 

This is the second citizenship ceremony we have hosted on a Waitangi Day, and it is our intention to continue to host others in the years ahead.  I thank His Worship Mayor Len Brown for his assistance in administering the oaths and affirmations of allegiance with the ceremony today. 

At this point of the proceedings, I want to congratulate those who have become New Zealand citizens today, completing the journey towards making New Zealand your home.

By international standards, New Zealand citizenship is a relatively new concept, having only existed since 1 January 1949.  Prior to that time, New Zealanders identified themselves as British.  Indeed, reflecting a different time, the law that created the concept of New Zealand citizenship was somewhat confusingly called the “British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act.”

Sixty-four years later, New Zealanders are a distinct group.  We have our own proud traditions and shared values that are bound to concept of New Zealand citizenship.  Those traditions and values are the legacy of the people who have made these islands their home over the last thousand years, whether they came here by waka, sailing ship, steamer or aeroplane.  And while we have always been a diverse country, with people from many different ethnic and national origins, in recent years, that diversity has increased many times over. 

Citizenship ceremonies like this one give us an insight into the changing face of New Zealand.  Today we have 25 people, from 18 countries, becoming New Zealand citizens.  These include countries as far afield as—the United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland, Germany, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia ,  Lebanon, Peru, Russia, the United States of America and Canada, as well as our Asia-Pacific neighbours—the People’s Republic of China, India, the Philippines, Tuvalu, Malaysia, Indonesia, Tonga and Samoa.

Reflecting that diversity and the openness and tolerance that New Zealanders have to others, New Zealand does not require its new citizens to adopt a particular culture—perhaps with the exception of allegiance to the All Blacks!

Seriously, however, in pledging allegiance to New Zealand and our Head of State, the Queen of New Zealand, you do take on the responsibility to uphold the laws of New Zealand, and respect the rights of others.  Other responsibilities include participating in your communities, serving on juries and, most importantly, voting in general and local elections.

This year marks 120 years since New Zealand became the first nation in the world to grant women the right to vote.  That move in 1893 meant that all New Zealanders, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion or wealth could choose their elected representatives, and forever tied the fundamental right to vote to the right to citizenship.

Obtaining New Zealand citizenship is the final step in the journey to making New Zealand both your home and your country.  Citizenship binds us all together as one nation.  As a Māori proverb notes: “Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini—My fame is not that of the individual, but that of the multitude.  No-one can survive alone.”

In deciding to apply for citizenship, you will have had to consider many factors.  While New Zealand does not require new citizens to renounce their existing citizenship, I am conscious that some of you have had to give up the citizenship of your birth to become a citizen here.  That is no easy decision to make and affirms your commitment to New Zealand. 

Your new bonds to New Zealand, however, will never diminish the importance of your heritage, your culture and your traditions.  Like a tapestry of many colours, this diversity strengthens and enriches the fabric of New Zealand society, both now and in the future.

One hundred and seventy-three years ago, when the 40 Māori leaders signed the Treaty of Waitangi, my predecessor, the first Governor of New Zealand, Captain William Hobson, greeted each one and said: “He iwi tahi tātou—we are one people.”  As I look at you new New Zealanders I am mindful that from this time New Zealand’s future and your futures are now woven together. 

Congratulations again on deciding to become a New Zealand citizen and I wish you all the best for the future.  Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.