Speech
Milford and East Coast Bays Rotary Clubs meeting
I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Maori, 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 evening (Sign)
I specifically greet you: Bryan Rowney, Assistant District Governor; Alison Waugh, President of the Rotary Club of Milford; Rev Don Hall, President of the Rotary Club of East Coast Bays; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is with pleasure that my wife Susan and I join you for this combined meeting of the Rotary Club of Milford and the Rotary Club of East Coast Bays. It is particularly fitting that I meet your clubs together as I understand that the Milford Club, chartered in 1967, sponsored the East Coast Bays Club which was established five years later.
It is a pleasure to be in the company of Rotarians and spouses, having been for a number of years a foot soldier member and, now, honorary member of the Rotary Club of Wellington. Indeed, there were friendly murmurs in that Club that a significant reason in accepting the role of Governor-General in 2006 was to avoid what some would regard as the more weighty position of Club President.
But I jest! As one who has been a lawyer, judge, ombudsman and now Governor-General I continue to value the knowledge and skills able to be gained and enjoyed as a Rotarian. It is in the giving back to the community that one learns in Rotary that one receives so much in return.
Even with that background and with a view to what is immediately ahead of me, I can well understand the wit of the Pulitzer Prize winning columnist from the Miami Herald, Dave Barry, who once wrote, as follows: “All of us are born with a set of instinctive fears—of falling, of the dark, of lobsters, of falling on lobsters in the dark, or speaking before a Rotary Club, and of the words [on the box saying] ‘Some Assembly Required.’”
More seriously, the success of service clubs like Rotary lies in their positive support for the community, focusing on those matters with which members are in agreement. Rotary Founder, Paul Harris, repeatedly emphasised the importance of friendship in bringing people together and healing divisions, whether they be at the neighbourhood, community, national or international level. In a famous 1934 article published in The Rotarian, Harris wrote: “Man has affinity for his fellowman, regardless of race, creed, or politics, and the greater the variety, the more the zest. All friendliness needs is a sporting chance; it will take care of itself in any company.” That your District Governor, Georges Giovannelli, is a member of the Rotary Club of Noumea, speaks volumes of tan ongoing pledge to international friendship and understanding.
As will be well known in this gathering, the first Rotary Club was founded more than a century ago when Harris, with his friends Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele and Hiram Shorey met in Madame Gallis’ Italian restaurant in Dearborn St, Chicago on 23 February 1905. Today, there are 1.2 million Rotarians in more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries, committed to the notion of “service above self”.
For Susan and me, we are now approaching the fourth anniversary of when I was sworn in as the personal representative of the Queen of New Zealand in August 2006. Barring a constitutional crisis, which no New Zealand Governor-General has ever had to face, we have together been exposed to at least one instance of every usual aspect of the role, whether that be opening Parliament, swearing in a new government or ANZAC Day commemorations and Waitangi Day celebrations.
We are thus almost four years into what is normally a five year journey and I would like to make some comment on that journey to date and some view of the days ahead and the evolving role of the Governor-General.
An abiding feature is the closure of Government House Wellington. In packing up the House many thousands of individual items were identified, catalogued and either placed into storage, or sent to Government House Auckland, to Government House Vogel or off for restoration or display.
Susan and I have had a number of inspection visits of the project and it is fascinating to see the work now well under way, including re-roofing, strengthening and installation of a massive service trench under the House that stretches from one end to the other.
Also of particular interest is the “new”—and I place the word in quotation marks—and distinctive colour scheme which is now starting to become visible. With a dark colour on the ground floor and a lighter colour on the upper floor, it matches that which coated the House when Lord Islington, Sir John Dickson-Poynder, took up residence in the House in 1910. As a century has passed since the House opened, preparations are a foot to mark that centenary later this year.
Our last visit was particularly special because we were joined by the outgoing British High Commissioner, George Fergusson. As many will recall, Mr Fergusson was just a seven-year-old boy called “Geordie” when his father and mother, Sir Bernard Fergusson and Lady Laura Fergusson, took on the Governor-General mantle in 1962.
