Southland disAbility Enterprises

E kui mā, e koro mā, e huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou.  Kia ora tātou katoa.  Ladies and gentlemen, warm greetings to you all.

I want to specifically acknowledge: Shona Richardson, Patron, and Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Thursa Kennedy, Chairman of the Board of Southland disAbility Enterprises Ltd, and Ian Beker, General Manager—tēnā koutou katoa.

Thank you for inviting me and my party to Southland disAbility Enterprises this morning, and thank you for the tour of your amazing facilities.

First of all, I want to congratulate Patricia Henery on her 30 years’ of service to Southland disAbility Enterprises.  Patricia, your award rightly recognises your passion and commitment to this organisation, and its work and mission in the community.

I am aware that Southland disAbility Enterprises is a special organisation.  It is a commercial business, and a registered company, and it is an enterprise with a social purpose.  It is special because it promotes the values that New Zealanders hold dear—respect and compassion for, and providing a helping hand to, some of the most vulnerable members of our community - those living with disabilities.

Having been established 39 years ago, Southland disAbility Enterprises has enriched the lives of people with disabilities.  It has provided meaningful employment.  It has encouraged personal development. In that time, it has evolved, but it has never lost sight of its fundamental mission.

By giving people with disabilities the opportunity to work and to contribute to society, Southland disAbility Enterprises transforms the lives of those its serves for the better.  Its commitment to those living with disabilities reminds me of the words of former South African President Nelson Mandela, who once said: “A democracy is an order of social equality and non-discrimination.  Our compatriots who are disabled challenge us in a very special way to manifest in real life those values of democracy.”

Southland disAbility Enterprises is also special because it makes a significant contribution in so many other ways.

I congratulate those of you who have taken it from a sheltered workshop into a successful industrial business, providing recycling processing for the whole of Southland in collaboration with the region’s three territorial local authorities.

By recycling materials that would otherwise go to the landfill, it is making a fantastic contribution to improving the environment, while also heading on sustainable financial path. 

I understand you’ve also taken on a number of Limited Service Volunteers—of which I’m the Programme Patron—giving young unemployed people the opportunity to work is something that adds to their dignity and resonates with those values I mentioned before:  compassion and respect.

To conclude, I want to congratulate the board, the management, funders, supporters and most importantly the staff of Southland disAbility Enterprises for your work.  You are making our country and our society a better place.   Thank you. Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.