This afternoon's investituture ceremony at Government House Auckland recognised achievements in the entertainment industry, scientific research and some true pillars of their community.
Today's recipients were Mr John Barnett, CNZM, for services to film and television; Dr Anne Bardsley, MNZM, for services to science and the State; Mrs Jennifer Khan-Janif, MNZM, for services to refugee and migrant communities; Mrs Jaylene Ball, QSM, for services to Māori and the community; Mrs Shirley Frew, QSM, for services to textile crafts and the community.
Congratulations to this morning's investiture recipients recognised for their achievements in their communities and across the country. This morning we recognised Tony Carter, CNZM, for services to business governance; Bob Narev, ONZM, for services to the community and education; Julia Durkin, MNZM, for services to photography; Dr Aroha Harris, MNZM, for services to Māori and historical research; Professor Ngaire Kerse, MNZM, for services to seniors and health; Leonie Tisch, QSM, for services to health and the community.
Today's investiture ceremony in Auckland followed the format of the Wellington investitures, with five honour recipients enjoying high tea with their family and friends. Congratulations to Mr Rob Campbell, of Auckland, CNZM for services to governance and business; Mr Gerben Cath, of Auckland, MNZM for services to the screen industry and education; Ms Pauline Stansfield, of Auckland, MNZM for services to people with disabilities; Barbara Dixon, of Auckland, QSM for services to the community, and Reverend Les Dixon, of Auckland, QSM for services to the community.
International choreographer and dancer Parris Goebel was one of nine recipients who received their insignia at an investiture ceremony at Government House today.
As well as dance, today's recipients were recognised for their services to philanthropy, palliative care, fostering children and social work, Maori and broadcasting, music and music education, amputees and and horticulture, community and music and the community
This afternoon's investiture ceremony acknowledged the contributions of mountaineer Shaun Norman (ONZM); community health advocate Naomi Cowan (MNZM); senior citizens advocate Geoff Pearman (MNZM); clay-shooter Ewen Pirie (MNZM); Samoan rugby stalwart Ieti Tiatia (MNZM); the late Rex Kirk (QSM for services to the community and sport); and conservationist Barbara Stuart (QSM).
This afternoon's investiture ceremony recognised eminent educator Roger Moses (CNZM); pioneer intensive care specialist Dr Edward Ward (CNZM); early childhood educator Amanda McIntosh (ONZM); historian, philanthropist and promoter of children's literature Susan Price (ONZM); philanthropist Lyndy Sainsbury (ONZM); music educator and composer Gillian Bibby (MNZM); and sports journalist and commentator Terry O'Neill (QSM).
This afternoon's investiture ceremony for nine recipients of New Year honours included Dame Anna Crighton, recognised for her committed advocacy for New Zealand arts, culture and heritage and Sue Kedgley, ONZM, whose career has included roles in the United Nations, national women's organisations, consumer advocacy, local government, and as a Member of Parliament.
Contributions to dance and theatre, gymnastics, science and conservation, Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the New Zealand Defence Force were among the fields regognised at Friday's investiture ceremony for the New Year 2020 Royal Honours recipients.
Contributions to endocrinology and the transgender community; aviation and conservation; health, particulalry nursing; language education and NZ-Germany relations; science education; the community; governance and hospitality and youth were recognised at an investiture ceremony for the New Year 2020 Royal Honours recipients.
Contributions to health, Māori art and culture, the Anglican Church, the Pacific community, biodynamic agriculture, seniors and ITC education were recognised at the first investiture ceremony for the New Year 2020 Royal Honours recipients.
With the current COVID-19 travel restrictions affecting many of our incoming High Commissioners and Ambassadors, some inventive thinking needed to happen to ensure they could still present their credentials while stationed overseas. The solution was to forgo the usual ceremony on the south lawn and hold them virtually on a zoom call. The exception was the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, HE Mr Sang-jin Lee, as he will reside in New Zealand during his term.
Presenting credentials virtually was High Commissioner of Rwanda HE Mr Jean de Dieu Uwihangye, Ambassador of Nepal HE Mr Mahesh Raj Dahal, Ambassador of Colombia HE Mr Alberto Jose Meija Ferrero and Ambassador of Kazakhstan HE Mr Arken Arystanov.
Life Flight Trust has been a patron of New Zealand Governor’s-General since the time of Sir Paul Reeves. Dame Patsy and Sir David went to visit Life Flight’s base at Wellington Airport to hear about the work they do to help critically ill and injured people get to specialist care around the country. They also provide search and rescue support both on land and at sea.
