Dinner in honouring of the retiring Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Thank you for accepting the invitation from my wife Susan and I to attend this dinner in honour of Simon Murdoch, who retires soon as Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

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 then specifically greet you: Simon Murdoch, Secretary of Foreign Affairs; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen.

I looked for a suitable aphorism with which to open this evening's gathering.  

But it seems that like people who work in the law, the work of the professional diplomat has often been subjected to scorn.  Even the 19th Century French diplomat Charles Talleyrand once dubbed "The Prince of Diplomats" is reputed to have said:   "A diplomat who says ‘yes' means ‘maybe', a diplomat who says ‘maybe' means ‘no', and a diplomat who says ‘no' is no diplomat."   The most complimentary comment I could find came from the American poet Robert Frost who once said: "A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age."

The message  or subset appears to be that diplomats are mealy mouthed and never tell the truth.  I have no knowledge about Simon's abilities in remembering birthdays, but from what I know of him, and from what I've been told, no-one could ever accuse him of being untruthful or mealy mouthed.

Everything, I know and have heard about Simon suggests quite the opposite.  That he is upfront, straight talking and a fair and honest person.  And contrary to what Talleyrand suggested, he manages to do this in discussions with foreign diplomats in such a way that they don't take offence.

In many ways Simon's approach is very much in line with New Zealand's international personality.  New Zealand is seen as a fair and upfront player on the  international stage.  And because of that, our opinion is respected even if other countries might not necessarily agree them. 

I doubt when Simon joined the Ministry in 1972 that he would end his career with the organisation as Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade.   But the combination of a strong intellect and knowledge of world history, founded on an MA in history from the University of Canterbury, combined with the personal qualities I have mentioned, have seen him go far.  

There are few New Zealand public servants to have headed two of our key government agencies-the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet-as well as being High Commissioner to Australia, one of the top three New Zealand diplomatic postings. 

In undertaking his duties, Simon has been on the frontline in representing New Zealand's interests abroad.  Indeed, he was literally on the frontline when he was evacuated to a warship when the venue for the East Asia Summit in Thailand was invaded by protesters last month.  

However, listening to Simon recount his experiences on National Radio, one could not help be struck by his calm demeanour.  After an hour on the ship, they were returned to the shore. He told the media: "We took off our shoes, rolled up our trousers and clutching our papers made our way to the beach."

This no doubt, is but a minor incident in a diplomat's life.  But it exemplified the qualities of a true professional-someone who keeps their head when everyone else around them is losing theirs.

And not just any professional, but a New Zealand professional.  There was no pretence, no complaints, just a Kiwi-style, get on and deal with it attitude.

I am advised that you formally end your role as Secretary in mid-June.  On behalf of both myself and my wife Susan, I want to thank you for your service, and indeed of the support and briefings we have received from your staff in undertaking the Governor-General role.  We both wish you well with your future endeavours.

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.