Tawa Rotary

May 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)

May I specifically greet you: Bruce Philips, President of the Rotary Club of Tawa; Robert Armstrong, Past President; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.  

Thank you for the invitation to my wife Susan and I to attend this meeting of the Rotary Club of Tawa.

At the outset I should state how comfortable it is to again be in the company of Rotarians, having been a foot soldier member and now honorary member of the Rotary Club of Wellington.  Indeed, I had joined the escalator that Rotary members know as being in the holding room before being elected to be president of the Club. I was then appointed to this role and there were murmurings in the Club that suggested that I had taken the Governor-General appointment simply as a way of avoiding the presidency!

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 giving back to the community that one learns in Rotary that one receives so much in return. 

Even so I can well understand the wit of Pulitzer Prize winning columnist from the Miami Herald, Dave Barry, who once wrote: "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 ‘Some Assembly Required.'"

But seriously, the success of service clubs like Rotary lies in positive support for the community, focusing on those matters by which members are in agreement. Accentuating the positive has had its critics, although the best rejoinder was perhaps given by Rotary founder Paul Harris who, in typically polite fashion, responded: "It would not be fair to the critics of Rotary, who include some of the most brilliant of the British and American writers, to charge them with prejudice."

For Susan and I, Sunday just past marked an important anniversary for us, namely, that of it being three years since I was sworn in on the steps of Parliament as Governor-General and personal representative of the Queen of New Zealand.   Barring a constitutional crisis, which no New Zealand Governor-General has thankfully ever had to deal with, with last year's election and swearing in of the new government, we have together been exposed to at least one instance of every usual aspect of the role.

We are thus three 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.

An abiding feature is the closure of Government House Wellington which has been a unique circumstance.  In packing up the House more than 46,000 individual items were identified, catalogued and either placed into storage, or were sent to Government House Auckland, to Government House Vogel or off for restoration or display.   

Susan and I have had inspection visits of the project from time to time and it is fascinating to see the work underway, including reroofing, strengthening and installation of a massive service trench under the House that stretches from one end to the other.  It is also slightly unnerving being in a place we had become very close to in two years, being much more than laid bare.  I am advised that the project is on track to be completed in mid-2011.

I should say at the outset, that while we are now past the mid-point, the role 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. 

There have been naturally some lighter moments along the way.  In my first year, for example, we visited Tutira School in the Hawke's Bay to plant the first tree in what was to become the school's new bush area.  Tree planting is a regular recurring event and to date I have planted trees in Auckland, in Wellington, in Niue, one in the Chatham Islands among others.  For someone who readily admits to not being a green thumb, I can honestly say I will have planted sufficient trees in my time as Governor-General to warrant applying for carbon credits when they come on stream.

At Tutira School, the children given the job of preparing the hole, had become somewhat carried away and had provided a hole of width which could have accommodated a 44 gallon drum and I was supposed to place a very diminutive kowhai seedling in it.  Without quite a bit of back filling, it would have been completely consumed.

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 now lost count of the numbers of laws and regulations I have considered and signed since assenting to the Coroner's Act 2006.

As Governor-General, there are three roles-constitutional, ceremonial and that to do with community leadership.  Each is of constant interest and I am fortunate, particularly with regard to the ceremonial and community, the latter two "C's", that I am hugely supported by Susan.

Being Governor-General is a singular role-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 from Cape Reinga in the north, to Stewart Island in the South, the Chatham Islands in the east and the West Coast in the west.   There remain only odd pockets like the King Country where we have not yet visited.

In my previous careers, I was more often than not involved in focusing on or resolving inherently negative matters and on the lookout for the error, blemish, mistake or bad act.  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 mediate and resolve grievances between members of the public and governmental agencies whether to do with actions or provision of official information.

As Governor-General, Susan and I have been privileged to see and 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. 

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 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 tonight is the thirty-third speech I have delivered since the start of July and Susan has also given a number of speeches in that same period.

We will sometimes attend as many as three functions a day.  Attending and speaking at a dinner will be followed by meeting a community group 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. 

One sees people in all sorts of emotions - happy, tense, sad and excited.  An incident that sticks in my mind was the investiture of a 96-year-old Christchurch Chinese man, Percy Lee, at Government House in Wellington in April last year. The elderly and diminutive Mr Lee quickly walked in a sprightly manner up the ramp to receive his QSM for services to the Chinese community.  But before I could put out my hand to greet him, he raised his arms in the air, exclaimed "Ah Governor-General" and excitedly gave me a big hug, much to the amusement of everyone present-not the least myself.

So what do I see as the challenges of the next two years?  In my speeches I have developed and stressed these key themes-the richness and challenges of New Zealand's increasingly diverse cultural mix, the need for greater community engagement and benefits of civic education.   

On New Year's Day, I issued a first New Year message in which I stressed the importance of community engagement and voluntary service - which should come as no surprise to the members of a Rotary Club. 

In that message, I emphasised that the spirit of volunteerism is the glue that holds our society and economy together, and that our health, education and social service sectors would grind to a halt without the countless hours of voluntary work many people provide. 

I also noted that voluntary work not only has its own intrinsic benefits-making friends and even offers of employment-but that it also adds strength to our wider communities.

But I am equally convinced that the voluntary sector will have a particularly important role to play in the difficult time in the months ahead as New Zealand and the world face the most challenging economic times in many years.

The community projects that service organisations such as Rotary undertake, and the fundraising support you give to other essential services, will be invaluable in providing a focus for communities under stress.  The leadership shown by groups such as yours will be vital.  I understand that an annual book fair has recently raised about $15,000 that will be used to make community grants as one of a number of community projects your club undertakes.

In conclusion, despite the difficult days ahead, I remain positive about our nation's prospects.   That positive outlook rests on many factors, not the least being the strong spirit of volunteerism.  There's also the can-do attitude and an inherent tolerance of those who are different that New Zealanders do well at.  Maybe it is because of our isolation that we can be overly self-critical at times but a little introspection never hurt anyone.   The point was well made by Saatchi and Saatchi and former Lion Corporation Chief Executive, Kevin Roberts, who 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 its 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 that note, 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.