Royal New Zealand Air Force Dinner

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: Air  Commodore Steve Moore, Deputy Chief of Air Force; Group Captain Shaun Clarke, Commander Operational Support Group; Wing Commander Tim Walshe, Commanding Officer Operational Support Wing; Squadron Leader Shaun Sexton, President of the Officer's Mess; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting my wife Susan and I to attend this dinner here at Ohakea to mark the Queen's Birthday.   Of course, the Queen's Birthday does not occur until four days hence on Monday, but given that Her Majesty's actual birthday was some 36 days ago in April, I am sure  she will not be offended if we are a few days early!

As Governor-General and as Commander-in-Chief I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on the history of our country's Air Force and on a centenary in particular. 

As will no doubt be reasonably well known in a gathering such as this, the Royal New Zealand Air Force was established by Act of Parliament as a separate service 72 years ago on 1 April 1937.  

The RNZAF was pre-dated by the so-called New Zealand Permanent Air Force, which was formed in 1923, with the primary aim of training what was called the "New Zealand Air Force", which was actually a branch of the Territorial Forces.    We can, I suggest, be thankful it was not called the Impermanent Air Force!

The date on which I wish to focus occurred just on a century ago in 1909.  Given that this was six years after the Wright Brothers' pioneering flights at Kitty Hawk-or Richard Pearse's flights at Canterbury depending on your view of history-one might wonder how 1909 might be connected with the history of the RNZAF.

The significance of June 1909, and 11 June 1909, in particular, is that on that date, Henry Wigram stood in the Legislative Council, the now abolished Upper Chamber of our Parliament, and called on the Government to investigate "aerial navigation" as a part of New Zealand's defence.

In his speech, which was part of the Address-in-Reply debate to the Speech from the Throne by my predecessor as Governor, Lord William Lee Plunket, Wigram said that while he supported the Government's intentions to buy a Dreadnought for the Royal Navy, it should also examine developments in aviation.  He said, "We have always been in the forefront of progress, and I ask whether we should not now take up the matter of aerial navigation."

He also urged the Government to gain expert advice, pointing out that for a remote territory such as New Zealand, aviation could "prove a useful defence against hostile ships [and] the cost is trifling compared to armament-that is to say, big guns and cruisers."

There would have been many who scoffed at this, and the Government's response appears to have been one of stony silence.  Flight was in its infancy, and many would have dismissed it as a passing fancy.  At that stage, with the exception of Richard Pearse's "long hops", no-one had then flown an aeroplane in New Zealand.  It was not until two years later that the first recorded sustained flight occurred in New Zealand, when Vivian Walsh flew an imported biplane in Auckland in 1911.

But Wigram was a visionary.  He had visited Europe and England in the year before, and had seen some of the pioneering flights there, including one of an early Zeppelin.  He had returned home with a passion for aviation that was to last until he died. 

And this was no youthful passion either.  Henry Wigram was 52 when made that speech.  His time in Parliament had followed a successful career in business and local government.  As Mayor of Christchurch, he successfully reorganised the city's chaotic transportation system.  By pushing for merger of many of Christchurch's local councils and the establishment of one transportation board, by 1905 it had a comprehensive system of electric trams.

But it was a passion for aviation that drove the latter part of his life.  In 1917, he established New Zealand's second training school, the Canterbury Aviation Company.  Based at Sockburn, it trained more than 180 pilots who went on to serve in British forces in the First World War.   He also went on to found the Canterbury Aero Club and was the first patron of the New Zealand Aero Club when it was formed in 1930.

After World War I, the Government dithered about whether to establish a permanent force.  In 1919 it sought and gained a report from a senior RAF officer, Group Captain Bettington, but repeatedly asked him to scale back his recommendations.  Squadron Leader John Ross, who wrote the Air Force volume of The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War noted the despair that Bettington must have felt, when he went home. 
Ross wrote:

"The measure of enthusiasm which Bettington's report aroused in New Zealand military circles can be gauged from the fact that by 1920 it had been lost and only odd papers could be found in the Defence Department. Not until 1929 was a complete copy found, in private hands, and placed on file."  

Wigram, however, was undaunted by the Government's lack of enthusiasm. Wigram kept the Canterbury Aviation Company going with his own money.  Not until March 1923, after he had donated a further £10,000, did the Government agree to assume all the company's liabilities and run Sockburn as a military airbase.  In honour of his gesture, the airfield was renamed Wigram in June that year.

When he died in 1934, Sir Henry-who had been knighted for services to aviation in 1926-was aptly described by The Press as, "a man notable for the wisdom that sees far, reaches for much, and is sure in its grasp."

The wisdom of one who saw far, meant that a great many New Zealanders were able to go on to serve with distinction in the Second World War, either directly with the RNZAF or in service with the RAF or other Commonwealth forces.

Given the timing of this evening's occasion, it seems appropriate to make reference to another New Zealand airman who served with distinction, both in the First and Second World Wars.  Like Wigram, he was a visionary, and a man who was as much known for what he did as what he said.  This is Sir Keith Park  who is to be honoured by a temporary statue being placed on the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.   This will then be removed to Waterloo Place off Pall Mall coincidentally almost next door to New Zealand House.

Born in Thames in 1892, Sir Keith learnt to fly in Britain and his exploits in the First World War saw him awarded the Military Cross and bar, a DFC and a Croix de Guerre. 

New Zealanders are now coming to know more fully Sir Keith's role in the defence of London during the Battle of Britain.   Flying from base to base in his own personalised Hawker Hurricane, he was not only popular with the men under his command, but he was recognised as a shrewd tactician with a keen grasp of strategic issues.

Sir Douglas Bader, who crossed swords with Sir Keith over Park's rejection of controversial "big wing" tactics , summarised the contribution of people like Sir Keith Park well when writing as follows: "The awesome responsibility for this country's survival rested squarely on Keith Park's shoulders. British military history of this century has been enriched with the names of great fighting men from New Zealand, of all ranks and in every one of our services. Keith Park's name is carved into history alongside those of his peers."

Such was Sir Keith's contribution, both in the defence of London and later of Malta, and his work in South East Asia, and the Far East, that he was knighted during the war and later made a Commander of the American Legion of Merit.

While his military record is one thing, his post-war service is equally impressive.  In 1951 he became chairman of the Auckland International Airport Committee and persuaded a reluctant government to buy the Mangere site.  He also served three terms on the Auckland City Council and was active in several charities, including the Royal NZ Foundation of the Blind, the Epilepsy Association and the Health Camp movement.

So as we mark the Queen's Birthday, let us remember these two people, whose vision and tenacity helped to, not only defend Her Majesty's Realm, but also the democratic values that we all hold dear.

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.

To view images from the visit to Ohakea, click here