Bledisloe Reception

Rau rangatira mā, nau mai, haere mai ki tēnei hui maumahara ki a Bledisloe, me te taonga tuku iho ki Aotearoa.  Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, warm greetings to you all as we gather to recognise the Bledisloe gift of the Treaty grounds to New Zealand.

I specifically acknowledge: Rt Hon John Key, Prime Minister; Rt Hon Dame Sian Elias, Chief Justice; David Shearer, Leader of the Opposition; Peter Marshall, Commissioner of Police; Rear Admiral Tony Parr, Chief of Navy; Pita Paraone, Chairman of the Waitangi National Trust Board; Your Worships Morris Cutforth, Wayne Brown and Neil Tiller, the Mayors of Whangarei and the Far North and Kaipara districts respectively.

It is a great pleasure for Janine and me to welcome you all to this reception in honour of our predecessors, Lord and Lady Bledisloe.  While we have visited Waitangi before, this visit is our first as the Vice-Regal couple.  It is also my first time here as Governor-General and representative of the Queen of New Zealand, and that makes it special for us.

In contemporary times, the Bledisloe name is linked in most New Zealanders’ minds with the trans-Tasman rugby competition and celebrating the All Blacks’ long-standing dominance in that preserve.  That both the Bledisloe Cup and Webb Ellis Cup are now in New Zealand hands — as they should be — serves to confirm those notions.

While rugby fans will forever toast the Bledisloes for the gift of that superb trophy, today we celebrate a gift that is much more fundamental to who and what we are as New Zealanders. 

The Bledisloe gift of the Treaty House and the 506 hectares of land that surround it, to the nation in 1932 must rank as one of the most significant philanthropic gestures in New Zealand’s history.

Its significance is more than the monetary value of the gift.  Its real significance lies in setting these grounds, and the Treaty that was signed here, as national taonga, central pieces in New Zealand’s history, heritage and future.

Two years after the gifting, what had been a sadly dilapidated Treaty House had been restored.  Accordingly, it was fitting that on 6 February 1934 the first Waitangi Day celebrations were held here, with thousands gathering to mark the occasion. 

It is difficult to walk around the Treaty grounds at pace.  The air is thick with history and meaning that seem to swirl around you.  At every turn, one becomes aware of the treasures and the memories that rest here, and those who have cared for them.

Nearby is the plaque marking the spot where the Treaty was first signed in 1840. In addition to the Treaty House, there is the magnificent Te Whare Runanga and the waka Ngatokimatawhaorua that were made and gifted by Māori to New Zealand on the centenary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1940.

There are the Pohutukawa leading to the meeting house that other Governors-General have planted.
And then there is the beautiful vista of Te Moana o Pewhairangi—the Bay of Islands.  Out there at anchor lie ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy, very much as HMS Herald was when Hobson arrived to negotiate a Treaty.

All New Zealanders can rightly regard these hallowed grounds as our nation’s birthplace—Te Pitowhenua.  Yet, if the Treaty grounds are the birthplace of the nation, then surely the Bay of Islands, its waters, islands and its many settlements form our nation’s first cradle.

Reflecting on the Bledisloe gift, it is one of the supreme ironies of our history that it took two British aristocrats, who had only lived in New Zealand for two years, to help us realise the significance of this place and what had occurred here.

The Bledisloes hoped their gift would help New Zealanders develop a sense of nationhood and national solidarity, and that it would improve our understanding of the significance of the Treaty.

While the Government of the day gratefully accepted the Bledisloes’ magnificent gift, it had dragged its heels on repeated requests to buy the land. 

So as we reflect, we should also remember the efforts of local lawyer Vernon Reed, who invited the Bledisloes to the Bay of Islands, hoping to encourage them to use their influence to get a decision from the Government.  As we now know, instead of offering to help persuade the Government to acquire the property, after viewing it the Bledisloes decided that very evening to buy it and present it to the nation.

While Reed remonstrated that it was the Government’s responsibility, the Bledisloes were insistent.  As Reed wrote many years later: “It was evident their action was spontaneous.  They spoke of the ‘cradle of New Zealand’ … and they left in my mind no doubt of their sincere wish to make this great heritage available to the people of New Zealand.  How refreshing this enthusiasm was! Their Excellencies’ love of New Zealand probably impelled them.”

We New Zealanders will be forever grateful for the Bledisloes’ enthusiasm and love of New Zealand.  And we should also be thankful that the people in whose trust it has been placed—the Waitangi National Trust Board—have worked so hard and diligently to preserve and maintain this site.

One of the greatest legacies of the Bledisloe gift is that it initiated the process by which we have firmly establishing Waitangi Day as our national day. 

Eighty years on from the announcement of the gift by the Bledisloes, our sense of nationhood has matured.  We see ourselves as a nation firmly rooted in the Pacific and into Asia, rather than as a British adjunct.  There remain differences of opinion about what needs to be done to address what has happened over the past 172 years.  There are also differences about the significance of the Treaty and how it is interpreted.  How we have met these challenges in the recent past is testament to our thriving democracy.

I believe we have come to see this day as a time to celebrate all that we have achieved, and the values we share.  And when I say “we” I include all those who call New Zealand home, all of us who are citizens of this land and who help make Aotearoa - New Zealand the wonderfully cosmopolitan place it is today.

So, on the eve of the 172nd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, on behalf of all New Zealanders I pay tribute again to Lord and Lady Bledisloe.  We thank them for helping us realise the significance of Waitangi – the place and the notion.  Their generosity and this magnificent gift of the Waitangi Estate acquired this national taonga for all New Zealanders.  Their foresight and benevolence planted the seed of recognising Waitangi Day as our national day – a day on which we can think about who and what we are and where we can all stand proudly together. 

Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.