Not surprisingly, photographs from that first day in New Zealand show him looking a little like a possum caught in headlights. But he endeared himself to all New Zealanders by performing a forward roll on the north lawn on that first day. It was fascinating to hear his stories of playing soccer in the ballroom and some of the other hijinks he got up to in the grounds such as expeditions up into the tower.
Sir Bernard’s time as Governor-General was literally the end of an era, as he was the last British vice-regal representative. Indeed, his family had something of a stranglehold over the vice-regal role, with his father Sir Charles Fergusson serving as Governor-General from 1924 to 1930) and both of Sir Bernard’s grandfathers, Sir James Fergusson (1873-74) and the Earl of Glasgow, David Boyle (1892-97), having served as Governors. Not surprisingly, this led Sir Bernard to jokingly refer to the New Zealand Governor-General role as “the family racket.”
The role has changed significantly since Sir Bernard’s time with the appointment of the first New Zealand born Governor-General, Sir Arthur Porritt in 1967, and the first New Zealand-born resident Governor-General, Sir Denis Blundell, in 1972. Since that time, there have been several other firsts, with the first Māori, Sir Paul Reeves, taking on the role in 1985, the first woman, Dame Catherine Tizard in 1990, and myself as the first Governor-General of Asian and Pacific descent, in 2006. Our backgrounds have been equally varied, with four including myself having been judges and one each having been a mayor, archbishop, surgeon, diplomat and a farmer and prime minister.
These matters reflect wider changes, not only in a sovereign and constitutional sense as New Zealand has transitioned from a colony to an independent realm, but also in the growing diversity of our society and economy. For example, in the past, whereas foreign ambassadors presented their New Zealand credentials to the Queen in London; now they travel to New Zealand and present them to the Governor-General in Wellington.
Likewise, Governors-General have in the modern era, at the request of the Government, increasingly travelled abroad, representing all New Zealanders in a non-political way at major international events and generally promoting New Zealand interests abroad. For example, we have represented New Zealand at the Beijing Olympics, at the United Nations in New York and at Gallipoli on ANZAC Day. We have also undertaken a number of State Visits to countries such as Australia, Canada, Mongolia, India, Turkey, Samoa and, earlier this month, to Singapore and Timor-Leste. From an agent of a once global empire, the New Zealand Governor-General of the 21st Century is a New Zealander who represents the Head of State in New Zealand, and New Zealand to the rest of the world.
While Susan and I are soon to begin our last year in the role, it is one that continues to challenge us both, in the best of ways. It is a privilege to serve in it and while we have learnt much, each day continues to be different from the day before and to stretch knowledge in a nice way.
As you might imagine my career as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman had provided me with some knowledge of the workings of our government processes, but it is only when one is in the job that the extent of what is involved is distilled. I have begun to lose count of the numbers of laws and regulations I have signed since assenting to the Coroners Act 2006.
As Governor-General, there are three roles—constitutional, ceremonial and community leadership. Each is of continuing interest and I am fortunate and indebted to the support that I receive from Susan, particularly with regard to the ceremonial and community activities.
Being Governor-General is a singular role and there is nothing that compares with it. One is not a celebrity or out to gather votes or to seek popularity. Even so, we continue to be greeted with genuine warmth having visited all four corners of New Zealand. Having recently completed a significant regional visit to the Nelson and Tasman districts, there are few places we have yet to visit.
In my previous careers, I was often involved in focusing on or resolving inherently negative matters. As a lawyer it was prosecuting or defending someone accused of a criminal offence. As a judge, presiding over trials and sentencing those convicted. As an ombudsman, it was attempting to resolve grievances between members of the public and governmental agencies.
As Governor-General, Susan and I have been privileged to see New Zealand and New Zealanders at their best. Investiture and award ceremonies are a case in point. The deeds of the people who receive the highest honours are well known to us all. Many will be aware of the significant media attention, both national and international, garnered by the investiture ceremony where I knighted acclaimed New Zealand film maker Sir Peter Jackson as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
But equally as interesting, and rarely as well known, are the stories of those who receive the Queen’s Service Medal or are awarded the life membership of a particular charity. Invariably they have worked tirelessly, often for years on end, providing vital community services or support or working on key community projects. Some here, for example, might know Kevin Schwass, of Takapuna, who I invested with the QSM at a ceremony at Government House in Auckland on 15 April. A local businessman and city councillor, Mr Schwass has been involved in a number of community initiatives and sponsoring a range of sports teams.