The Life Flight trust was created by Peter Button as a result of the sinking of the Wahine in 1968, as that tragedy highlighted to him the real need for emergency rescue helicopters. Today, they predominantly service the Wellington region and the top of the South Island with search and rescue helicopters, air ambulances and emergency patient transfers. On average they fly around 4 patients a day, and can be in the air as quick as 10 minutes after receiving a call.
While visiting Life Flight, Dame Patsy was presented with a customary gift given to all Governor's-General since Sir Paul. As Government House is right next door to Wellington Hospital, which is a frequent stop for the Life Flight helicopter, they like to gift the residing Governor-General some ear muffs to help with the noise!
Yesterday Dame Patsy visited Flight Plastics in Wellington to see how clear plastic, collected from around New Zealand, is cleaned, broken down, turned into sheeting and then made into packaging for food products. It is an example of the circular economy in action, as used food trays can in turn be returned to the plant to be recycled repeatedly.
Bill Gosden was recognised for his contribution to the film industry at a small investiture ceremony at Government House in Wellington this afternoon.
Until his retirement last year, Bill was the director of the New Zealand International Film Festival, bringing the best and most distinctive of New Zealand and international film making to audiences throughout the country and providing a vital platform for new film makers and diverse local communities.
Bill received the insignia of an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM)
The citation:
TO RECEIVE THE INSIGNIA OF AN OFFICER OF THE NEW ZEALAND ORDER OF MERIT
Mr Bill Gosden, for services to the film industry
Bill Gosden created and developed the New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) from 1979 until his retirement in 2019, bringing the latest and most distinctive of New Zealand and international filmmaking to audiences throughout the country every winter.
Over the years Mr Gosden brought together film festivals that had previously competed to create the amalgamated NZIFF. In the year of his retirement NZIFF played in 14 centres from Auckland to Gore to a total audience of more than 264,000. He has been a champion for New Zealand filmmakers, making NZIFF the initial screening venue for many of our most significant filmmakers, and a vital platform for emergent voices and the representation of diverse local communities. He has also served as a Governor of the New Zealand Arts Foundation since 2011 and has been involved in selecting the Foundation's Icon Awards. Mr Gosden was previously appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2001 for his services to the film industry.
This morning Dame Patsy opened the Fenwick Forum, an event organised by The Aotearoa Circle focussing on ensuring COVID-19 economic recovery opportunities benefit natural capital.
Joining Dame Patsy at the Fenwick Forum was Izzy Fenwick, daughter of the late Sir Rob Fenwick, co-founder of The Aotearoa Circle. Izzy’s moving speech paid tribute to her father’s legacy and emphasised the importance of acting now to ensure a liveable world for future generations.
While Dame Patsy and Izzy were speaking in Auckland, the participants and panellists were attending via Zoom, walking the walk and keeping their carbon emissions down.
Dame Patsy's visit to Auckland City Mission found the organisation in good heart, after being on the front lines helping Aucklanders in desperate need navigate the Covid-19 crisis.
Demand for food parcels doubled during lockdown and has yet to fall. Mission staff also had to reinvent every single service in order to continue to help those who needed it, with some of the changes set to be permanently incorporated into the Mission's way of working.
Dame Patsy heard from GM Social Services Helen Robinson and GM Corporate Services Roger King about the generosity and bravery that was shown to and by staff and volunteers at the Mission. They reported that while there was anxiety around what they could afford to do, there was enormous support from Aucklanders.
Dame Patsy was able to thank staff and volunteers and also received a briefing on Mission Homeground, the ACM's new home currently being built.
There was plenty of symbolism surrounding Dame Patsy's visit. Auckland City Missioner Chris Farrelly noted that the organisation was founded in the aftermath of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and as they celebrate their 100th year, they're having to manage another one. It was also the first official vist to Auckland City Mission by a Governor-General since Lord Bledisloe visited in 1931, the earliest days of the Depression.
Dame Patsy and Sir David visited the Auckland Festival Trust this afternoon. Like many events, the Auckland Arts Festival 2020 was affected by the March lock down, with the final few performances of the festival cancelled.
Dame Patsy heard how the Trust has worked to make sure their commitments to staff and performers were met, as well as how they are planning for the future in 2021 and beyond. Watch this space!
Dame Patsy and Sir David met the team behind the team when they visited the offices of the New Zealand Olympic Committee in Auckland today.
