National Council of Women Executive Meeting

To:  Elizabeth Bang, President of the National Council of Women of New Zealand;  to your fellow board members; to the members; and, in particular, to the life members  Dame Miriam Dell,  Dame Jocelyn Fish,  Janet Hesketh  Dawn Ibbotsen  Dame Alison Roxburgh, and Dame Laurie Salas;  greetings, kia ora, kia orana, fakalofa lahi atu, taloha ni (sign ‘good afternoon').  These are the languages of the Realm of New Zealand.

Thank you for inviting me to attend this annual meeting of the National Executive of the National Council of Women, and for the opportunity to speak to you.  I would like to commend the Council for the way you link organisations which endorse and promote issues that matter.  I have been consistently impressed by the way that the National Council of Women adds value - for example, in the recent campaign to protect children from sexualisation.  The Council was able to work effectively with other organisations to mobilise public opinion , and to boycott a range of baby clothes with offensive and inappropriate slogans.

Since August 2006, my life has revolved around the office of the Governor-General.  When Anand and I discussed taking on the role which is for five years, we decided that, wherever possible, we should do things together, as a couple.  We believe that this philosophy both extends the reach of the role of Governor-General and strengthens our personal relationship.

Anand's term has coincided with the closure of the Wellington House for refurbishment.  This has substantially changed the nature of the role, with some added difficulty but also some opportunities, including much more engagement around the country.  We are proud that we are part of efforts to ensure that the House will last another hundred years for all New Zealanders to enjoy.  We've also had the privilege of being closely involved with the planning for the refurbishment.  From what I've seen, I'm sure that the finished House will reflect our country's diverse character and honour all the separate strands of our history.  I encourage you all to visit the House when it reopens, since it is part of our shared heritage.

The Governor General's role consists of three areas: Constitutional, Ceremonial, and Community duties.  My main contributions are to the Ceremonial and Community work.  Ceremonial duties include occasions such as investitures, state visits, and events honouring those who have served our country in wars.  Community events cover visits to schools and concerts, acknowledgements of community groups, and support for institutions like hospitals and the Citizens' Advice Bureau.

Within these areas, I have been able to focus on themes that particularly interest me.  My three chosen themes - namely  children, protection of the environment, and volunteering - are closely aligned with the interests of the National Council of Women.  For this reason, I'm especially glad to be patron of your organisation.  This patronage also sits well with allied patronages - for example, Rural Women New Zealand, Girl Guiding New Zealand, the New Zealand Federation of Women's Institutes, and the YWCA.  So I look forward to working with the Board of Management in the future.

For more than a century, the National Council of Women has been at the forefront of the many battles for women to gain equal rights.  As a woman, and as your Patron, I commend current and former members for your achievements on behalf of all New Zealand women.  Since New Zealand was the first country in which women attained the right to vote, your members also led the way for women worldwide.

Thanks to suffragettes, legislation now protects the rights of women to vote, to be elected to public office, and to serve on juries.  These achievements are so fundamental to New Zealand human rights and the well-being of women here that many younger people can take them for granted.  In today's world of competing interests, it is important to hold the line on these rights.

It is my challenge to the National Council and its affiliates to remind younger women of the mighty legacy they have inherited, and to value and use the right to vote.

The vision that drove Kate Sheppard - your first president - to fight for women's suffrage is just important today.  She once said: "Do not think your single vote does not matter much.  The rain that refreshes the parched ground is made up of single drops."

When people work together, as in the National Council of Women, they can achieve truly great things.  I am sure that the need and the challenge for your organisation to improve the situation and status of women is just as great today as it was in 1893, even though the battlefronts might have shifted.

It is with pleasure that,  as your Patron,  I now formally declare the National Executive of the National Council of Women meeting closed.  No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.