E ngā rau rangatira mā, e kui mā, e koro mā, e huihui mai nei i tēnei rā, tēnei aku mihi nui ki a koutou. Tēnā koutou katoa.
I wish to begin by acknowledging: Jock Jamieson, President of the West Lynn Garden Society; and Ann Foley, Secretary. And to all distinguished guests, volunteers, and friends gathered here this afternoon – tēnā koutou katoa.
Thank you for welcoming me so warmly to West Lynn Garden. It is a true pleasure to be here in this beautiful space, and to continue a vice-regal connection that reaches back through five of my predecessors.
Gardens such as this can appear effortless. We witness the colours, contours, textures, and thriving bird and insect life. Less visible are the hours of planting, pruning, watering, repairing, and – dare I say – weeding that make all of this possible. In that sense, the beauty of West Lynn Garden is truly a shared achievement – an expression of what generations of dedicated people can create when they care for a place and for those who enjoy it.
British garden writer Monty Don has written of gardens carrying ‘the sense of more to come, of growth and expansion and a soaring hope driving through every living cell’. That sense of hope lies at the heart of gardening. To plant something is to imagine a future beyond the present moment – trusting that, with patience and care, something small will take root and offer beauty, shelter, or nourishment to others.
In a garden, the natural world is not distant or abstract. It is present in the unfurling of a leaf, the change of light across a path, the movement of a butterfly, or the return of a bird to a familiar branch.
Monty has also observed that the birds, butterflies, worms, and beetles outside our own doors deserve the same interest as the world’s most celebrated animals. West Lynn Garden brings that idea vividly to life, particularly through its much-loved butterfly house.
It reminds us that care for the environment begins not only in remote forests, oceans, or mountains, but in the places where we live. It begins with noticing what is around us, understanding what it needs, and accepting responsibility for its future.
This garden also offers something truly precious to its visitors. It is a place to gather and celebrate, to learn and remember, or simply to pause. In a busy city, such places give us room to breathe and renew our connections with nature, our communities, and ourselves. In such moments, we may glimpse what the naturalist Peter Matthiessen called ‘the happiness of pure and uninterpreted experience, in which body, mind, and nature are the same’.
The Coral Bark Maple I plant today will take time to establish. Its growth will depend on the care it receives, season after season. In that respect, it will reflect the story of West Lynn Garden itself: founded with hope, strengthened by patient work, and sustained for the benefit of others.
To the West Lynn Garden Society, and to all the volunteers, members, donors, visitors, and friends of the Garden – thank you. May this tree grow strongly, and may West Lynn Garden remain a place of beauty, belonging, and renewal for many years to come.
Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.