The 22 staff members are responsible for every facet of organisation for New Zealand's Olympic and Commonwealth Games teams and while the 2020 Tokyo Olympics may have been postponed until next year; the organisation for that event, as well as the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, continues.
Dame Patsy and Sir David were given an overview of each area of operations, from athelete and team support and logistics, commercial partnerships, marketing, media engagement, legacy initiatives and more.
This year marks a notable milestone for our Olympians. It's the 100th anniversary of New Zealanders first wearing the silver fern at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics.
Dame Patsy and Sir David are in Auckland for most of this week. Their first visit was to Tourism New Zealand for a chat with CEO Stephen England-Hall and GM NZ and Government Relations Billie Hall about how the organisation has turned its focus from promoting New Zealand overseas to encouraging New Zealanders to see more of their own country.
Next Dame Patsy and Sir David headed to Pet Refuge. The brainchild of Kids Can founder Julie Chapman, Pet Refuge will provide temporary shelter for pets affected by domestic violence, keeping them safe while their owners escape abuse. Dame Patsy viewed the building site and also met some of Julie's own rescue animals.
The last meeting of the day was with Auckland City Mayor Phil Goff for a briefing on the impact of Covid-19 on the city and some of the other challenges currently being faced.
As patron of the Te Papa Foundation, Dame Patsy and Sir David were the first guest through the doors at Te Papa Tongarewa after being closed for the longest time in its 22 year history. They weren’t the only ones eager to have a visit, many patrons were waiting by the doors for their chance to get back inside our national museum.
On arrival, they were met by the CEO of Te Papa’s board, Dame Fran Wilde, and were walked through new hygiene practices that are being implemented to keep the returning guests safe.
A maximum of 500 guests are allowed in the museum at any one time. While this is less than the normal number of daily visitors, it is a gradual return to business as usual for this national institution.
With the sudden alert level 4 announcement, schools had to react quickly to shift learning from the classroom to an online environment. Dame Patsy paid a visit to Government House’s neighbour, Wellington College, to see how the staff and students managed with the drastic changes to their learning environment and how it felt being back in the classroom.
Some of the issues raised were making sure students had access to the devices they would need to learn online from home, making sure students adopted good time management skills and coming to terms with cancelled events they had been working hard towards.
Dame Patsy heard how the teachers and students had embraced online learning through creative techniques like YouTube videos, Zoom catch ups and the kids keeping in contact with each other through the school Instagram account.
During the lockdown, an emphasis was placed on flexible learning, noting that not all kids are in the same situation and their education needed to fit around their home and in some cases work life situations.
While many New Zealanders worked from home where possible during alert level 4 COVID-19 restrictions, some needed to leave their bubble to ensure a small bit of essential normality took place for our households. A large group of essential workers were supermarket staff, who made sure our shelves were well supplied in the weeks that passed while we stayed home. Dame Patsy met with some of these workers on a visit to New World Thorndon on the 27th of May.
Owner and store manager respectively are brothers Reece and Ash Drake, who recently took over the business from their father Brian. Supermarkets have always been a part of their lives, right from when they were small kids running around the family 4 Square. As with many businesses, they had to adapt from their business as usual to the ever-changing alert level restrictions to ensure their staff and shoppers remained safe. While visiting, Dame Patsy met staff from all areas of the supermarket and heard what it was like working in a customer-facing role during the lockdown period, and heard how they were able to hire more staff to help with such a busy time.
Last night's dinner for officials leading New Zealand's response to COVID-19 was an opportunity to test out Government House's hospitality protocols under Level Two. Small dinners and lunches have a limited number of guests, who use hand sanitiser and sign a register. Guests assemble briefly for photographs, drinks are served to guests when they are seated and appropriate spacing is used during the seated dinner service. Last night's dinner for leaders in New Zealand's response to COVID-19 were served this dessert, aptly named Crush the Curve (peanut butter and raspberry jelly with brown bread ice-cream).
This evening Dame Patsy hosted government officials who have been trusted leaders of New Zealand's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were particularly appropriate guests for the first dinner since lockdown began, and included Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Director General of Health; Sarah Stuart-Black, who led the Civil Defence response to the pandemic; John Ombler, who led the Government's response; and Dr Caroline McElnay, Director of Public Health for the Ministry of Health.
Dame Patsy thanked them for their service and acknowledged the enormous responsibility that they had shouldered. She noted how they had used their expertise and communication skills to instil confidence in their fellow citizens and encourage a sense of collective responsibility for the nation's wellbeing.
