Rowing New Zealand High Performance Centre

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 afternoon (Sign)

May I specifically greet you:  Lesley Milne, President of Rowing New Zealand; Bill Falconer, Chairman of Rowing New Zealand and your fellow board members; Simon Petersen, Chief Executive of Rowing New Zealand; Your Worship Alan Livingston, Mayor of the Waipa District; Members of Parliament Louise Upston and Jo Goodhew;  Distinguished Guests otherwise; ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting my wife Susan and I to Lake Karapiro for the opening of Rowing New Zealand's new High Performance Centre.

As Patron of Rowing New Zealand, I have been asked to officially open this splendid new centre by unveiling a plaque later in the ceremony.  However, I would like to take this opportunity to speak to the importance of this new facility.

Let me first start by saying how good it is to be back here at Lake Karapiro.   In June last year, Susan and I had the pleasure of touring the facilities here as a part of a visit to the Waikato region. 

This was just before New Zealand's rowers headed off to Beijing for the Olympics and there was an undeniable sense of excitement and of expectation.

That level of expectation was well realised at the Games, and Susan and I were honoured to be in Beijing to welcome and support the New Zealand athletes.  New Zealand had a great games, with 15 athletes returning home with medals from nine events.

For Rowing New Zealand, the games were particularly successful.  There was gold to the Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell in the women's double sculls, Mahe Drysdale taking bronze in the men's single sculls and George Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle also taking bronze in the men's coxless pair.

This week I have had the pleasure of honouring some of those athletes at investiture ceremonies at Government House in Auckland.  Yesterday, I invested Nathan Twaddle as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit and earlier today, invested the same honour on Mahe Drysdale.

New Zealand's continuing success in international rowing is surprising, not only because of our small population base, but also because of the relatively small number who compete in the sport. I am advised that New Zealand has about 3,500 active rowers, of most which are at school. 

So why has New Zealand been such a significant rowing nation? There are many factors that come together to make for great athletes in any sport. Some people's physique-tall people in basketball for example-gives them an advantage.

There is also training and hardwork, and probably most important of all, a positive attitude and a desire to win.  As the late Sir Edmund Hillary once said: "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."

However, in today's world, all these factors will get even the best athletes only so far.   Increasingly, what transforms good athletes into elite athletes is intensive coaching and training that applies the knowledge gained from science.

These facilities do not happen by chance.  The come about because people with a vision for success come together to work for that goal.  Rowing New Zealand is one such organisation.

This $4.3 million High Performance Centre, with its gymnasium, its rowing machines and its sports science and sports medicine facilities, will give New Zealand rowers access to some of the best facilities on offer today.   And all this next to Lake Karapiro, which many regard as one of the best stretches of water in the world for rowing.

It is appropriate then that this ceremony should be occuring this week as a part of the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Rowing Association's 2009 Maadi Cup Regatta.

For New Zealand's medal winning rowers of today, this centre will no doubt be of benefit.  But its real worth will come from allowing our best young rowers-the champions of tomorrow-to succeed at a higher level.

I would therefore like to congratulate Rowing New Zealand and everyone who has participated in bringing this facility to fruition for your commitment to a vision that sees New Zealand rowers be the best they can be.

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.