E ngā rau rangatira mā, e kui mā, e koro mā, e huihui mai nei i tēnei wā, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou. Nau mai, haere mai rā ki Te Whare o te Kawana Tinara o Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
I wish to begin by specifically acknowledging: Dame Fran Wilde, Mayor of South Wairarapa and former Member of Parliament; Craig Watson, Rainbow Wellington committee member; Linda Evans, Bill Logan, Gavin Young and Amal Samaha, LGBTQIA+ community activists and advocates.
A special welcome to members of Rainbow Wellington – New Zealand’s longest standing LGBTQIA+ advocacy group. And of course, all distinguished guests gathered here today to mark this significant milestone. Tēnā koutou katoa.
When I was invited to host this event, it was pitched to me as a celebration of 40 years since the Homosexual Law Reform Bill was passed into law. I couldn’t think of a more fitting word to mark this occasion – which is ultimately a celebration of New Zealanders’ unalienable right to live and to love with freedom, dignity, and joy.
As I acknowledge each of you gathered here today, I also wish to recognise those around the country who could not join us, as well as those who have passed on in the convening years. I would also like to make special mention of Dame Fran Wilde. Dame Fran – your utter determination to introduce this Bill into a divided Parliament and country has radically and positively altered the lives of generations of New Zealanders. We can all take inspiration from your courage, and the courage of your supporters, to remain steadfast in your assertion that this was a change New Zealand needed and was ready for.
In spite of acromonious public scrutiny, the Bill prevailed – in thanks to its vocal champions – and became an Act on the 8th of August 1986. It was my predecessor, Sir Paul Reeves, who put his pen to paper to give assent to this Act. Sir Paul was one of our great orators, and at Waitangi commemorations the following year he made an assertion that continues to resonate: ‘Our own dignity lies in creating dignity for others.’
The passing of the Homosexual Law Reform Bill was a milestone in 1986 and paved the way for even more robust legislation – the passing of the 1993 Human Rights Act and the landmark Marriage Amendment Act in 2013. I know many of you here this afternoon have dedicated so much of yourselves to these campaigns. As Governor-General, on behalf of all New Zealanders – for this is legislation that touches us all – I thank you.
However, I know that the struggle for equality persists, and that forty years since the passing of the Act represents forty years of sustained effort continuing to advocate for the rights of marginalised communities. It was American author James Baldwin who said ‘Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.’ I commend those of you who remain advocates for LGBTQIA+ causes, as well as your important allyship to other minority groups throughout the country.
It is a privilege to mark this occasion with you all this afternoon. I trust it is an opportunity to reflect on the journey and achivements of these past forty years, and to look towards a future filled with hope for all New Zealanders.
Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.