Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship Awards

To view images from the ceremony, click here.

I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language.  Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the afternoon (Sign)

I then specifically greet you: Rachael Selby and Graeme Hall, Chair and Deputy Chair respectively of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and your fellow Trustees; Hon Tariana Turia, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector; Brendon Boyle, Chief Executive of the Department of Internal Affairs; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen. 

I am Patron of the New Zealand Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and it is a great pleasure for Susan and I to welcome you all to Government House in Wellington for the Trust’s Fellowship Awards Ceremony.

This historic House, which celebrated its centenary last year, was formally reopened in late March this year after a 30-month Conservation Project.  That work literally saw the building pulled apart and put back together with heritage furnishings, new services and much needed seismic strengthening.   Susan and I hope that you will take an opportunity to enjoy the hospitality and ambience of this House this afternoon.  It feels good that the relationship between this House and the Winston Churchill Trust has been restored and that the special occasion can again be staged here.

May I address a particularly warm welcome to those selected as Fellows of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.  You are the reason we are all here today, to recognise your achievement in becoming a Fellow of the Trust.

Every two years Winston Churchill Fellowship recipients are presented with certificates by the Governor-General.  Susan and I hosted a ceremony here in August 2007 and another at Government House in Auckland in August 2009. 

This ceremony will also be our last as our time in the Governor-General role concludes in 12 days’ time.  It has been a privilege and an honour to represent the Head of State, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, to New Zealand and when requested by the government to represent our country in parts of the rest of the world.

Since August 2006, when we entered into the Governor-General capacity, I have consistently emphasised a three themes. They have been to encourage New Zealanders to address the opportunities inherent in our nation’s growing diversity, to more fully engage with our communities and finally, to draw on the benefits in gaining civics knowledge.  All three seem particularly pertinent in this context of this gathering.

Almost half a century after his death, Sir Winston Churchill, whose name the Trust carries, remains one of the most well-known and admired people in recent world history. 

His achievements include having been a Nobel Prize winning author, a celebrated war correspondent, a decorated soldier who fought in Africa and later in Europe in the First World War, and as Prime Minister of Britain throughout much of the Second World War and again in the 1950s.

The Second World War was a disastrous conflagration that caused death, misery and devastation to our world on a scale not seen before or since.   Churchill had noted with despair how the leaders of nations could sign documents proclaiming peace and then shortly thereafter wage war.

He came to the conclusion that if the cause of international peace and stability was to be advanced, it had to involve more than just treaties signed by world leaders.  As he once said: “If the human race wishes to have a prolonged and indefinite period of material prosperity, they have only got to behave in a peaceful and helpful way toward one another.”

He was convinced that if people from many different walks of life were given the opportunity to travel, and meet people from different countries and nationalities, they would not only bring back valuable knowledge, but also promote greater understanding between the world’s people.  He believed this knowledge and understanding would materially benefit individuals and communities, and act as a check on national leaders.

Since the first Winston Churchill Memorial Fellows headed overseas 45 years ago in 1966, they have helped enrich New Zealand and the rest of the world.  Their experiences have opened eyes to new knowledge, and different cultures and languages, as well as sharing the best that our  country has to offer. 

Some of those honoured include: author and historian, the late Dr Michael King; the late Don Merton, the internationally renowned conservationist who played a pivotal role in saving the Chatham Islands black robin and the Kakapo; Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon Nathan Guy; Whitford Brown, the first and longest serving Mayor of Porirua, and Hon Dame Catherine Tizard, former Auckland Mayor and New Zealand’s first woman Governor-General.
 
Those are just five of the better known names among some 720 who have travelled overseas as Winston Churchill Memorial Fellows, but all of you were selected by the Trust Board because they believed the proposals you submitted were outstanding.  They were projects that will make a significant contribution to the community, to businesses, and to professional groups but particularly to learning.

Looking through the wide variety of projects that are to be investigated makes for impressive reading.  You and your families and friends can rightfully take pride in receiving what is a prestigious Fellowship and will always stand to your credit. 

It seems only fitting then to identify and close with a quote from Churchill.  More than a solider, statesman, politician, orator author, and I might add bricklayer and artist, he was keen judge of character and of the human psyche.  He once said: “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”  No-one can claim to be perfect, but as Winston Churchill Fellows you have changed and in doing so, sought to improve yourselves and your communities, and for that we can all be grateful.

And on that note I will close in New Zealand’s first language offering everyone greetings and wishing everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours.  No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.