Speech
Dawn Service
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen: I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand—English, Māori, Cook Island Maori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language. Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the morning (Sign).
I am honoured to join this ANZAC Day Dawn Service in Hagley Park in Christchurch.
This morning, as on 25 April each year, our veterans march to their local war memorials. As the sky lightens, we join with them to mark the tragic landings at Gallipoli in 1915.
We also commemorate all those New Zealanders who have served and died for their country, standing up for the democratic freedoms we all hold dear, most notably in the two world wars, but also in places such as Malaya, and more recently in places such as Timor-Leste and Afghanistan.
ANZAC Day, however, has come to symbolise much more. Many argue persuasively that it was at Gallipoli that New Zealand defined itself as a nation, and that it was there, with our soldiers fighting alongside Australians, that the strong bond with that country was confirmed.
For New Zealand, and our ANZAC partner Australia, the last two years have been a time of sorrow and trouble. New Zealand suffered two devastating earthquakes here in Christchurch and the mining disaster on the West Coast. There have also been ruinous floods and fires across the Tasman, also, with much loss of life.
Alongside the grief of our recent tragedies have been the care and compassion of New Zealanders, and an implicit affirmation of all that connects us, one to another. These tragedies have repeatedly demonstrated that New Zealanders are a single family.
On this day we draw on those connections. We draw on them to think not only of what it is that makes a nation go to war, but what it is that makes a nation.
The qualities that make a nation were, as just one example, amply displayed by people in this city in the immediate aftermath of the February earthquake, when ordinary people put their lives at risk to pull others from shattered buildings, and people in the suburbs made sure of the safety of their neighbours.
On this day, as we recall all those who have served and died for our country in times of conflict, let us look to those closest to us and care for them, and seek to create with them a world of peace.
On that note I will close and in our country’s first language Māori, by wishing everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours. No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.