National Council of Women

To: Wendy Zemanek,  President of the Wellington Branch of the National Council of Women of New Zealand;  to Bernice Williams,  Secretary;  to Dame Miriam Dell, Life Member; Dame Margaret Shields  to the members here today and to you all;  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 lunch meeting and to speak to you.

As a woman I salute you and this organisation for achieving so much for so many.  It was often the case that women's needs were overlooked and it is thanks in part to you women have moved on.  Discrimination against women continues in various ways in New Zealand, though, and encouraging more younger people to put some time and effort into fighting apathy is our ongoing challenge.

The way National Council of Women works with others for women's well-being,  like Rural Women New Zealand and the Maori Women's Welfare League,  is one of your strengths.  Another is - in the spirit that ‘every issue is a women's issue' - that you fearlessly debate the big topics as diverse as climate change, family violence and world peace.  Children have special needs for champions and I also want to commend the many initiatives by the National Council of Women to speak in their interests.  Basic values and expectations continually evolve and our community's views will reflect the quality of thought and debate to which you contribute and can influence the agenda.  Kate Sheppard eloquently responded to those who questioned whether New Zealand's women could govern themselves.  She said:  "Do not think your single vote does not matter much.  The rain that refreshes the parched ground is made up of single drops."

I have been asked to provide you with some idea of life as the spouse of the Governor-General and some thoughts follow.

When asked to take on this term of five years there was much to consider.  In August 2006, when we began the term, we were of the view that, to the greatest extent possible, we should do things together.  We believe that this philosophy has been better for us.

The position of the Governor-General is often broken down into three main areas known as the three ‘C s' - constitutional, ceremonial, and community.

Attendance at meetings of the Executive Council, and meetings with individual Ministers is an area in which I have no role.  This is the role which Anand does alone and it is broadly called constitutional.  His legal and ombudsman background has equipped him well for it.

Dame Catherine Tizard described the Governor-General as the ‘crown and anchor'.  Of course he or she is the Queen's Representative in New Zealand.  Things the Queen would otherwise do are;  open Parliament following a general election,  dissolve Parliament at the end of its term,  start the electoral process by issuing writs for its conduct,  appoint ministers judges, military officers and diplomats - and - attend meetings of the Executive Council.  There are also the documents which arrive at Government House for the attention and signature of the Governor-General.

Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh have many warm memories of New Zealand as have other members of the Royal Family, notably Princess Anne, who we have also had a good discussion with.  We have had the honour of twice lunching with the Queen and Duke and were heartened by their insights and genuine interest.

Ceremonial occasions include those which affect the country at home and those overseas.  At home each year there is Anzac Day, Armistice Day, Commonwealth Sunday and Waitangi Day.  We both attend all these events and we inform ourselves beforehand and then connect with those running the event in question, many of whom we have by now met.  These people deserve to be remembered correctly for who they are and what they are doing. 

Sometimes these ceremonial events occur overseas and this year,  with New Zealand being the host nation for the ANZAC commemorations at Gallipoli,  we had the privilege of leading the New Zealand delegation.  We were part of the events at each of the battle sites with Anand laying wreaths and giving speeches at Anzac Cove and at Chunuk Bair.  A formal State visit to Turkey followed and meetings in Ankara with the President and Prime Minister.  To help to make the visit go well, I research beforehand so I can converse easily with local people and dignitaries.  We have also been to the Pacific.  There were Tokelau and Niue, and then Samoa and Tonga, all of which I relished.  India, Canada and Mongolia are other countries we have formally made visits to and foreign heads of state and royalty come to our country as well.  For all these occasions we try to be as prepared as we can be.

We are very grateful for experienced help from the Government House staff which facilitates everything we do in the name of the Governor-General.  The household staff support us in personal ways and the fact we have no parking worries or airport hassles increases our capacity to achieve things.  Of course many things still need us to make a lot of personal effort.

The community aspect of the Governor-General role is the one that takes up most of the time.  We are expected to make ourselves available as freely as we can to support significant events in the community and these can occur all over the country - on weekends as well as weekdays and at many times of the day.  Each week we are part of a team that decides which events can be fitted in.  This team chooses things that will bring us close to the heartbeat of New Zealand and we value this enormously. 

The joint approach Anand and I have adopted helps us to meet more new people and to properly recall people we may have met on previous occasions.  There are times that I attend an event as the spouse of the Governor-General, like today.  Another way in which we promote Anand's role is by visits to the regions of New Zealand.  Soon we go to Taranaki and while there, we will be likely to meet those involved with the local bodies, rural sector, business and various groups representing children, sport, women and cultural diversity.

Traditionally the Governor-General takes on patronages.  We make a priority of supporting those organisations we are patrons of - attending or hosting events at Government House for them.  With advice, a review of patronages was undertaken at the beginning of the term and the number reduced so that we can have some participation in each.

Within all of this business, I am promoting three ‘themes'.  They are broadly children, protection of the environment and volunteers - and I make a constant effort to look at opportunities to promote these themes.  My view is that the wife of the Governor-General should always take a positive tack such as good parenting or acknowledging the efforts of the Department of Conservation.

The conservation project at Government House Wellington is well underway.  The closure and packing up of the House was a major undertaking in itself and the remarkable Norrie Collection of portraits is now on display at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery in Shed 11.  The House is undergoing strengthening, a new roof, the installation of modern services and improved energy efficiency.  As Anand once said, it is like a triple bypass and a double hip replacement.  We have the opportunity to tour the project occasionally and feel hopeful that, as work is progressing well, we can look forward to moving back in before we finish in August 2011.  The house was completed in 1910 so next year is its centenary.

What is clear is the care being taken to protect and enhance the heritage features.  I meet with the Heritage Architecture Team when possible both to be briefed on plans and to offer ideas on practical and aesthetic issues.

While things are underway, we are staying at Government House Vogel in Lower Hutt which is very comfortable but less accomodating for functions.  Government House Auckland was refurbished and extended in 2005, and we spend more than a quarter of our time in Auckland, as it is the major population centre.

There are real opportunities that the closure of the Wellington House has brought.  We have now held a garden party in Christchurch, at the beautiful Otahuna, and investitures in the Wigram Museum.  Soon there will be investitures at Lanarch's Castle in Dunedin and who knows where else the role may take us.

We both continue to learn so much that is good about New Zealand and its people every day and this is the overwhelming joy of it.  It is a privilege to be in this role, to be part of representing you and New Zealand and to support the Governor-General.

No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.