AUT Breakfast Club

May I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, 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: Shameela Ali, President of the AUT Breakfast Club and your fellow board members; Sir Paul Reeves, Chancellor of AUT University and Derek McCormack, Vice-Chancellor; Roger Stokell, Acting Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law; Academic staff and students; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting my wife Susan and I to attend this AUT Breakfast Club reception.  As a long-time member of The Northern Club, it is good to be in familiar surroundings.

May I first register regret for the delay in getting here, with an initial invitation having been made nearly two years ago.  But unfortunately the nature of the Governor-General role is that every date is contestable and trying to meet every invitation is often difficult.

So while the Roman historian Titus Livius is attributed with the famous saying, "Better late than never," I note that George Bernard Shaw once rejoindered with the statement: "Better never than late."  However, you have in your President, Shameela Ali, a sterling and tenacious advocate for the cause and it is a great pleasure to be here, even if the menu at this hour is more likely to include the Northern Club sandwiches rather than eggs benedict, toast and cereal!

I would also like to congratulate the AUT Breakfast Club on reaching a 15th birthday. As a student-run organisation and juggling the demands of study and part-time work with an inevitable turnover in membership, its longevity suggests that it continues to meet a genuine need.  That need is the importance of fostering interaction between the business community and students at AUT and also an opportunity for guest speakers to speak about their own experiences and insights into the business world.

I would like to take an opportunity to speak about leadership and particularly leadership in a business context.    Businesses are at the heart of our economy.  Most New Zealanders are employed by businesses and industries.  They not only create our nation's exports but also operate the many services that keep the economy running.  Businesses are sources of innovative new products which have, in turn, been generated by significant research and investment.  

As is well known, the business world and the wider economy, both here and overseas are facing troubling times. According to many economists, New Zealand and the world are entering one of the most difficult economic periods since the time of the Great Depression of the 1930s.  A malaise that was originally centred solely on the financial sector has spread far further.  A recent report by the World Bank suggested the world economy as a whole would shrink for the first time since the end of the Second World War.

In such times, the cry often goes out for "leadership."  I place the word in quotes, because it one of those terms that not only means different things to different people but also means different things at different times. For example, in the last 60 years historians and political scientists have often been asked to rank United States Presidents and the names of Lincoln, Washington and Franklin Roosevelt have consistently been at the top. However, in the early 1960s, in the glow of Kennedy's Camelot, Eisenhower's steady conservative leadership ranked poorly.  Twenty years later, though after the upheavals of Vietnam and Watergate, a reassessment saw his leadership portrayed in a far more favourable light.   

It seems everyone has an opinion on who is either a good or bad leader or the qualities they portray.    People often struggle with a definition, listing instead leadership qualities and when pressed further simply retort: "Well, I know it when I see it."  As Professor Brad Jackson from the University of Auckland recently wrote: "Whether it's teenager's views on the adequacy of their parent's or teacher's leadership skills or a colleague questioning the wisdom of promoting someone at work or the election of a new political leader, leadership tends to be something that is high on a lot of people's agendas-and invariably it's a powerful way of dividing people into those who support a particular leader and those who do not. The most authoritative sources regarding matters of global as well as local leadership are, of course, taxi drivers. They should be consulted at every opportunity."

Maybe it is something about driving someone else around that the drivers of Governors-General have not been not averse to occasionally passing on similar insights! 

But I jest. It is now almost 40 years since I graduated with a law degree from the University across the road from the AUT.  I have worked as both a crown prosecutor and defence lawyer in two law firms and then as a judge and ombudsman before being appointed as Governor-General in August 2006.

In that time, my career has on many occasions placed me in close proximity with leadership.  And with each change in my professional life my definition of leadership has expanded.  As I have mentioned, people define leadership differently-some by vision, some by charisma, and some by the ability to inspire others. My own experience of leadership tells me that there are two words that leaders resonate-trust and respect.

Given the importance of businesses to our economy and to the livelihoods of so many people, it follows that business leadership and the role of business leaders is of vital importance.  But trust and respect on the part of the public has been dented by business failures where the quality of leadership has been questionable. 

It should be remembered that such cases are actually a minority of businesses.  But as governments worldwide have found, the costs of some high-profile failures, or preventing them, has had wide-ranging ramifications for their own budgets, national economies and jobs.

Unfortunately, the actions and deeds of the minority unfairly tarnish the reputation of the many hardworking and honourable business leaders.  Restoring public confidence will come from those who demonstrate key leadership qualities.  Those qualities include an ability to listen, to be professional in their dealings with others and to display the integrity, honesty and respect that should be the hallmark of everyone's life. Leaders need to keep their feet on the ground and to recognise that it is their purpose to serve. 

I give, as one example, the leadership shown by Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe after the tragic loss of one of the airline's aeroplanes and crew in a crash over the Mediterranean late last year.  What he ably demonstrated, by flying there himself, and taking family members of victims with him, was the old saying that "actions speak louder than words."  His example showed that what you do in life says as much about who you are, and your commitment to those values, as what you say.  Your deeds can be a positive example to others that promote positive change.

Leadership can take many forms.  Throughout the year, there are investiture ceremonies where awards are conferred by the Governor-General to recognise those honoured in the New Year and Queen's Birthday honours lists.  In addition, to those who have achieved in a host of different fields from art and science to the law and community service, are those who have succeeded in business and commerce.

Listening to the citations that outline their achievements, invariably it is clear that these business leaders they have done far more than just run successful businesses.  Their businesses have almost always been leaders in their respective fields, bringing to the market innovative products that are rightly seen as world leaders.  They have often contributed to the wider industry by serving on panels to encourage innovation or to enhance industry standards.

In addition they have also been well known for supporting a host of charitable and philanthropic activities.  As examples, I could mention the late Sir Roy McKenzie or Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall as just two of many, many examples.   As Patron of more than 150 charitable organisations, I am keenly aware that the world's current economic troubles will be placing a double pressure of these organisations-an increasing demand for their services but a reduction in income from donations.  As future business leaders, I urge you to offer your time and skills to assist such charitable organisations.

Another quality of leadership is courage.  Earlier today, as Patron of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand, I presented seven awards to people who put their own lives at risk to save others in peril.  Their courageous acts included rescuing people from burning vehicles and saving a child who was close to drowning at sea.  Their courageous deeds-placing their own lives at risk to save complete strangers-should be an inspiration to everyone.

But courage is not confined to only those who show physical bravery.  The lives of people such as Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi show that courage is the greatest of all virtues.  As British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said: "Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others."   Having the courage of one's convictions includes holding fast to values-such as honesty, justice and ethical conduct-and if necessary in the face of others who would give expediency a higher priority.

Making a difference is something everyone can do, sometimes in small deeds and sometimes in great, heroic actions.  I will close by quoting the words of the late Sir Edmund Hillary who, despite his many great feats in life, remained a humble man.  He rightly declared that you don't have to be an intellectual to be a good leader. In his autobiography, Nothing Venture, Nothing Win he touched on many qualities of leadership of which I have spoken.  In particular he said: "I discovered that even the mediocre can have adventures and even the fearful can achieve. I had the world beneath my clumsy boots and saw the red sun slip over the horizon after the dark Antarctic winter. But for me the most rewarding moments have not always been the great moments, for what can surpass a tear on your departure, joy on your return, and a trusting hand in yours?"

And on that note I will close in New Zealand's first language Māori, by 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.