Order of St John Investiture

E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi o te motu, nga mema o Hato Hone, e huihui nei tenei aku mihi mahana kia koutou.  Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and members of St John, I extend warm greetings to you all. 

Welcome and thank you for attending this Investiture service at St Patrick’s Cathedral. 

I want to especially acknowledge His Excellency Archbishop Charles Balvo, Apostolic Nuncio for the Holy See, and Monsignor Bernard Kiely, Cathedral Administrator.  Thank you Monsignor Kiely for welcoming us to this beautiful cathedral, and to this important occasion for the Order of St John.

This is a special day for the Postulants and their families, loved ones and supporters.  To the Postulants, I congratulate you on your worthy achievements and your dedication to St John in New Zealand.  I once again welcome you as the newest members in your grade within this Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

Your achievements are many and your commitment to St John is impressive.  Some of you are serving as volunteer ambulance officers.  Many more, however, are active in the St John youth programme, in the management of events, in fundraising initiatives or in training volunteers.  Some of you have been very much in behind-the-scenes roles that are a feature of community organisations like ours.

Today, we recognise, celebrate and thank you for the quality of your service and your commitment to values of St John.  We acknowledge your integrity, teamwork, professionalism and empathy.  As much as our values are key tenets of how we should conduct ourselves, you are examples to us all. 

Your service not only reflects on your own character, and your own commitment, but it also does great credit to St John.  As Prior, I thank you for all that you have done for St John.  You are role models and in privileged positions of trust in your communities.  Your actions are directly linked to the reputation St John has in New Zealand.

The Order of St John is an organisation that has served New Zealanders for 127 years.  And it is an organisation that has evolved and adapted to meet changing needs.  This investiture ceremony signals the most fundamental of changes – people entering and leaving roles in the Order.  I say “roles” because as the family of St John it is rare for us to sever connections with our people.

We will have a changing of the guard at the top of the organisation in September.  As I mentioned at the Postulant’s dinner last night, Chief Executive Jaimes Wood, who played a pivotal role in shaping our organisation during the last 12-and-a-half years, has decided to seek new challenges. 

Along with the normal challenges involved in the delivery of public services, through his leadership Jaimes has ensured our reputation has remained strong as a service, one that the public value, and can rely on.  As Prior I want to thank Jaimes for all he has done for St John, and wish well for the future.

I am pleased that Peter Bradley from London Ambulance Service has been appointed as Jaimes’ successor.  Peter will take up his new role in September after he completes commitments in London, including to the London Olympics.  Peter’s experience and background make him well placed to continue the development of St John in New Zealand.

That on-going development will occur in an environment that is demanding and where accountability and public expectations are high.   There are many challenges, and as I reflect on the calibre of the people here, I feel confident that together we will meet them.

St John has, like all of New Zealand, dealt with some of the biggest challenges in our nation’s recent history.  Through these events St John provided significant emergency crisis responses while at the same time, continuing to provide essential day-to-day services that New Zealanders depend upon. 

I particularly want to acknowledge our Canterbury members for their commitment to St John while continuing to endure their own ongoing difficult circumstances.  My thanks to everyone in St John—both paid staff and volunteers, and in all parts of the organisation—who have faced those challenges together.

New Zealanders value our work and hold us all in high esteem. They do so because St John helps make New Zealand a better place.  They do so because St John stands for many of the good things that we all share and value—generosity, tolerance and compassion for others.

Because St John reflects the best qualities that New Zealanders hold dear, they are prepared to reciprocate and show their appreciation.  With St John’s appeal week fast approaching , the support St John gets from organisations and from members of the public who volunteer their time or donate cannot be taken for granted.  We must work hard to continue to earn that goodwill by adapting and responding to the opportunities before us and being the first to care.

In conclusion, I am delighted to be here as the Prior of the Most Venerable Order of St John in New Zealand and as Governor-General.  I take pride in the work our members do every day, across every community in New Zealand. 

Again, thank you to those of you who are here to support the Postulants, your presence is very much appreciated.  I congratulate everyone I will invest today and thank you for your work in our communities – for being faithful and people of honour.  I thank all of our members for the efforts you make for St John.  You are part of a wonderful and worthy tradition and an organisation that will stay vital and relevant for many years to come. 

Kia ora, kia kaha, huihui tātou katoa.