On this AIDS Candlelight Memorial day, the COVID-19 virus is obliging us to gather in a virtual space and reflect on the terrible toll of the HIV virus, which has been responsible for over 30 million deaths worldwide since the 1980s.
This year, many of us will see parallels between the early years of the AIDS pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic: the race to collect data and understand the science; widespread fear and anxiety about devastating social, health and economic impacts; and the absence of viable vaccines or antiviral medications.
As with COVID-19, New Zealand was fortunate to experience a low rate of viral infection during the AIDS pandemic, and our numbers of HIV positive tests have remained comparatively low by international standards. However, our rainbow community was hit particularly hard, and continues to bear the brunt of AIDs-related conditions.
This evening, people around New Zealand will join people around the world who will be remembering friends, loved ones and family members whose lives were brought short by HIV/AIDS, before the advent of medications that would have enabled them to live out a normal life-span.
Tonight people will remember also the remarkable resilience of the rainbow community in the 1980s, when HIV-positive people experienced terrible social exclusion and stigma. We will remember their courage and their determined advocacy for research into effective treatment options.
The rainbow community has done much to reduce the lingering stigma experienced by people living with HIV/AIDs – and to promote the message that early testing will also enable early and more effective treatment.
I hope that we can all be inspired by that sense of community spirit, compassion and resolve in our efforts to combat COVID-19.
He toi whakairo, he mana tangata: Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity.
New Zealanders have turned to music, song and performance to connect with each other in these anxious times. From people joining their neighbours in driveways to sing together in Whakatu, to on-line performances by families, and extraordinary coordinated efforts by musicians across New Zealand, the power of music is giving us inspiration, hope and good cheer.
As Patron of several arts organisations, Dame Patsy invites New Zealanders to follow what these particular patronages are achieving in the virtual realm.
Dame Patsy is patron of a wide range of charities and organisations. She has recently sent them letters of support, acknowledging that they are working in testing times and have had to adapt how they work in our communities.
One such patronage is the Graeme Dingle Foundation, which plays a vital role in helping thousands of New Zealand children develop confidence and achieve their potential. The Foundation has been recently been listed as an essential service by the Ministry of Social Development. This will allow more flexibility for its services that support the education and youth-justice sectors and help alleviate the sense of dislocation and anxiety that many young people will be experiencing.
Here's an example of how the Foundation has continued its fantastic work in an on-line environment.
Like other New Zealanders, Dame Patsy and Sir David were unable to attend public commemorations to mark Anzac Day 2020, due to the restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They joined thousands of fellow citizens across the country who chose to stand at dawn in front of their houses in silent reflection.
In an historic first, a video message was recorded by Dame Patsy and the Governor-General of Australia, General The Hon David Hurley. They encouraged the citizens of both countries to find their own way of paying homage to their forebears, and to draw strength from their example as we face our current adversities.
Dame Patsy's Anzac Address was screened on television at 11 am to coincide with the usual time of the National Commemoration at Pukeahu War Memorial Park.
Radio New Zealand re-broadcasted the 2017 National Commemoration, the first where Dame Patsy spoke as Governor-General of New Zealand.
Media advisory on behalf of Dame Patsy Reddy, Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General, Dame Patsy Reddy, will be donating twenty percent of her salary over the next six months in support of a number of charities.
Dame Patsy says she is making this move to show leadership and support for sectors of the community affected during the pandemic.
“I am very conscious of the impact of the current situation on all New Zealanders and feel it is important to offer support to organisations helping some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Dame Patsy will be supporting the work of the Order of St John, Women’s Refuge, KidsCan, the SPCA and the Arts Foundation.
As people across New Zealand and the Commonwealth are experiencing unprecedented changes to their lives, concern for family and friends, and financial uncertainty, you are in my thoughts and prayers.
I send my enduring thanks to those who continue to put the service of others above themselves, whether by staying at home, providing essential services, or by caring for the most vulnerable.
It is through this sense of community, dedication and faith, that I am confident New Zealanders will rise to the challenge and overcome.
Like other New Zealanders, we are doing everything we can to support measures that will help contain COVID-19.
My constitutional duties will continue, but all community engagements and events in my programme have been postponed.
David and I are sad that we will not be able to help celebrate the service and dedication of outstanding New Zealanders at investiture ceremonies in April and May. These will be rescheduled for later in the year.
We encourage everyone to help our nation get through this challenging time, by following the advice of the Government and its expert advisers, and by looking after yourselves and others in your community.
Kia maia, kia manawanui, kia kaha.
Patsy
