Speech
National Heart Foundation celebration
May I begin by greeting everyone in the languages of the realm of New Zealand - 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 evening [sign].
May I specifically greet you: Heart Foundation's Board Chair Mike Tomlinson; Medical Director, Professor Norman Sharpe and Executive Director Tony Duncan, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
It is with great pleasure that my wife Susan and I welcome you to Government House in Auckland this evening for this reception to mark the 40th anniversary of the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand.
As Patron of the Foundation, it is even greater pleasure to join in the celebration of everything you have achieved.
It seems to me that one of the best things to be said about the Foundation is that you have taken New Zealand with you in the years since 1968 adapting to changes in our community since then.
Within a year of its formation, I am told that the Heart Foundation's first annual appeal had raised $1 million.
A year later it awarded its first grant - to Dr John Neutze of GreenLaneHospital for his work on developing methods for measuring cardiac output in children.
The first Heart Week was held that year - and shortly afterwards the Heartmobile was turning up at schools and public events.
By the end of its first decade, the Heart Foundation had appointed its inaugural Medical Director, Dr David Hay - and published a cookbook.
With initiatives like this, the Heart Foundation has demonstrated time and again a real knack for marketing its message to the public effectively.
Behind the scenes as well, it has promoted a great deal of very important research using funds to providet fellowships and postgraduate scholarships, to endow a chair in cardiovascular studies at the University of Otago's School of Medicine and to maintain the Cardiovascular Endocrine Unit at ChristchurchHospital.
Through its major programmes it can be said that the Heart Foundation has become a real landmark on the health landscape of New Zealand.
It has spearheaded the movement for Cardiac Rehabilitation, which has proved to be more effective than any other single cardiac intervention. I am advised there are now almost 70 cardiac clubs all over New Zealand in which people help each other to stay heart healthy - and I can report of a long and happy personal association I have had personally with the YMCA Cardiac Club in Auckland under Laurie Reynolds.
The Foundation has championed a systematic approach to the screening of people at risk of heart disease, and has provided training for doctors and nurses and a range of resources so that those at risk can learn what they can do about it.
It is the main trainer of health professionals in the field of giving up smoking. It trains more than 1700 health professionals a year in how they can help the public "quit" - and in getting across the message of the importance of a smokefree environment.
The progress made in 40 years can properly be described as phenomenal. This is highlighted by the fact that the death rate from heart disease has been cut by more than half in that time.
There is no lecturing people and wagging the finger at them. Rather it offers advice and helps individuals and communities make healthy choices. The Foundation's highly successful heart tick programme, for example, has seen more than a 1000 products receive the Tick allowing shoppers to readily see those foods that are better for them.
Notwithstanding all this, cardiovascular disease is still the major cause of death in New Zealand - accounting for 40 per cent of deaths annually.
Thirty-six years ago, Diane Farmer, writing in The New Zealand Listener, said: "Never in almost three decades of pavlova eating, have I laid eyes on any left-overs." She then prophetically added: "A way with sugar is probably both our virtue and our doom."
One of the consequences of New Zealand's love affair with sugar—and some other unhealthy foods I might add—has been heart disease.
When combined with the reality that about 20 percent of adults still smoke, and with heart disease becoming more common in younger people, this is definitely an on-going challenge.
But the Heart Foundation, if an obvious pun can be excused, is clearly in good heart!
It is most gratifying to be the Patron of such a highly motivated, highly successful organisation. Patronage is not a given partly because of so many requests and by agreeing to be your Patron when I took up office in August 2006, it was with pleasure that I was able to give you a "tick" of my own!
Your organisation - us - we have had a wonderful first 40 years - and I wish you all the best as you go into your fifth vigorous decade.
As I have noted, there remains much work to do with which every little bit will help. As the notable South African Archbishop, Desmond Tutu once said:
"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."
On that uplifting note, I would like to close and wish everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours with the Foundation and in our country's first language, Maori:
No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tena koutou katoa.