Others, such as Rodney Cornelius, of Devonport, who was invested with the QSM at the same ceremony, has chaired the Devonport Historical and Museum Society for many years. Others have been involved with schools, others with environmental causes, some as fire fighters or volunteer paramedics, and some with sports or Māori or ethnic groups. But they have all shown leadership, engagement with their communities and an underlying recognition that enjoying the rights and benefits of a democracy also involves obligations and responsibilities.
The Governor-General’s role is one I have found to be continually absorbing. Every day is different and it is not a 9-5 job. There are several hundred engagements every year and my contribution today is one of more than 30 speeches I have prepared and delivered so far this month, while Susan has also given a number of speeches in the same period.
We will sometimes attend three functions a day. Attending and speaking at a dinner will be followed by meeting a community group or opening a conference the following morning and speaking to a reception in the late afternoon. Supported by experienced staff of Government House, we are briefed and advised on all these engagements.
So what do I see as the challenges for the next 15 months? In my speeches I have developed and stressed three key themes—the richness and challenge of New Zealand’s increasingly diverse cultural make-uup, the need for greater community engagement and benefits of civic education.
On New Year’s Day, I issued a 2010 New Year message in which I stressed the importance of identifying and supporting our community’s young and emerging leaders. In that message, I contrasted 2010 being the 170th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of the Waitangi and the 65th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with the recent global financial crisis. They are contrasting anniversaries—one speaks of partnership and the other of a conflict that claimed millions of lives. The response of people after the World War II was not despair but a resounding vote of faith in the future. People established families and built stronger communities.
Referring to the recent global financial meltdown, in my message I noted that it was clear that individuals, families and communities have been hurt by the crisis, but that New Zealanders' best qualities—ingenuity, tenacity and humour—have enabled them to rebound. Community groups and volunteers have responded to those in need, while businesses continue to create and market innovative products and services. New Zealanders have called on their tight connections to friends and family and proved that these are vitally important in times of adversity.
I concluded with the following challenge:
“It seems fitting to suggest, 170 years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and 65 years after the end of the Second World War, that a challenge should go out to renew the spirit of partnership and hope that came out of both events. Tomorrow's leaders need the skills, confidence and support to take on the mantle of community leadership. We should all focus on identifying and encouraging these leaders whether they emerge in public positions, through voluntary service to others, in sport, education or business. I believe this is a New Year resolution proposal that we can all build on.”
The theme of the message about nuturing tomorrow’s leaders should naturally resonate with members of a Rotary Club. The community projects that Rotary Clubs undertake, and the fundraising support that is given to other essential services, is invaluable in providing a focus for emerging leaders and an opportunity for everyone to display leadership qualities. I note that the North Shore Hospital has been a particular focus for both clubs. I had the pleasure of opening in 2007 Te Waimarama, the healing garden, at the hospital which was supported by the East Coast Bays Club while I understand the Milford Club has fundraised for a garden linked to the mental health unit and has also been a big supporter of the hospital’s cardiac unit.
In conclusion, my challenge to this audience is to continue to build on Rotary’s fine history of nurturing leadership potential to assist our nation’s emerging leaders. The Rotarians don’t stand on the sidelines when an issue appears and mutter: “Someone should do something about that” and then turn away. Instead, they roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. That defining quality of what makes Rotary special, is also what makes New Zealand and New Zealanders special. As Saatchi and Saatchi worldwide chief executive Kevin Roberts once said:
“We were the last to be discovered and the first to see the light. This makes us one of the great experimental cultures. We try things first. Whether it’s votes for women, the welfare state or the market economy, powered flight, nuclear physics, anti-nuclearism, biculturalism. First-isms. The New in New Zealand is our reason to exist.””
And on what I hope is a satisfactory note of optimism, I will close in New Zealand’s first language Māori, offering everyone greetings and wishing you all good health and fortitude in your endeavours. No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.