E nga rau rangatira mā, e kui mā, e koro mā, e huihui mai nei I tenei waa, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou. Nau mai, haere mai ra ki Te Whare o te Kawana Tinara o Tamaki Makaurau.
I specifically acknowledge
- Rich Easton, CEO of the Neurological Foundation
- Dr Erin Cawston
- Associate Professor Jack Flanagan
- Professor Sue Stott, and
- Professor Lynette Tippett
A very warm welcome to you all. I am proud to be Patron of the Neurological Foundation, and I welcome this opportunity to acknowledge both your tremendous support to researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past 55 years – and to acknowledge the ground-breaking work they have undertaken with that support.
Prior to taking up my role as Governor-General, I was Chief Executive of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. Earlier this month, I hosted the annual Royal Society awards ceremony, where I was delighted to present Distinguished Professor Cliff Abraham with the Rutherford Medal, which acknowledged his outstanding contribution to neuroscience.
And last month, I was again in illustrious company when Professor Alan Barber – who is with us today – joined Oscar Kightley, Pio Terei, Yvonne Willering and myself as inductees into Rutherford College’s Hall of Distinction.
During my term of office as Governor-General, I have welcomed opportunities to highlight and foster the pursuit of expert knowledge, because as the whakatauki reminds us:
I orea te tuatara ka puta ki waho: a problem is solved by continuing to find solutions.
We may be a small country with limited resources, but we have no shortage of brilliant researchers whose expertise can help us address the pressing issues of our times.
Given that one of those more pressing issues is our rapidly aging population – and the fact that one in three New Zealanders will develop a neurological disorder in their lifetime – we are indeed fortunate the Neurological Foundation has invested $88 million to date into neuroscience and neurological research.
I appreciate the sheer complexity of brain functions must be daunting for researchers. At the same time, it must be immensely satisfying to contribute to an incremental progress in our understanding of the causes, cures and preventions of these conditions.
Your work gives hope to patients and their whanau – that new treatments will be found – and that they will be able to look forward to a more hopeful prognosis.
After 55 years, the Foundation can take great satisfaction in the role it has played in advancing neuroscience and neurology – and in the process, creating viable career pathways for students, new researchers and clinicians.
The whakatauki Mā te huruhuru, ka rere te manu speaks about empowering people to meet their goals, and translates as “Adorn the bird with feathers, so that it might fly”.
It seems entirely apposite today, as we celebrate a new funding stream – the Neurological Foundation Programmes and Platforms grants – which will indeed give impetus to our best and brightest researchers in their mission to better understand and treat a broad range of neurological conditions.
My sincere thanks to everyone associated with the Neurological Foundation – supporters, researchers, clinicians, partners and staff – for everything you do to help our neuroscience and neurological communities to survive, connect and flourish.
With the festive season fast approaching, I trust you have all scheduled yourselves a break, so that you can return with vigour to the challenges and opportunities the New Year will bring.
Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.