Royal Humane Society of New Zealand

Ki te hunga toa, ki te hunga manawanui, ki te hunga maia. E huitahi ana tātou ki konei, hei whakahonore I a koutou.
To the brave, to the courageous, to the heroes. We are gathered here in your honour.

I specifically acknowledge: Rt Hon John Key, Prime Minister; Your Worship Bob Parker, Mayor of Christchurch; and Austin Forbes, President of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand.

I also specifically acknowledge the many people, both present and absent, who are to be recognised by this presentation.

As Governor-General and Patron of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand, I feel humbled to have this opportunity to acknowledge and honour those who risked their lives to save others in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, a year ago today.

It is one the greatest tragedies our country has had to face. It is one of the greatest times of sorrow that we have together endured. However, it is one of the greatest moments in our history where bravery, courage and humanity were so abundantly displayed.

In the immediate moments following that terrifying earthquake, and during that day, many ordinary people demonstrated extreme bravery and humanity in their efforts to rescue those who were trapped or injured. What is so extraordinary about this kind of bravery, is that these ordinary people, who themselves were fearful and in shock, put their own lives at great risk to salvage any life they could, no matter what the cost.

I am reminded of the words of Nelson Mandela, who presented his learning on the nature of human courage. He said: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

The recognition of the numerous and remarkable acts of courage by this gold medal, acknowledges all the individuals who put fear aside to preserve life.

Indeed, the awarding of this gold medal is exceptional. The last time a gold medal was presented, to recognise the acts of many people, was in 1968 following the Wahine disaster in Wellington Harbour. My predecessor Sir Arthur Porritt, as Patron of the Society, made that presentation to honour the heroism and bravery of many, who were too numerous to individually recognise. Now 53 years later, I am in the same position, and although the circumstances that have led to this are equally tragic, I count it as an honour and a privilege to commemorate our heroes.

I would now like to call on Christchurch Mayor, Bob Parker, to receive the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand gold medal, on behalf of those many heroes both known, and unknown.  Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.